Wells
Reporter
Runner Nights is back at it again this time hosting CSU Bakersfield’s first ever on-campus concert featuring singer-songwriter Alessia Cara in the Icardo Center on Saturday, April 23 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Associate Director of Campus Programming Emily Poole is in charge of running Runner Nights and encourages students to come out and enjoy a “unique experience” at the Icardo Center.
“It will be in the gym but it won’t look like the gym, we will have draping and lights [but] it will be a little bit different then what the gym looks like for a typical day for basketball…It’s not going to be like a low budget looking concert, it is going to be a very high quality production with lights and staging” said Poole.
Working to feature the Canadian artist known for her songs, “Here,” and “Wild Things,” redecorating the entire Icardo Center and providing vendors does not come cheap.
Students may already know but unlike the previous two Runner Nights this event will not be free. Tickets are being sold at the cashier’s office for $10 from April 9 to April 22 (advance tickets prior to April 9 were $5), but tickets are not the only items that have gone up for this Runner Nights. Food and drinks also come with a price but remember this festival was made specifically for CSUB students so there will be discounts on food and drink combos that will be no more than $5, according to members of the Runner Nights Committee.
“If you think about it [Cara] is performing and she’s on a tour, tickets to go see her would never be $5…so we are already offsetting the cost of the concert by a lot so students don’t pay a high price to attend to see her” said Poole.
This may seem like a reason to not attend but you will miss out on an experience that CSUB has never had before and depending on the participation may never see again.
“We won’t charge for all Runner Nights that’s just the reality, but there will be some we will need to in order to continue to make [concerts] happen…Also with concerts this is our first one. We have to crawl before we walk and with next year, if this is successful, maybe we will have a larger artist” Poole said.
This Runner Nights is strictly a music festival so don’t expect to see the rides or snow filled events like the Runner Nights of quarters past. There will be two opening acts, one from a student artist and the other will be a local Bakersfield artist.
Cara will be the last performer of the night but the festival does not end there.
DJ Sammie will end the festival spinning records for students to dance to and vibe with, organizers said.
This Runner Nights is geared to be a work of art so if you miss it just remember it may never come again, and if you are attending get there early the festival waits for no one.
