TUDE T LIFE I I TERNATIO AL I OCIAL CLUBS I ACADEMIC I PEOPLE I LEADER HIP I ATHLETICS I ORGANIZATIO S CAB GOES CAB brought music duo Maddie & Tae to the Benson stage for the fall 2018 concert. In fall 2018, country artists Maddie & Tae graced rhe George S. Benson Auditorium stage. Harding had not hosted country singers for several years, making this occasion a special one for students who enjoyed country music. Director of Cam pus Life Logan Light had been organizing concerts at Harding for even years. Light said the process of picking an artist usually involved researching music trends, what labels the artist were signed to, who their manager was and if they were budget friendly. There was a long process that was necessary to bring an artist to Harding. Light saidafter hearing requests for another country singer and researching potential guest artists, he decided on Maddie & Tae. "When we made an offer for them in the spring, they had been picked up by Universal [Music Group] not long before that and had written all of chis new stuff and had a new album coming out, so it was a great opportunity," Light said. "We want students to have first pick at the tickers, so we advertise on campus in chapel with slides and announcements. We advertise on Facebook, too, and on Insragram, we have contests for VIP ticket upgrades, soif you buy a ticket, you have a chance to get a meet and greet and get front row seats and get signed merchandise." 22 Light said he loved when he was able to see studentssharing the concert experience together. Whether they loved the performance or not, he said, they would remember the event. Juniors Valerie Laferney and Avery-Kiira Abney worked for the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and loved knowing rhe secrets behind the events, having the opportunity to help promote the event, and getting to help set up, attend and be a part of the experience. Laferney and Abney said this was their sixth or seventh time to help with a concert. "Whether or not you like country music, concert are always a fun time on campus" Laferney said. "Everyone is excitedto not have to travel to go to a concert to see someone perform, so walking out of your dorm and walking to the Benson or Admin to seeit is really cool." Abney agreed, saying that while country was not her first choice of music to listen to, she knew that concerts on campus were always a good time to bring students rogether. "If anything, this is just something different than who we normally bring in," Abney said. "Some people are super into [it] and buy, like, seven to 10 tickets and give them to friends and family to come and enjoy it. Ir's just so fun to see people so excited for what we have worked for, and being able to interact with lots of different people is what makes this job so fun, too." story by Anna Carr
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==