What would you buy for $50,000? A new car? A dream vacation? Your own private island?
Before you get carried away, there’s one restriction: Your purchase must satisfy the entire Northwestern community. The pressure is on.
Mayfest stepped up to the challenge this year, using $50,000 of funding allocated by the Student Activities Finance Board to book six bands for Dillo Day on May 24. With Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay carrying too large a price tag, Mayfest co-chairman Brian Bockrath said the organization tried to snag emerging groups that Rolling Stone magazine and concert industry news source Pollstar promote as new bands to watch.
“Because it’s such a big event, a lot of students somewhat logically assume that’s when you’d see the biggest bands,” said Bockrath, a McCormick sophomore. “But what we might consider a headliner for a normal concert isn’t really a possibility for Dillo Day. We have to make that $50,000 go the whole day.”
Unlike the approximately $60,000 allotted to fund two bands at the A&O Ball, Mayfest’s smaller budget must support six bands on Dillo Day, said Bockrath, who booked the A&O shows this year. Mayfest tries to cater to a campus of diverse tastes. Organizers, including Doug Singer, started working in January to secure contracts with “high-quality bands,” co-chairwoman Stephanie Rich said.
“What’s hard for us is to try to match students’ expectations with a completely unreasonable amount of money,” said Rich, a Medill sophomore.
Besides the limited budget, many other obstacles complicate the scheduling of about 10 hours of music. Band availability factors include flight plans, other spring festivals and touring schedules. The proximity to Chicago also puts NU at a disadvantage because Mayfest must compete with bigger venues where musicians could potentially sell out.
Coordinating police security, hotel rooms, dressing rooms, sound and lighting also affect the logistics of Dillo Day. And while no specific genre is required, the band must fit the lakeside atmosphere.
“There are certain bands you want to hear in a small, smoky club but aren’t going to work on the Lakefill,” Rich said. “We look for bands that would be great live and perfect for an outdoor venue.”
May festivities, including past Maypole celebrations, have been NU traditions for around 100 years, Rich said. She encourages students to see bands in all the slots because more fun yields more funding.
“It’s a hard time to be here at Northwestern because you’re talking to your friends that are home already,” Rich said. “If people show up and show the university this is what we want. That would be great.
“The best feeling in the world is when kids walk out of an event and say, ‘Wow, I had so much fun,'” she said.
