Cartel, Yung Joc to play as part of campus tour

Undergraduate Student Government will try to bring bigger bands to campus this semester, starting with Cartel, Yung Joc and MC Lars.

The three acts will come to Kent State at 8 p.m. Sept.11 as part of the Crocs Next Step Campus Tour, Mike Szabo, director of programming for USG, said. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for the public and can be purchased at the Ticketmaster office in the M.A.C. Center. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Szabo said the cost of the concert is about $30,000, but the price is worth booking bands that students want to see.

“I want students to know that this is their concert,” Szabo said. “I want feedback from students to see the bands that they want to see.”

Szabo said when he went around campus during the Undergraduate Student Government election to ask students who they wanted to come to Kent, many students mentioned Cartel. When 360 Productions, the concert’s producer, approached Kent State, Szabo didn’t hesitate.

“I kind of jumped on it before anybody else could,” he said.

Jonathan Bey, executive director of USG, said the goal is to focus on a smaller number of events this year.

“Instead of spreading that money out over a lot of little events, we wanted to kind of lump the money together for four or five big events,” he said, adding that the money would be spent on talent and production fees.

In the past, Szabo said Kent State drew huge bands that attracted people to the concerts.

“We’re kind of trying to build that momentum back up and get bigger bands that more Kent State students want to see,” he said.

While nothing has been finalized, Szabo said USG hopes to have another concert coinciding with Homecoming in addition to a comedy act sometime this semester.

Contact student politics reporter Nicole Stempak at [email protected].