• It all began withonequestion:"Didyouhear who's coming to Harding?" The question buzzed across campus through text messages, Facebook feeds, Twitter updates and old-fashioned face-to-face conversations. Weeks later, posters went up in the student center. The excitement began to mount. The night of the concert arrived, and masses of fans squealed the same line with intense anticipation: "Jason Mraz is coming to Harding." On Sept. 25, Jason Mraz performed Iive on the Benson stage. Famous for his musical style that blended pop, folk and rock, Mraz was a big name in pop culture. His song "I'm Yours" reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and he received two Grammys for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with his song "Make it Mine" and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals with pop singer Colbie Caillat on the song "Lucky." With his awards and fame, Mraz was not merely a celebrity; he was an outright sensation. Luckily enough, he was able to show off his talent on Harding's campus. Since 2007, Corey McEntyre had been the head director of Campus Activities Board. During those years, McEntyre brought several celebrity recording artists to campus, such asTaylor Swift, Sarah Bareilles, John Mcl aughlin, Owl City and OneRepublic. But how did he get such big name stars every year? "We go through a business called Event Resources Presents, which helps us with everything," McEntyre said. "They contact the artist's managers for us, they do the consulting and they help out with contracts." McEntyre also explained how CAB selected the artists to perform. "I do not base the venues on what music I like; the reason varies from artist to artist," McEntyre said. "Jason Mraz happened to be on a college tour with cheaper tickets. His tour was also a blend of old songs from his previous albums and new songs from his upcoming album." CAB's hard work paid off, and it was obvious the students loved every minute of the concert. Mraz brought the nearly sold out crowd to their feet- and kept them there forthe entire two-hour set. Mraz not only performed songs from all three of his albums, but he introduced quite a few new ones as well. Whether it was with his witty lyrics about Arkansas or when he pulled a fan on stage with him for his new song, "San Disco Reggaefornia," Mraz kept the crowd constant ly engaged.After ending the show with the Beatles classic, "All You Need Is Love," Mraz spent time at the edge of the stage signing COs and talking to the fans who all agreed that the concert was wonderful. "I thought Jason Mraz was a true performer. He made my ears explode," junior Kevin Newton said. "Seriously, the concert was awesome." According to McEntyre, helping students make memories was what the concert was all about. "When you are having that rough semester with the tough classes, a concert can give you an escape with a huge crowd of people all screaming and singing for the same reason," McEntyre said. All of their efforts culminated in the most talked-about concert of the semester. "Jason Mraz was a great performer," senior Lauren Hackney said. "His concert was probably the best I've been to at Harding." john Mark Adkison 2 6 student life
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