Not everyone was excited about the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's (RJA) concert last week.
The performance, which was sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), took place in Morrell Gymnasium last Friday after months of preparation.
The event did not sell as many tickets as the group had planned, however, and some students vocalized frustration with the decision to bring a punk rock band to campus and to charge students for tickets, when many other campus events are free.
RJA is a self-described "Pop Punk/Rock/Screamo" group based out of Florida, according to its Myspace Web site. The band, which cost $22,000 to bring to campus, performed at Bowdoin as part of their national tour. CAB's yearly budget runs around $160,000.
According to CAB co-chair Jacqueline Abrams '08, the concert sold 600 tickets, though they had set a goal to sell between 800 and 900 tickets. The concert brought in $7,700 in tickets sales.
Opinions on the band's performance were mixed. Some students were enthusiastic about the concert, while others were considerably more tepid.
First year Josh Magno attended the concert and described it as "awesome." Magno does not call himself a huge fan of RJA, but said it was a "very good concert for a small school."
"It was available, so why not?" he added.
Other students were not as enthusiastic. First year George Aumoithe did not attend the concert. "I don't hate them, but emo? Whatever," he said.
Other students who felt similarly about RJA have openly criticized the CAB for bringing the band to Bowdoin. Negative advertising, such as an e-mail promoting Helmreich House as "your source for emo-free fun," appeared around campus in response. Abrams expressed her disappointment with these ads.
"We do our very best to bring in diverse musical acts," she said. "The negative advertising goes against the mission of the College. We're not here to work against each other. We are a campus dedicated to the pursuit of Common Good."
According to Abrams, students also had plenty of time to offer their input, with planning that began a year ago. An e-mail was sent out to the campus to see what acts students would like to see. The final decision to bring RJA to campus took place last semester.
Abrams said that "Every viable option is thoroughly considered" for an event like this. "Whatever is within our operating budget we will discuss."
The turnout at the RJA concert has some students concerned about what kinds of acts the CAB can book for Ivies next spring, but Abrams remains positive.
"The type of fallout we experienced is not at all unheard of. It is not as huge of a falling out as students perceive," she said.
Abrams also emphasized her desire to see more students participate in the selection of musical acts.
"We are trying to poll the campus," Abrams said.
Abrams hopes that in the future, students who have musical preferences will "come do something about it" rather than speaking up after a band is booked.