UPB performances lack thought

From what signs and posters around campus suggest, Grammy Award winning R&B artist Ne-Yo is going to drop his beats for us Nov. 1 at Halenbeck Hall.

I, for one, am far too giddy right now and look forward to paying the small price of $27 for a lower level seat. I mean, there really is no price tag when Ne-Yo is soothing your soul with melodic notes and hypnotizing dance moves.

For example, his song "Don't Matter" was a smash hit. "Nobody wanna see us together/But it don't matter, no/Cause I got you."

What a classic. And to have the opportunity to see him perform that live makes me more excited than Ne-Yo will be to leave St. Cloud after he finds out what it is.

Wait, what? Ne-Yo did not sing the aforementioned song? That was Akon? Oh, well, my bad.

He has more songs in his catalog, I'm sure. Like the catchy and poignant song "With You." I find myself singing that one at random times of the day: in the shower, my walks to class, and even when I'm doing my homework.

It is such a good song, it can be hard to concentrate on what I'm doing at the time.

"I need you boo, I've gotta see you boo/And the hearts all over the world tonight/Said the hearts all over the world tonight."

Huh? Now what? Chris Brown sings that song? Oh for crying out loud. Then who the hell is this Ne-Yo guy? What does he sing?

"Closer?" Never heard of it.

"Miss Independent?" Is that not some Kelly Clarkson song?

Who knows? Contemporary R&B all sounds the same and plagues viewers with cookie-cutter performers.

Again, University Program Board (UPB) dropped the ball on this year's concert. But this is historically the case. UPB drops the ball more often than Kanye West drops raps about oppression.

Dating back to 2005, UPB has brought in talent such as Dashboard Confessional, The Wreckers, Simple Plan and Vanessa Carlton.

And there is a clear pattern with the student organizations' selections: it has nothing to do with musical quality at all.

Plain and simple, UPB wants to bring in a musician with a clean image that makes them look good. If an artist has controversial lyrics and differing points of view, they'll probably be ignored.

When was the last time SCSU students saw a concert that had any progressive meaning behind it? That doesn't mean every concert has to be this way, but something other than bubblegum pop would be appreciated.

In essence, UPB is to quality musical selection as baguette rolls are to the Atkins Diet.

Ne-Yo is no exception. When Ne-Yo takes the stage next month he'll do some cute dance moves and vocalize some smooth-sounding notes. He will not wow you with his musical talent, but he won't shoot you with a 9mm either.

Ne-Yo is a safe selection, and UPB deserves credit for not bringing in a controversial figure that will cause a public disturbance, (unless Ne-Yo gets behind the wheel of a car.)

You have to go back to the spring of 2004 to find the most recent Rap/R&B artist to perform at SCSU. At that time, Ludacris came in during the prime of his career. Although I'm sure some of his lyrics had to be either omitted or edited, he was musically inclined.

Incubus followed Ludacris in the fall. Incubus was apparently a rare gem for UPB to find because they appealed to the most knowledgeable music fans while keeping Top-40 halfwits smiling.

Ne-Yo does not, and will not, do that. Music junkies will tally his appearance in the loss column and go find a show at The Rox. Top-40 halfwits will wet themselves in glee, which is apparently what UPB wants.

If UPB wanted to infuse and influence students with a rap or R&B performance this year, they could have gone after the likes of well known local artists like Atmosphere or a similar artist. But UPB wants to justify themselves to the students by bringing in a nation-wide celebrity. That's it.

Ne-Yo probably does not ask for much, either. You could pay him a variable monetary value but he would probably rather have a vat of lip gloss, anyhow.

I understand students are able to give UPB their input about who they would like to see in concert. But they want to put the feather in their hat by bringing in a big-name draw, not a big-name talent - so you're already limited in that regard.

Perhaps KVSC should be allowed to pick who plays the spring concert, should there be one.

Aren't they the musical voice on campus?