Passion Pit for homecoming

The Carolina Union Activities Board is trying hard to make this fall more fabulous than the last.

And with the Dollar Concert Series starting Tuesday and popular indie-rock group Passion Pit as the solo headliners in the Homecoming Concert, organizers are confident they can overcome last year’s controversies.

“Passion Pit has a crazy but accessible indie-rock fan base,” said CUAB president Adele Ricciardi. “They’re the kind of band that can really unite the campus.”

CUAB and the Carolina Athletic Association, who partner to put on the annual Homecoming Concert, are hoping for a sold-out house.

Hip-hot artist Fabolous performed for a half-empty Memorial Hall last September, after organizers failed to complete contracts with several other artists.

Student Congress questioned the concert’s nearly $40,000 price tag, citing a lack of student interest and an uncharacteristically late concert announcement.

“We’ve definitely learned from last year,” said Carolina Athletic Association president Brandon Finch.

Passion Pit will perform in the newly renovated Carmichael Auditorium on Oct. 29. The building can hold up to 6,000 spectators, organizers said.

The concert at UNC comes at the tail end of their Campus Consciousness Tour, in which the band will perform at a variety of universities on the East Coast.

Organizers said that this year’s concert will cost $50,000. The Carolina Athletic Association is contributing $5,000 of the total fee.

CUAB is funded completely by student fees, while the CAA is funded primarily by member fund raising.

In the past, the CAA contributed more money, allowing for two acts for the homecoming weekend, but Finch said that Student Congress’ decision to cut funding to his organization this year reduced their ability to pay.

Concert organizers say they hope the single show will draw a large cross section of campus. Though the group has a more alternative musical style, they have a more universal appeal, organizers said.

“When I told a sorority girl today about Passion Pit, she almost starting crying,” said Kinsey Sullivan, CUAB music chairwoman. “We really hope people will find common ground with this concert.”

Tickets will cost $15 for premium floor seats, with outer ring riser seats at $10. If the concert sells out, organizers stand to make a profit.

Ricciardi said that this profit will help support other CUAB events, such as the Dollar Concert Series that begins Tuesday.

Vermont-based folk artist Sam Amidon will perform a concert Tuesday evening in Gerrard Hall. Tickets are $1 for UNC students.

“We want to help put a value on smaller-name shows,” Sullivan said.

Ricarddi started the series last year during her tenure as music chairwoman.

“When you think about it, a dollar is kind of nothing,” she said.

It’s all part of CUAB’s mission to reform its image and keep the campus humming.

“I don’t think you will be able to find a single artist that appeals to every sector of campus,” Finch said.

“But there’s a real excitement in the air.”

Contact the Arts Desk at artsdesk@unc.edu