Fling announces opening act; says ticket sales are up

Spring Fling officials announced last night that acoustic guitarist Gerard McHugh will open this year's annual concert for headliners Indigo Girls. Organizers also said last night that ticket sales for the April 19 event are proceeding as planned, with over 2000 tickets already having been sold. "While we're pleased with that [amount], we anticipate more sales as we get closer to Fling," Fling Co-director Denise Rubin said. Co-director Todd Fruchterman said that during a two-day pre-sale held two weeks ago, approximately 1300 tickets to hear the Grammy-award winners were sold. He also said ticket sales have already nearly doubled those sold for last year's Spring Fling featuring Meat Loaf, for which about 1100 tickets were sold. Tickets last year cost over $10 each, while this year's sell for $6. Rubin also said organizers did not have a say in the opening act decision, but that the Indigo Girls were authorized in the contract signed with Fling to bring anyone they wanted. Officials said the third act, an as-yet-unannounced local band, has not yet been contracted. Officials said they have a "short-list" of possible performers. SPEC Concerts Co-director Ed Gold said this band will be chosen and announced by Friday. He said that it will "definitely not" be an acoustic-folk band similar to McHugh or the Indigo Girls. "We're looking for a different style of music than the folk guititar sound," Gold said. "We just want everyone on campus to be interested." Rubin said the band will be chosen to "complement" the sound of the headlining act. She added that this band will be "familiar" to University students and will be selected "to attract a more diverse crowd but will interest people that would not be interested in the Indigo Girls, per se." "We're going to go after [other types of music], in the spirit of this Fling and to help diversify the concert," Fruchterman said. "Hopefully that will appeal to people who aren't too gung-ho on the Indigo Girls-type music." Tickets can still be bought at the Annenberg Center ticket office for $6 each. Students must present a valid PENNcard to purchase the tickets and a maximum of four tickets will be sold per person.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.