Penn State may not be in need of any more cowbell, but this February, the Bryce Jordan Center will give students clamoring for more Will Ferrell exactly what they want.
Ferrell will be performing on Feb. 11 at the BJC as a part of Will Ferrell's Funny or Die Comedy Tour presented by Semi-Pro. Ferrell will be performing with Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin and Nick Swardson on the seven-college tour, said Bernie Punt, director of sales and marketing for the BJC.
Ferrell has risen to fame both in film and pop culture, first breaking out in a starring role in the 2003 release Old School. Shrieks of "We're goin' streakin'!" and "You're my boy, Blue!" soon became commonplace on college campuses.
But Ferrell's legacy started with Saturday Night Live, on which he memorably played "more cowbell" with Blue Oyster Cult and satirically played President George W. Bush as a bumbling, child-like caricature.
The tour, named after Ferrell's comedy Web site www.funnyordie.com, is limited to just a few colleges across the country, Punt said.
"He's only doing a handful of dates," Punt said. "It's a special holiday gift for Penn State."
The show, confirmed late Tuesday evening, was made possible after Sarah Silverman performed at the BJC on Nov. 2, because Ferrell and Silverman share the same agent, Punt said.
He said that, many times, booking a show like this could seem like a 100 percent guarantee but at the last minute not go through, so the fact that Penn State has scheduled Ferrell is extremely exciting.
"He's huge. Most students on campus can quote a line from many of his movies," Punt said.
Mike Green (junior-environmental economics and policy) said he wouldn't be able to buy tickets until he gets a paycheck but probably will buy them on Friday.
"He's probably my favorite actor since Chris Farley died," Green said.
He said Old School and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy are his favorite Ferrell films, and that his facial expressions and ability to get away with saying anything make him funny.
"I just watched Elf the other night and couldn't help but laugh," Allie Ebken (senior-psychology) said.
She said that a student ticket price of $20 was a great price to see Ferrell, especially with four other comedians.
Becky Gordon (junior-psychology) said Ferrell always makes her laugh.
"He doesn't hold back, and always seems to get naked," she said.
Not everyone, however, is excited about Ferrell's appearance at Penn State.
Brian Moore (junior-agricultural and biological engineering) said that though most of his friends are big fans of Ferrell, he doesn't agree, and hasn't enjoyed any movies starring the comedian.
"I think Will Ferrell is an actor with one character and no diversity," Moore said, adding that he would not be buying a ticket for the show.
For the most part, however, it seems as if Ferrell's appearance has been an unexpected surprise.
"I have not slept; that's how excited I am," Punt said.
