Students looking to purchase tickets Saturday for the Homecoming 2010 Kid Cudi show will now need to purchase tickets online.
Tickets were originally set to be sold during a Gophers After Dark event, but due to concerns of crowding and conflicting activities, the sales were moved online.
Sales will begin at 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, and 4,500 tickets will be available, said Sabrina Bolin, spokeswoman for Homecoming 2010, More information on ticketing can be found at homecoming.umn.edu.
The show will be held on Friday, Oct. 1 outdoors in the Maroon Lot near TCF Bank Stadium. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets will cost $10 for students with a valid University of Minnesota UCard. Tickets will not be sold to nonstudents, and ticketholders without a valid Twin Cities campus UCard will not be granted admission to the show. Only one ticket can be purchased by each student.
The concert’s exclusivity has caused confusion among fans. Individuals not attending the University but looking to purchase tickets posted comments on the event’s Facebook page while University students offered to sell their tickets above face value. The event page was updated recently to emphasize that tickets are nontransferrable.
Bolin explained the reason behind these restrictions. “Homecoming is personally funded by students,” she said. “It is planned by students, for students. We’re trying to keep the cost low.”
Lauren Carpenter, a University student, was interested in purchasing a ticket for a friend from La Crosse who is not a University student.
“We both love Kid Cudi,” said Carpenter, who is planning to attend the show even if a guest ticket cannot be purchased.
Homecoming coordinator Molly Gale said nonticketholders will not be admitted to the event, and, although it will be held outside, a tall fence with a windscreen will prevent any outside attendance.
“If students are looking for a true concert experience, they have to purchase a ticket,” Gale explained.
First-year student Kiah Bennett was critical of the Homecoming Committee’s decision to use the Maroon Lot as opposed to a larger venue, suggesting TCF Bank Stadium as an alternative.
“It would be more beneficial to use the stadium. They could sell a lot more tickets,” said Bennett.
The stadium was considered as a possible venue, but “the Maroon Lot was more cost effective,” Bolin said.
“The Maroon Lot was selected because of its close proximity to other events,” Gale said, referring to the homecoming parade and pep fest. Organizers want to make it easy for students to attend all three events and expect a sold-out show.
