As most students would likely agree, life at Stanford is generally a satisfying experience. One common complaint, however, is the lack of “big-name” concerts. Students with friends at our peer institutions hear about Penn’s annual Spring Fling festivities or Princeton’s Lawn Parties. Cornell manages to attract big names such as Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi and The Decemberists, while Northwestern’s Mayfest roars with success each year.

The Stanford Concert Network (SCN) does an admirable job of bringing artists to campus, but the fact remains that none of the artists in the past few years have had anything close to the universal name recognition of a Top-40 artist. Nevertheless, events with popular artists like Third Eye Blind last year or this year’s NSO Cataracs performance boasted high attendance, suggesting that Stanford students are eager to come out to support artists and enjoy their music.

While an entire music event (like Spring Fling or Mayfest) may be impractical, even a single big-name artist’s performance would have benefits for Stanford. For one, it would allow for the showcasing of student groups and artists. This already happens with the artists who do come to campus, but the impact of opening for someone more famous would have an even larger ‘halo’ effect. A performance would also build school spirit and pride and cement Stanford’s fun-loving reputation.

The main problem with hosting such an event is cost, as artists are generally expensive. Although SCN receives a considerable amount in special fees ($8 per student per quarter this year), its attempts to bring a variety of smaller groups to campus in order to appeal to a multitude of students has value. Instead, perhaps SCN could look to slightly trim the existing schedule and pay for a bigger event through other methods. Northwestern, for example, seeks corporate sponsors for its Mayfest, while at Penn, students help foot the bill for the concert. Stanford students already spend time and money attending performances across the Bay Area. The convenience and value of having a big name on campus would be something that many students would pay for.  Along these lines, it is doubtful that attendance would be a problem. Attendance at well-publicized events for reasonably well-known artists like Third Eye Blind last year or The Cataracs last month is generally high and the novelty and camaraderie of attending a big-name concert on campus would likely draw even some people who would not otherwise go out of their way to attend the same artist’s concert elsewhere. Working with other schools on the West Coast to land the same artist or working Stanford into an artist’s pre-existing West Coast tour might also reduce costs.

Another big concern is the lack of a suitable venue. Frost Amphitheater is an undervalued location, but its lack of facilities, including bathrooms and practical power access, makes it an expensive proposition. Charging or seeking co-sponsors might go some way to defraying these costs, but again, more creative solutions might work. Penn hosts the Spring Fling headliner in its 50,000-seat football stadium and opens the event to community members, whose tickets are not subsidized. Hosting the event in a less conventional area, like Stanford Stadium or Sandhill Fields or even across some of the larger parking lots, might be an unusual but workable solution.

SCN and Stanford are likely quite aware of the issues raised here. There are indeed other problems, like Santa Clara County’s noise ordinance. Nevertheless, making a concerted effort to attract a big-name artist to campus would be well worth the expense and organizational challenge.