You might've seen Bernie Punt, director of marketing for Bryce Jordan Center, running around campus these last few weeks with a gorilla by his side. In fact, he's been trying a number of unorthodox strategies to get the word out that Black Eyed Peas is coming.

"You mean the 'My Humps' T-shirts?" Punt said, referring to the T-shirt bearing the name of the Peas' most notorious song that his monkey-suited intern has been wearing. "We have to definitely work harder to get students' attention using traditional advertisement. We have to do grass-roots marketing, use guerilla -- or in this case, gorilla -- marketing techniques."

Along with exotic dancers-turned-pop stars The Pussycat Dolls and Brazilian-tinged rap-rock newcomers Flipsyde, Black Eyed Peas will be making a stop at Bryce Jordan Center Sunday night.

As Punt said, the runaway success the Peas have enjoyed over the last several years has made them a hot acquisition for Penn State's biggest venue.

"We've been trying to book Black Eyed Peas for close to 18 months," Punt said. "We knew they were very talented, and we knew they would appeal to students."

Veteran music promoter Bobbi Silver, who represents all three of the acts on the 2006 Honda Civic Tour, can attest to how great the Peas are live.

"I just saw them in Philly last night," Silver said on Monday. "It was superb, sold out, energetic; people were enthusiastic."

Silver said the Peas know the value of a classic pop song.

"They really started their ascendance to fame a couple years ago," Silver said. "They used to be kind of a different thing, but they really moved in more of a pop direction with the song with Justin Timberlake, 'Where is the Love?' And they added Fergie, you know, the woman? Anyway, they really found their sound with that, and it's a great record."

The multiracial, multigenre Black Eyed Peas have had an almost ceaseless string of hits ever since 2003's "Where Is the Love?," including such radio staples as "Let's Get It Started," "Don't Phunk With My Heart," and "My Humps."

Silver said the Peas' everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to pop is what gives them such a broad range of fans.

"It's unique in that it appeals to black, white, young and old," Silver said. "It's very attractive music to a very large base."

Indeed, Punt believes that Sunday's show shouldn't just bring in students, but fans commonwealth-wide.

"We're not just marketing this show to Penn State students, but to all of Pennsylvania," Punt said. "They're not playing in Reading, they're not playing in Harrisburg. So we'll have people coming up and enjoying the weekend."

Leah Singer (junior-telecommunications) said she has been looking forward to seeing Black Eyed Peas for quite some time.

"I'm definitely excited to see them, especially for $20," Singer said. "I wanted to see them before, but they were attached to Gwen Stefani, and I'm not such a big fan of hers. So it'll be great to finally have them by themselves."

Singer said she loves the Peas because they get her dancing.

"They're really unique and fun," Singer said. "I listen to a lot of dance and techno music, and they're definitely along those lines."

The Pussycat Dolls have had quite a year themselves, with a triple-shot of big hits including "Beep," with Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am. Silver sung the praises of the Dolls.

"Besides the music being fun, it's a very lively, energetic, and, yes, sexy show," Silver said. "The lead Doll, Nicole [Scherzinger], used to be in Eden's Crush, so she's a wonderful entertainer, and all the girls are beautiful singers."

Silver, the industry vet, said she's put her considerable influence behind all three acts for one simple reason: they know how to make great pop music.

"It's just a matter of experience," Silver said. "I've been in promotions for 37 years, I've probably been doing it longer than anybody else. So if I tell people something's good, they tend to believe me."