John Legend will be headlining the A&O fall show at Welsh-Ryan Arena as a part of the inauguration weekend for new president Morton Schapiro on Oct. 9.
Northwestern administrators had previously been interested in holding a concert to celebrate the inauguration and approached A&O Productions last spring about handling the proceedings.
“After extensive discussions, we combined our money for our normal fall show with extra funds that they provided to make a show of this size possible,” said Barry McCardel, co-director of promotions and public relations for A&O. “We have been working hard to bring all the pieces together and are really thrilled with how everything is turning out.”
Legend is a famed R&B singer and songwriter who has won six Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Legend has collaborated with many artists such as Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Kanye West and is also an accomplished pianist. A&O chose to pursue Legend due to his musical accomplishments and diverse discography which could appeal to a larger variety of students.
“We felt that Legend is accessible to a huge number of people because of his immense musical credibility and variety of songs,” said Carolyn Goldschmidt, A&O’s director of concerts. “Our goal with this show was to find an act with a wide appeal that would provide a great concert experience and we know John Legend will do that.”
Busing will be provided to accommodate students across campus. While doors will open at 7 p.m., the concert itself will not begin until 8 p.m. with an opening act that has yet to be announced. This show will be the first held at Welsh-Ryan since Kanye West performed there in 2005. According to McCardel, the arena is about twice as large as the Riviera, the Chicago venue where A&O has previously hosted acts like Death Cab for Cutie.
A&O Chairman Adam Pumm believes that the new location will lend itself to the professionalism Legend exhibits in his performances.
“We’re happy that we can have the chance to bring the feel of a big arena show to campus,” Pumm said. “We think that the combination of an act of this size and scale and the awesome venue that Welsh-Ryan provides us, this is going to be a show people will remember for a long time.”
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m. on the Norris Box Office Web site at $10 per ticket for undergraduate students. Students may purchase four tickets per account on the site. If there are any remaining, tickets will be opened on Oct. 1 to graduate students, faculty and staff for $17 per ticket. WildCARDs will be checked at the door.