Students wait in long line for Ludacris tickets

While some students lined up outside the University Center throughout the day, others camped out in lawn chairs from as early as 6:30 a.m. on Thursday for the start of the Homecoming concert’s ticket distribution.

After changing the location of the concert from the University Green to the BankUnited Center, a collective decision was made to require tickets for Ludacris’ performance.

“It’s a fire code issue if we don’t distribute tickets,” said Joshua Brandfon, associate director of the Office of Student Activities and Student Organizations. “It’d be harder to know how many people we’d be letting into the concert.”

Additionally, the tickets give students, faculty, staff and alumni priority seating, Brandfon said.

Although ticket distribution is a new system for the Homecoming concert, the process has proved to be successful thus far.

“It was very organized,” Brandfon said. “Students probably waited an average of 20 minutes for a ticket, even when the line reached the library.”

Aaron Martin, a student assistant at the UC’s information desk, also said the ticket distribution was orderly.

“The only problem we’ve really had is students forgetting their Cane Cards, but [the process] has been controlled and organized,” Martin said.

Some students were satisfied with the new system’s efficiency.

“We’re not huge fans of Ludacris, but the line’s moving quickly, so the wait isn’t bad,” freshman Brie Maris said.

Other students, however, do not feel that the ticket distribution system is just.

“It’s frustrating because I want to see Ludacris, but I feel like standing in line for so long is a waste of time,” said sophomore Kerstin Schmitt, who waited in line for more than 30 minutes. “I’m going to have to wait again that night for close-up seats since both sections are general admission.”

Four thousand tickets were distributed on Thursday, and floor tickets sold out within a few hours.

However, Brandfon said more floor tickets will be available Monday.

“We had to change the configuration of the concert’s setup, but we wanted students to have a good experience,” he said.

Students who picked up general admission seat tickets can return to the UC’s ticket window and exchange them for available floor seats.

Although the process has run efficiently so far, it is uncertain if the same system and location will be implemented for next year’s concert.

“We want to see how the new process meshes with the other Homecoming events like the fireworks and the parade,” Branford said. “It also depends on the stature of the artist and how big the demand is anticipated to be.”