Amid a lackluster reception from some students, organizers hope the band Collective Soul will “Shine” as the main attraction at Last Day of Classes April 27.
Part grunge and part rock, Collective Soul is best known for the 1994 breakout hit “Shine.” The band faded in popularity after about 2000 and now considers itself to be re-emerging from the indie rock scene.
In the mid 1990s the band had 19 songs on the Billboard charts, with seven of them hitting the number one spot, but Collective Soul has been off the hit music radar screen for the past few years.
“Collective Soul is an amazing act that puts on an absolutely electric live performance,” said senior Anthony Vitarelli, president of Campus Council, which sponsors LDOC events with Duke University Union. “They have broad appeal and are the perfect headliner for Last Day of Classes.”
Some students, however, were initially unimpressed with the headliner.
“That’s it?” junior Yurosh Tomavich said. “It’s just weak considering the names and caliber of acts we’ve been able to get in the past.”
Several students in the Great Hall Tuesday night had never heard of the group. Others were skeptical because of the band’s diminished popularity.
“If they were going to get a smaller band, they could have gotten somebody good,” sophomore Claire Thompson said. “I don’t think it’ll be very exciting.”
Students who had seen the group live, though, echoed LDOC planners’ enthusiasm. “They’re just a great concert band and a good choice for the Last Day of Classes because they’ll have broad appeal even if people don’t know who they are,” sophomore Kenny Morrison said.
After a disappointing concert last year when rapper Kanye West played for less than an hour, organizers concentrated on finding a band that thrived on live performances and would foster the festival atmosphere of LDOC.
“I know for a fact that they put on a really good live show,” said senior Matt Greenfield, chair of the LDOC committee.
Collective Soul has promised to play for at least 90 minutes and may stay on stage for up to two hours, Greenfield said. The band’s cost is between $25,000 and $35,000. The planning committee is still searching for an opening act for the main stage, but Greenfield said smaller acts will play on several stages throughout the day. Name recognition will be a factor in selecting the opening act, he said.
The LDOC committee originally extended an offer to angst-ridden rock band Live. But the group, which would have cost about $45,000 to $55,000, was unable to book other gigs nearby and declined Duke’s offer.
“I, for one, feel that [Collective Soul] will be a better headliner,” Greenfield said. “We were going to spend a lot less on the opener if we got Live, so I’m kind of happy we have more to spend.”
Other events for LDOC will be decided when band costs are finalized, but food vendors will be scattered throughout the quad and beer will likely be available on points. Greenfield also said T-shirts for the day would be free again, after an attempt last year to charge students for them.
Seyward Darby and Matt Sullivan contributed to this story.
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