A&O Productions and Northwestern have paired together to bring R&B musician John Legend to Welsh-Ryan Arena to perform for President Morton O. Schapiro’s inauguration Oct. 9. This will be the first time in four years that a concert will be held in this venue since Kanye West performed in 2005.
In a stroke of luck for A&O, the University approached the organization last spring to discuss holding a concert in the arena, said Barry McCardel, co-director of Promotions and Public Relations for A&O.
“We’ve been begging for years to get (Welsh-Ryan),” McCardel said. “They were willing to provide the funds and support to get in there.”
A&O supplied the money they would normally use for their fall concert, which totaled nearly $140,000. The university pitched in $65,000 more for the event to happen. According to multiple Web sites, a performance by John Legend on college campuses can run on average about $85,000.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert will start at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m. Students can purchase four tickets per NetID, and tickets cost $10. Free transportation will be provided to the event.
Helen Wood, director of the Center for Student Involvement, was asked to be a liaison between NU and A&O since she has experience working on the previous concert in Welsh-Ryan. The cap placed on the concert was so high because of the way the arena is designed, she said.
“Because it’s an arena and (it) just has a PA system, we literally have to bring a crew in that will put sound and lighting up in the air,” she said. “We physically have to build the stage.”
Carolyn Goldschmidt, A&O’s concerts director, said John Legend, a six-time Grammy Award winner, will attract both students and faculty.
“We just thought he had a really good appeal, and he’s well-renowned,” she said. “Putting him in a professional venue is attractive for him and for us.”
Legend was decided upon over the summer after scheduling and budget were taken into consideration.
“We put together a proposal back to the university late June, early July of three different types of artists,” Wood said. “Then we started determining how much money they were bringing and how much money A&O could bring to the table.”
Along with financial considerations, the team also had to think about logistics and time constraints posed by the NU football game scheduled for the next day.
“We literally have a 27-hour window that we’re allowed in the space,” she said. “We’ve got to get in and get out before 5 a.m. the next morning.”
Wood said she and A&O hope to provide as many seats as possible for students and faculty. Welsh-Ryan holds more than 8,000 people, but the stage will take up room where seating is usually reserved.
“Our goal is to get 5,000 people in there, but ultimately between production and then having the fire marshal come in, we’re not sure what we’re up to,” Wood said.
NU students said they are looking forward to seeing Legend perform. The last major college appearance he made was to give the commencement speech at University of Pennsylvania in April 2008, his alma mater.
“It’s exciting because it’s a big name,” said Communication sophomore Frankie DiCiaccio. “I think the more big names that come, even if they’re not someone who I’m really into, then the more it might entice other big names to come.”
Lauren Caldwell, a Weinberg freshman who saw him perform this summer, said she plans to attend the concert.
“There were so many people, and there were all different cultures (at the summer concert),” she said.
