Hip Hop Hoo-Cares?: Naughty Show Draws Few

In a sparsely attended performance in Roone Arledge Auditorium on Friday night, Naughty By Nature transported students back to Nineteen-"Naughty"-One.

Students said they were deterred by $20 ticket prices, a concurrent WBAR concert in Barnard's Macintosh Hall, the West End, and general apathy toward the dated hip-hop group.

The show, which was produced by Columbia Concerts in conjunction with Black Heritage Month, was intended to raise revenue for the annual Spring Bacchanal Concert, a free event organized by Columbia Concerts that brings high-profile performers to the steps of Low Library each May. Disappointing ticket sales, however, prompted student organizers to lower prices to a 2-for-1 discount on Thursday.

The concert's turnout, which was estimated at 200 people, was so discouraging to Columbia Concert volunteers that they eventually stopped manning the entrance and began admitting students for free. Some students, such as John deBary, CC '05, were even solicited with free tickets in Carman Hall.

When asked about ticket sales, Ryan Wilner of Columbia Concerts said they indicated a lack of school spirit. "I think the community needs to step up and support events...I'm not responsible for how people spend money, but we set tickets at $20 thinking, 'It's not like we're going to be pocketing the money. It's going into promoting the Bacchanal concert.'"

Many students thought that the concert's connection to Bacchanal was not immediately clear from event posters. But Wilner said the show was adequately publicized. "I think at the beginning [ticket sales] started out kind of slow," he said. "But if you have an '853-' extension at this school, you knew that they were going to be here on February 28 and who that money was going to be going to."

Some suggest that the poor turnout at Friday's concert speaks to the increasing ineffectiveness of broadcast messages as a means of campus-wide communication. Eric Requenez, CC '04, said he had not heard a message announcing Naughty By Nature's concert. "As soon as I hear 'Extension 7,' I press 'delete,'" Requenez said.

Charlotte Jacobs, CC '05, did not attend the Naughty By Nature concert but did trek down to NYU last weekend to see Talib Kweli perform. She cited steep ticket prices as the main cause of student disinterest in Friday's concert.

"If I can see Talib Kweli, an artist who is up-and-coming, for only $7, why would I pay $20 to see Naughty by Nature?" Jacobs said.

Columbia University's own hip-hop group, Odd Jobs, opened the concert, along with a dance performance choreographed by Shanti Wargo, CC '04, featuring a group of dancers from Orchesis.

Students waited 45 minutes following the opening acts for Naughty By Nature to take the stage.

Even though he did not pay for his ticket, Nate Bliss, CC '05, was unimpressed with the concert. "They showed up late, which was kind of lame. Maybe you can do that if you're a number one act, but when you're having trouble booking shows, you should be more professional."

Once the concert started, students seemed to forget the wait and enjoy themselves. Naughty By Nature performed for an hour, combining music from their latest album, iicons, with material drawn from their past commercial successes. During the final song, "Hip Hop Hooray," frontman Treach invited the audience to come on stage and dance along with him, Vinnie, and the dozen members of Naughty's posse they had brought with them on stage.

When asked if she was upset after paying the full ticket price, Yekaterina Gluzberg, CC '04, said, "I felt kind of ripped off, but the concert was fun, so I didn't mind too much."