Hip-hop group N.E.R.D. will play the final Bender Arena show of the 2003-2004 school year on Friday, April 23. Fountains of Wayne, who recently hit the mainstream with their popular song "Stacy's Mom," and Throne will also be playing.
The show is the last in a long string of successful Student Union Board shows that have graced the stages of Bender and the Tavern this year.
"It was the biggest band I could get for the money," said Jason Geisinger, the assistant director of SUB, on why he chose N.E.R.D. for the final show of the year. "They were the biggest name I could get that I thought would significantly fill Bender."
Fountains of Wayne were originally booked to play a separate show in the Tavern on April 23, but were switched to play the Bender show with N.E.R.D. due to N.E.R.D.'s limited availability.
"We were forced into a corner where the only date N.E.R.D. could do was April 23," Geisinger explained. "So we were forced to marry the two bands together and change the venue."
The pairing of the two bands may seem like a strange booking choice, but Geisinger is not concerned.
"With N.E.R.D., I didn't hesitate because even though they are a hip-hop act, they are still an actual band," Geisinger said "They did the Sprite Remix Tour with O.A.R. last spring, and I think that's stranger than [doing a show with] Fountains of Wayne."
AU students are looking forward to the show and are happy it will be free for students.
"I'm really excited," said sophomore Cecilia D'Antonio. "I thought Bob Dylan was a cool person to have here but the prices were a little bit high, so that's why I think it's cool that there's someone a little bit fresher and it's not quite so expensive."
Freshman Dan Melewski is glad the show will be in Bender, not the Tavern.
"If N.E.R.D. came to the Tavern it would be chaos," Melewski said. "The show sounds awesome because both the N.E.R.D. shows at 9:30 club are sold out so they're definitely a positive band."
The show will be free to undergraduate AU students, $5 for graduate students, faculty and staff, and $25 for the general public. Tickets for the show will tentatively be available on April 5. AU students may pick up their free ticket in the Rockwood building with an AU ID once tickets have been released. All other tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster.
For more information on the bands, visit n-e-r-d.com, fountainsofwayne.com and throneonline.com. For ticket information, go to ticketmaster.com.
