T-Pain CAB concert a success in the DakotaDome

Hip-hop artist  T-Pain performed to a crowd of thousands at the DakotaDome Feb. 11.

More than 4,500 tickets were sold, and 3,750 of those were USD student tickets, said Doug Wagner, director of campus programs
and activities.

Crowd members could be spotted riding on each other’s shoulders to see over the masses.

This wasn’t the first Campus Activities Board concert to be hosted in the DakotaDome. Timeflies played there in 2014 and sold 1,805 tickets,
Wagner said.

Wagner said he was happy with the crowd size.

“We increased our interest in the concert by more than double what we had before,” Wagner said. “I’m really thrilled with the turnout, and I think we’ve learned a lot.”

The DakotaDome proved to be a good location for a crowd of this size, and the sound system functioned just fine, Wagner said.

“Hopefully we’re getting to a point where we can shoot for February as our concert time, and to be in the Dome from here on out is what I’m hoping,” Wagner said. “Aalfs Auditorium is not really a place that’s conducive to a concert like this.”

Rain Spotted Elk, a first-year art major, thought the concert was too packed.

“(The concert) was great, but it was too crowded and everyone was pushing and people fell over and got elbowed,” Spotted Elk said. “It was a little too much
for me.”

Wagner said he helped CAB select a list of artists USD students would
vote on.

“We looked at artists that ranged from $40,000 to $60,000 because that was based on what we could afford,” Wagner said. “When we paid for T-Pain, we only paid for him to show up.”

General admission ticket sales don’t go toward paying T-Pain to come to Vermillion, Wagner said. That expense is covered by Student Government Association through the General Activity Fee.

“There are two funds that exist at the university,” Wagner said. “There’s what’s allocated by SGA by the GAF, and what’s also called an agency fund. Any money that we generate from the concert goes and sits in this fund from ticket sales, and we’ll use that money for next year’s concert.”

The set list for the night included such hits as “I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper),” “Booty Wurk (One Cheek at a Time),” “I’m On A Boat” and “Cyclone.”

First-year nursing major Melissa DeCook invited her friends for the
concert experience.

“It did live up to my expectations, but it could have been longer,” DeCook said. “‘On A Boat’ was the only song I knew.”

Not only did the concert live up to students’ hype, but T-Pain seemed to enjoy his time in Vermillion as well, Wagner said.

“Based on what I’ve seen and the response from Twitter, I think he enjoyed coming here,” Wagner said. “I think he was as excited as he can be, because he does shows all the time.”