Convocation Center to host 3 Doors Down in Oct.

By Sara Adams and Stephanie Kohl

Alternative rock band 3 Doors Down, along with opening acts Shinedown and Alter Bridge, is slated to perform at the Convocation Center.

Tickets for the Oct. 19 concert cost $37.50 for the general public and $32 for NIU students, with a two-ticket limit. They will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Convo Center box office and Ticketmaster outlets.

With 12 million in album sales since its 2000 debut album “The Better Life,” 3 Doors Down stands among the leading concert draws in North America.

The band has several No. 1 singles, including “Kryptonite,” “Duck & Run,” “Loser,” “Be Like That,” “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You.” The latest single from the band’s fourth album, “Let Me Go,” was released in December.

Shinedown released its debut album “Leave a Whisper” in 2003 and released a DVD “Live from the Inside.” The latest single, “Save Me,” is featured on the album “Us and Them”, which is scheduled for release in October.

Alter Bridge was formed by Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall, all former members of multiplatinum act Creed. Its debut album, “One Day Remains,” was released in 2004.

In addition to this concert, CAB is planning on several more acts throughout the year, though the names of these acts remain undisclosed.

“It’s a surprise, but it’s going to be good. I can promise you that,” said Javier Arellano, CAB concerts and speakers coordinator.

This year CAB’s goal is to bring NIU students a diverse choice of acts and to have something for every student.

“We’re trying to cater to all NIU students’ music preferences,” Arellano said.

Students such as Brian Chandlee, a sophomore ergonomics major, are generally satisfied with CAB’s offerings in years past.

“I’d like to see [CAB] bring in Flipside, Flogging Molly, Jurassic 5, The Wallflowers or SR71. They’d all be cool acts to see,” Chandlee said. “I think CAB does a pretty good job getting bands, though.”

Some students are not nearly as satisfied.

“I attended the Incubus concert and it was disappointing at best,” said Jeremy Kaluzna, a sophomore undeclared business major. He mentioned the poor quality of the performance as well as the atmosphere of the crowd, though he has not ruled out attending another CAB show.

In order to find what students are looking for, CAB offers a space on its Web site where students can share their opinions on previous shows and make suggestions for acts they would like to see. It usually takes a few months to get through the entire process of booking an act.

“We try and get the best possible acts that we can with the money we are allotted,” Arellano said.