Despite two major late-notice changes to the performer schedule this year, Bowdoin is planning for one of the most exciting Ivies weekends yet.
Five hours before he was scheduled to perform in David Saul Smith Union last night, Waka Flocka Flame announced on Twitter that he was “stuck in Denver” and would miss the show. In an email to the student body, the Entertainment Board (eBoard) announced that he would instead perform on Saturday at 3 p.m.
MØ, the headlining performer originally scheduled for Saturday’s concert, cancelled her Bowdoin show and others in the Northeast at the end of March. Baauer was contracted to replace her as the leading act on Saturday.
Further highlights of the weekend include two student DJ acts, Nadim Elhage ’16 and Nabil Odulate ’16, two acts from the annual Battle of the Bands contest, a poutine food truck, a photo booth and a barbeque hosted by Bowdoin Dining Services.
The Meddiebempsters and the Longfellows launched the weekend with their Ivies Kickoff Concert Wednesday night in the chapel. Bowdoin Sketch Comedy presented their annual Bowdoin Night Live Wednesday night in Kresge Auditorium as well.
The eBoard had hoped to introduce a two-artist system this year, which would feature one performer on Thursday and one on Saturday.
“We felt like students were kind of fading by our second artist last year. We thought he was a great performer, but it wasn’t worth spending the money on another artist if people were just too tired to really enjoy the concert. So we decided better to invest in one great artist instead for Saturday,” said Vice President for Student Organizations and Co-Head of the eBoard Emily Serwer ’16.
With the money saved from switching from MØ to Baauer, the eBoard was able to include the poutine truck on Friday on the Brunswick Quad and a photo booth on Saturday. With $3,000, the eBoard paid for 500 free servings of poutine.
The student DJ contest, which the eBoard previously conducted three years ago, is also a change from last year. The DJ who received the most student votes, Nadim Elhage ’16, will be the second opening act for Baauer.
“We thought that that was a good model to get the students more involved in the process because it can seem pretty behind the scenes,” said Serwer.
The first place winner of the Bowdoin Music Collective’s annual Battle of the Bands, Duck Blind, was supposed to open for Waka Flocka Flame Thursday evening, but instead played before student DJ Nabil Odulate ’16. The third place Battle of the Bands winner, Pulse, will perform before Elhage tomorrow. The second place winner, Floating Goat, could not play due to a scheduling conflict.
The College will also provide water Friday afternoon on the Brunswick Quad, Friday night at the Harpswell Apartments and Saturday on Whittier Field. Bowdoin Student Government is sponsoring hot dog stands Friday night at Harpswell Apartments and Saturday night at Pine Street Apartments as well as two pizza deliveries Saturday night.
Preparation for the weekend has not been easy. After MØ decided to cancel her tour at the end of March, the eBoard scrambled to find a new artist.
“It was a little bit stressful at first when we found out. It was really short notice,” said Co-Head of the eBoard Chase Hodge ’16.
Normally, the eBoard begins searching for Ivies artists in August. After a long process of working with an agent to find performers who fit the budget, have not already been booked and align with the interests and input of the student body, the eBoard usually submits a bid in October.
“We definitely hit the ground running with [MØ’s cancellation] even though we weren’t at school. And people—Board members—were really great about throwing artists out really quickly,” added Serwer. “We had a couple rejections before we got a yes, but we’re really excited about Baauer.”
Hodge also emphasized he is “super excited” about Baauer.
The Student Activities Office, which is in charge of all of the logistics, coordination and setup for the weekend, has also been preparing for months.
“We’ve had extensive meetings with facilities and electrical and the grounds crew and athletics to talk about all the minute-by-minute details between Thursday and Sunday,” said Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze. “We always are tweaking it to make it more safe, more fun, more logistically friendly for all of Bowdoin staff.”
Despite the snow on Tuesday and MØ’s cancellation earlier this year, Hintze assured that all plans for the weekend are “running on par.” Hintze hopes for a sunny weekend, as rain has forced concerts indoors the past two years.
The eBoard also organizes logistical details and helps with setup for Ivies. To accommodate the needs of the artists, the eBoard assigns two “runners” who fulfill the lists, or “riders,” of hospitality needs each performer requires. The “runners” both prepare the artists’ needs before they arrive and assist them while on campus. eBoard members also help the production company it hired, Moonlighting, in assembling and disassembling the concert set.
Before the weekend, the eBoard conducted final preparations, such as creating an Ivies Facebook event and sending an email with the schedule. The eBoard also sends letters to the residents of Bowker Street to apologize for any potential noise and to provide a contact for any complaints.
—Julian Andrews, Jono Gruber, Meg Robbins and Emily Weyrauch contributed to this report.
Editor's note, April 28, 8:25 p.m.: This article has been updated to reflect the announcement that Waka Flocka Flame's performance was rescheduled from Thursday to Saturday.