Tick . tick . tickets?
With Friday's Ben Kweller concert just 72 hours away, ticket sales may reveal a general student sentiment: Another Ben may be too much.
With only three days left, the Social Planning and Events Committee has only sold 500 out of 1,100 total tickets for the event.
In previous years, concert tickets have sold out in as little as two days, as was the case with last spring's Ben Folds concert.
Students have cited a variety of reasons for why they are not lining up at SPEC's table on Locust Walk.
"I saw [Kweller] five years ago and he stunk," College junior Christine Weller said. "He couldn't even sing."
SPEC began selling tickets on Sept. 15. The first 200 sold out in just three and a half hours, but only 300 have been sold since.
SPEC directors point to this year's new pricing structure as the reason for low sales.
In previous years, ticket prices were gradually increased in the weeks before the concert.
The committee changed this year's structure so that the price would not change from $15 to $20 until the day of the concert.
"There is less incentive to buy the ticket a long time before the show," SPEC Concerts Co-director and College sophomore Preston Hershorn said.
As a result, SPEC officials say that it's hard to compare this semester's ticket sales with previous years', and that they still expect most of the tickets to sell out over the next few days.
But many students are saying they won't change their minds.
Engineering sophomore Chris Pynn said that he "has no desire to go," and that SPEC is "only appealing to one audience, and I just feel like they need to branch out."
When asked for their thoughts on the concert, many students like Engineering sophomore Nathan Lee, had the same answer: "I don't know who he is."
Beyond musical taste, money is also a factor.
"I'm broke as a joke," Engineering junior Amy Posner said.
SPEC responded to this concern with a bulk discount: Ten students can purchase 10 tickets together at a discounted price of $10 each.
The deal caters specifically to Residential Advisors, who may want to bring students in their halls to the concert, but any group of 10 is eligible for the discount.
With only three days left, SPEC President and College senior Max Cancre said he expects ticket sales to increase.
"I guess Thursday will be the moment of truth," he said.
