Cowboy hats, boots and blue jeans do-si-doed their way into Centennial Hall at the University of Arizona Oct. 24 as country singer Scotty McCreery took to the stage.
McCreery was the season 10 American Idol winner and is currently touring for his album Seasons Change which featured a No. 1 single on country single charts, “Five More Minutes”.
Tucsonan Chelsea Tahere said she usually attends theater shows at Centennial but traded her usual Broadway show for a country performance.
“I thought it was pretty outstanding,” Tahere said. “I wish they did more concerts here.”
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McCreery isn’t the first artist to perform a concert in the venue, according to volunteer usher David Zinke. UA Presents hosts a variety of different concerts ranging from classical music to dance to pop music.
In the three years that Zinke has volunteered for UA Presents and Broadway in Tucson, he said he has noticed a difference in how the experience changes from a play and a concert.
“For a theater performance, we usually have programs that we hand out and the audience stays in their seats until intermission, but with this kind of a concert venue, people and are up all the time getting beverages and snacks,” Zinke said.
A concert tends to have a more relaxed and party-like atmosphere, according to Zinke.
“In a concert the people are already aware of and familiar with the music so there is a lot more of a party sense and they sing along and dance in the aisle, that doesn’t happen in a Broadway show,” Zinke said. “Although there are a few Broadway-theatre nuts that sing along with every song.”
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Stephen Lull, a UA junior, is a theatre student and is very familiar with the behind the scenes differences between the two types of shows.
“Usually in a theatre production they have like three or four of the semi trucks with the set, all the costumes and, like, everything that these people need, so it clutters up the backstage,” Lull said. “A big show would be really crowded back there, versus this concert which has more minimal amounts of stuff.”
Whether you like to indulge in the culture of the theatre or two-step along to your favorite country song, Lull said he encourages students to come to Centennial.
“It’s super important to come out, because it’s part of the culture and a lot of times at Centennial Hall we have a lot of artists known by the younger audiences so I definitely think it appears to the younger crowd,” Lull said.
UA students and faculty can receive discounted tickets for upcoming shows at Centennial Hall online or at the box office.
“Come to more shows, you can never get too much culture,” Zinke said.
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