The TCU Student Government Association (SGA) announced Wednesday morning that Grammy winning hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will be performing in the new Schollmaier Arena for TCU’s spring concert, and students had mixed reactions.
After a fall concert that featured country singer Hunter Hayes, SGA looked to different genres for next month’s concert, and Student Body Vice President for External Affairs Katie Phillips said Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were excited at the idea of performing at TCU.
“They actually reached out to us and expressed interest in adding us to their tour lineup,” Phillips said. “We weighed our options and chose the duo based on who we felt would most excite students.”
Many students had mixed responses to the news.
Senior Spanish and philosophy double major Austin Sullivan said he is excited that SGA has gotten a more well-known artist for the on-campus concert.
“SGA has definitely made progress since Jason Derulo last year,” Sullivan said. “Macklemore should put on a really fun show.”
Others were somewhat less excited at the announcement and were hopeful for a different type of artist.
Junior physical therapy major Jad Chatila said he was disappointed when the news broke Wednesday morning.
“I’m thankful that SGA is branching out into other genres of music, but I don’t think Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the best representation of hip-hop the student body desires,” Chatila said.
“They’ll definitely put on a good show, but many of us were hopeful that the school was making a shift when Jason Derulo was the fall concert last year,” Chatila added.
The Schollmaier Arena is slated to open for the first time on December 19 for fall commencement. The spring concert will be the first major all-school event to be hosted in the arena.
Junior nursing major Roberta Scala said she was excited to hear the concert will be held in the new arena.
“I love that they are hosting the concert in the new arena,” said Scala. “I’m really excited to see it and there’s no better way than during a free Macklemore concert.”
Per artist request, next month’s concert will be private to the TCU community, and only those with a valid TCU ID will be allowed to attend.
Philips said this is due to a contractual agreement between the university and the group.
Previous concerts hosted at TCU have allowed students to bring guests from outside of the TCU community.
“Most of my friends go to TCU, so not being able to bring a guest isn’t a big deal to me,” said junior fashion merchandising major Lauren Rose. “But I understand it may be a inconvenience for students who want to bring their boyfriend or girlfriend from a different school.”
The concert will be held at 9 p.m. on January 14. Students are encouraged to visit the TCU SGA website to find more information about the concert.
