A sold-out crowd of about 2,500 spectators packed into Centennial Hall yesterday to see Katy Perry in concert in what ASUA President Tommy Bruce called “”a long-standing effort”” to bring the musician to the UA campus.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona allocated $24,000 out of their special events budget to make the concert possible, a cost well worth it in the eyes of student government officials.
“”This is one of the largest venues (Perry) will be playing during the current tour,”” Bruce said. “”We’re trying to bring a variety of artists (to campus).””
Perry and the UA came together following a bidding process last year, where contract details were discussed.
The result was a total of $25,000 raised in the form of ticket sales, offsetting the costs and leaving ASUA with $40,000 left in their special events budget, Bruce said.
After the offsetting costs, Bruce added that ASUA will be negotiating with the artist to split the remaining money between the student government and the artist.
The musical artist was originally slated for a University Boulevard concert last semester, but a scheduling conflict nixed the performance.
Landing Perry is just a warm-up act for the UA student government, as they will host a concert at Arizona Stadium by an artist that is yet to be announced. ASUA officials said they have not decided when or how they will go public with the details of the performance.
The concert will most likely take place in April or May and will sell upwards of 30,000 tickets, ASUA executive vice president Jessica Anderson told the Daily Wildcat in September.
Doors originally opened for big-name artists to headline UA-based concerts when rap star Kanye West, alongside Lupe Fiasco and NERD, performed to a sold-out crowd of 8,000 in McKale Center last April.
Ever since the West concert, ASUA has aimed to bring major top-tier artists to the UA campus, an effort made easier by artists contacting the university to discuss concert possibilities, rather than the other way around, Bruce said.
