With three very different artists scheduled to perform, there should be something for everyone at the Last Day of Classes concert this spring.
Jason Mraz will headline the April 25 show, with indie rocker Young Love and rapper Common opening, LDOC committee members confirmed Thursday.
"Our goal primarily was to have a lot of variety," said LDOC chair Beth Higgins, a senior. "We spent a lot of time selecting a diverse group-something for everyone."
A wide range of artists were considered, with campus speculation including names such as the Killers and Journey.
"I thought we were getting the Killers, so I'm kind of disappointed," said junior Emily Jones.
Higgins, however, said the LDOC committee was pleased with the final lineup.
"We were looking at others, but these were definitely in the original batch," Higgins said. "If someone doesn't like Jason, maybe they'll like Common, and so on."
Although diversity was the goal, some students said they would have preferred more mainstream artists.
"Jason Mraz is cool," said junior Sarah Allen. "But I haven't even heard of the others."
The lineup was finalized late Wednesday, when Mraz and Common confirmed their availability, Higgins said.
"We actually didn't have any issues with artists being picky about who they were onstage with, which was great," she added. "Jason took a little while to get back with us because he's actually recording now, so he had to clear it with his studio."
With an estimated final budget ranging from $90,000 to $110,000, the committee had hoped from the outset to draw a double-header for the celebration, Higgins said.
"It wasn't so much that we had extra funds, but we thought it would be really great to get this group," she added.
Despite Mraz's big-name pull and Common's Gap ad fame, members said they did not expect many non-Blue Devils to attend the free concert, which will be held on the Main West Quadrangle.
"We're not going to really advertise the show past the University, but if other people come, I guess that's fine," Higgins said. "I don't really expect that a lot of people will come from Durham or other universities, so it probably won't be an issue."
Although some students said they were surprised by the artists slated to perform, they said they still planned on attending the LDOC concert.
"I thought there would be more of a big name-but I'm definitely going," junior Elizabeth Metzler said. "It'll be fun."
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