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The Rice Thresher
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by Mariel Tam Thresher editorial staff Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela have made appearances in Autry Court. But for almost a year, two students have been trying to bring a Clinton to the Jungle Gym - George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, that is. Jones College sophomores Vasco Bridges and Gerald Maa are trying to have the group play Autry Court April 6. However, the booking agency needs proof that the band will be paid, in case ticket sales don't make enough money. It would cost between $15,000 and $17,000 to bring the band to Houston on that date. After including the costs of staging, food and other expenses, Maa and Bridges said putting on the show would cost a total of $43,000. According to Bridges and Maa, Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho is considering covering the booking money with private funds from a group of investors, in case the students don't make enough money. Camacho has not made a final decision yet, and he was unavailable for comment. Bridges said they hope Camacho will give his answer by today. "That'll give us the most time to prepare, and the longer that he waits, the less time that we'll have," he said. Tickets for students and other members of the Rice community would cost $15, while tickets for the general public would be $17 or $18, according to the two students. Autry Court seats 5,000. Bridges and Maa said they think Clinton could draw a crowd of 2,000 students, faculty and staff, plus 1,000 people from the Houston community. If there are any profits, they would be used "to make a concert happen next semester - to make this an ongoing event," Bridges said. Clinton and P-Funk are currently touring in venues with maximum capacities of 1,000 to 3,000. Tickets to most of his current shows cost $30-$35. The group is also performing tomorrow with other bands during the Mardi Gras Galveston festivities, where tickets cost $15 at the gate. Tickets for a Clinton concert at Rice could be sold in the colleges and in the Coffeehouse, Maa and Bridges said, and students could pay with Tetra points off their meal plans. All ticket sales would be in advance, because the University Police Department advised Maa and Bridges that eliminating a long line for tickets at the door would help prevent security issues. Associate Athletic Director Steve Moniaci said the Rice Ticket Office could handle tickets for such an event only if sales were through Ticketmaster. However, Maa and Bridges said they decided against using a ticketing agency because it would be expensive. To try to gauge student support, Bridges and Maa set up an online poll asking "Would you be willing to pay $15 to see George Clinton at Autry Court on April 6, 2001?" As of 1 a.m. Thursday, 855 said yes, 115 said no and 73 answered "If my friends go, I'll go." Maa and Bridges publicized the poll in an e-mail message that was forwarded to college listservs and other student groups beginning Sunday. The poll is online at http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~vasco. The two students have been working on bringing a big show to campus for almost a year and first approached Camacho with the idea in April. "They've worked out much of the details already," Bridges said. "We are prepared - we know who's going to do the food service, we know who's going to do the limo service." The two students spoke to some Rice Program Council members but chose not to work with RPC because it lacks the budget necessary for a big concert. "We've looked into concerts in the past," RPC President Ginger Chao said. "The problem with them is usually that they're really expensive, and RPC just doesn't have the budget to bring in somebody who's nationally famous." If the concert happens, it could pave the path for bringing other big acts on campus as well as bring Rice and Houston people together, Maa and Bridges said. The April 6 date was chosen partly because Clinton and P-Funk appear in Austin on April 7, which lowered the cost of the band's appearance in Houston. If Rice doesn't book the group, they could appear at another Houston venue on that date. Some students welcomed the idea of the concert. "I think it's a great idea," Sid Richardson College sophomore Charlotte Albrecht said. "I know a lot of other schools that have a tradition of spring concerts." Stefan Gruhl, a visiting student in electrical engineering and computer science, said he would go and that the $15 price "sounds reasonable." If it's successful, Rice could bring more bands on campus, Will Rice College freshman Chester Nielsen said. However, he added, "If it's not successful - if they lose money - it won't ever happen again." Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars includes about 20 musicians and performs shows that last as long as four hours. The group is the latest incarnation of the Parliament/Funkadelic collective, whose influential history goes back to the '70s.
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