In 1993, Radiohead opened for Belly in the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom, Elvis Costello played the Chick Evans Field House in 1984, and in October of 1991, students were able to watch the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers play just beyond the cornfields in DeKalb.

Ever since then, many other up-and-coming bands have played at the Ballroom.

“You never know when you’re going to get to see the next Radiohead, and get to see them for $5 or $10,” said Ric Ruiz, program production services technical director.

Moving more concerts to the Convocation Center

Events are still hosted in the Ballroom and Carl Sandburg Auditorium such as MAC championship viewing parties, plays and comedy shows as well as a whole series of events, such as the Fine Arts Series Ruiz said.

However, the Ballroom hasn’t hosted any concerts this year.

Reasons the Campus Activities Board had to stop hosting shows in the Ballroom have been numerous, ranging from planning to pricing, even criticism CAB received from the NIU campus and the Northern Star, said Angela Dreessen, director of Student Involvement.

“The Convocation Center can negotiate a lot better prices than [CAB] can, and partnering with the Convo allows CAB to get bigger name acts,” said Kiarri Andrews, CAB vice president of programming. “We booked a deal about the same [price] as a big name act, [and] we were able to get a couple big name acts.”

Creating a partnership

CAB and the Convo no longer have been in competition with each other by partnering together this semester. CAB is able to help advertise events, and the Convo is able to help CAB in marketing and dealing in the music industry, said Kevin Selover, Convocation Center marketing manager of sales.

“Last semester was a test kind of, and it was our best semester yet,” Selover said. “Financially, it doesn’t make sense to do small shows [at the Convo]. That’s why we go for the bigger acts. I think CAB still needs to focus on up-and-coming bands that draw 250 to 500 people.”

The Kanye West concert was not funded by CAB alone. The Multicultural Greek Council and the Greek Pan-Hellenic Council helped fund the event, Dreessen said.

Not every act that comes in will cost the same amount either. It costs more to use the Convo because of the many operations that go into it, such as building a stage for the event, Selover said.

“[With] a big name in the Duke Ellington Ballroom, using the Convo would only be a few thousand more after all of the fees,” Andrews said. “It allows us to focus on campus when we don’t have to spend more.”

“For the size of the acts we get in the Convo we actually end up saving money,” said Adam Novotney, CAB vice president of finance.

Andrews stated CAB is currently looking into putting a show in the Duke Ellington Ballroom, and ideally they would like to have at least one.