Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Crowes, Foo Fighters, Muse, 311, Phish, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Tool, Weezer, Aerosmith and the Beach Boys.
What do all these artists have in common, other than being awesome?
They've all performed at the Bryce Jordan Center before this year's senior class arrived.
Since I -- and other seniors -- came to Penn State, we've seen the likes of Korn, Sean Paul, Kelly Clarkson and The Wiggles. Is it just me, or is something wrong with this picture?
The BJC has seen a lack of variety in the artists they've booked over the past few years and needs to step up.
It's been a disappointment seeing the "talent" to pass through the BJC in recent years. Knowing so many actually talented musicians had been here before makes one wonder what the heck happened.
I mean, there's no doubt these performers have legions of fans. They do sell millions of albums. But there are plenty other acts out there to be had, or at least more diverse ones.
The music scene in State College has wavered in recent years. The local bands put on solid shows, and the State Theatre has booked several well-known bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Duke Spirit and Derek Trucks. However, the BJC has seen a run of mainly pop artists.
Until recently, we hadn't seen any change in that pattern.
Then, last year happened. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers all made trips to State College.
It was a pleasant surprise to those used to stops from Nickelback. Now, where does the BJC go from here?
It's ultimately difficult to appeal to everyone.
With roughly 40,000 students, you would be hard-pressed to
find one single artist who would bring the entire student body together.
That's why the BJC needs to be open-minded in booking bands and musicians. Therein does lie a problem.
Booking artists is no easy task. Scheduling conflicts and price factor into which artists perform. Given that, the BJC has actually done well in the past year in booking bands.
And that's what it needs to keep up. The BJC can't continue to book solely pop artists. It can't revert back to the past few years. Despite the constraints, the BJC needs to continue booking a wide variety of artists.
I can understand the occasional performances by Dierks Bentley and Taylor Swift, but that should be countered with an appearance by, say, Kings of Leon, R.E.M. or Radiohead.
It's impossible to make everyone happy, but you can't focus on one group of people.
There are many students on this campus with many different musical tastes.
Singling out one particular group of people alienates everyone else.
The State Theatre has done a good job of getting a large variety of musicians and has generally attracts large audiences. For every orchestral performance, there's been an artist like the Drive-By Truckers. The BJC needs to now follow suit.
It's do-or-die time. With last year's success, the BJC needs to pick up where it left off. Right now, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus are lined up for this school year.
That's not the start to the year I was hoping for.
That's fine for their fans, but Penn State must continue to bring in different artists other than those that frequent Disney Channel and MTV.
The BJC has a history of booking good bands and musicians of various genres. It needs to continue that, and hopefully last year is an indication of moving forward with that mentality. If not, it may be a disappointment at the BJC again.
