Spring Fling Act to Be Announced Tuesday

Spring Fling Act to Be Announced Tuesday

02/23/2015 

Past SUNY Cortland concert headliners have gone on to win Grammy Awards, entertain Super Bowl halftime crowds and top Billboard music charts. So with that in mind, current students should make note: the College’s Student Activities Board (SAB) will announce the 2015 Spring Fling act on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at an Open Mic Night event.

Open Mic Night, which spotlights the musical talents of SUNY Cortland students biweekly, takes places at 7 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room. It’s free to attend and open to the public. The Spring Fling concert takes place Saturday, April 25.

SUNY Cortland already has hosted two national acts this year: the White Panda, the electronic dance duo that entertained as part of the College’s “Take Back Cortaca” events, and up-and-coming country artist RaeLynn, who performed Feb. 7.

The College’s Spring Fling act, however, typically draws the year’s largest concert-going crowd to Park Center Alumni Arena. The last three Spring Fling artists — rappers Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole — have played sold-out shows.

Aside from these big-name acts, several other popular artists have performed on campus — including some that might surprise current students.

Artist: The Grateful Dead
Year: 1971
About the show: “The Dead” played a 21-song setlist in Lusk Field House, a venue choice that concerned College administrators who worried about the concert’s impact on the facility’s new floors. The show went off without a hitch; it was well attended and enjoyed by students, according to student newspaper accounts. And bootleg audio recordings still are easily accessible online.

Artist: Billy Joel
Year: 1972
About the show: You might have heard that an up-and-coming artist from Long Island by the name of Billy Joel played the first of his two SUNY Cortland concerts in the Corey Union Function Room in 1972. But did you know that the piano that currently resides in the Function Room is the same one the Piano Man himself once played? Two years later, when the future Grammy winner returned to the College, student tickets for his show in Moffett Center Gymnasium cost just $2.50.

Kendrick Lamar
Rapper Kendrick Lamar wore a SUNY Cortland
basketball jersey on stage when he performed
in 2013.

Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Year: 2003
About the show: Similar to Billy Joel, the hip hop group that features will.i.am and Fergie wasn’t nearly as popular as it would become when it took the stage in Alumni Arena. In fact, the well-known “ska” punk band Reel Big Fish served as the concert’s opening act and drew even more student excitement than the headlining group, according to College staffers who planned the event. But eight years later, the Peas were still performing — only this time, on one of the nation’s biggest stages: the halftime show of Super Bowl XLV.

Artist: Colbie Caillat
Year: 2010
About the show: Today a household name thanks to the explosive success of singles such as “Bubbly” and “Try,” the pop singer performed an April “bonus concert” in the Corey Union Function Room just five years ago. It took place nine days after the Spring Fling appearance by Lou Ferrigno, the former bodybuilder and “The Incredible Hulk” actor. Tickets cost $5 for students and proceeds supported the Haitian Orphan Rescue Fund in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the Caribbean country in 2010.

Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Year: 2013
About the show: Many current students likely remember the West Coast rapper’s concert in a sold-out Alumni Arena two years ago, when he sported a SUNY Cortland basketball jersey on stage. The young rapper was well known when he first performed at the College and his stock only has soared since that show. Lamar earned his first two Grammy Awards in early February.

Honorable mention entertainers and performers: The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, George Carlin, Dave Coulier (who played Joey on “Full House”), Ingrid Michaelson, Louis CK, Dane Cook.

Prepared by Public Relations Office intern Sarah Kelly


More News

The Driver Era to close out Spring Fling

The Driver Era to close out Spring Fling

The band concludes a Coachella-themed week of fun at SUNY Cortland.


Cortland earns SUNY’s Shared Governance Award

Cortland earns SUNY’s Shared Governance Award

The system-wide honor recognizes collaboration between Faculty Senate and campus leadership.


Chinese politics scholar to speak

Chinese politics scholar to speak

China’s focus on Tibetan religious customs as a power wedge is talk topic on March 20.


The Big Event Returns April 21

The Big Event Returns April 21

Cortland's student-run community cleanup has potential as a statewide model.


Student shares mental health research nationally

Student shares mental health research nationally

Kyla Young presented her original findings at a rescue service providers conference.


‘Harvest Week!’ culminates ‘Food’ series

‘Harvest Week!’ culminates ‘Food’ series

Topping the week of April 8-12's activities is a talk by the ‘Braiding Sweetgrass' author.


Physics and art departments host eclipse viewing  

Physics and art departments host eclipse viewing  

A rare solar phenomenon will unite the worlds of physics and art on campus. 


Vote for Blaze in SUNY's Mascot Madness!

Vote for Blaze in SUNY's Mascot Madness!

Cortland's mascot needs your vote to advance past the annual popularity tournament's second round.


Prizes offered for student opinions

Prizes offered for student opinions

Undergraduates have until April 5 to complete SUNY’s Student Satisfaction Survey.


Three students earn SUNY Chancellor’s Awards

Three students earn SUNY Chancellor’s Awards

The seniors will receive the prestigious student honor at an April 11 ceremony in Albany.