By Sarah Carlson, Staff Writer
The Imagine Tour with MercyMe, Amy Grant and Bebo Norman will not be in Moody Coliseum as planned but instead will be at the Taylor County Coliseum because of the concert’s large production size.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. March 1, and student ticket prices will remain $18, said Doug Harris, concert promoter for concert sponsor KGNZ-FM.
“Overall, there were just several factors for moving the concert because it is just too big of a show” to be held in Moody, Harris said.
Moody does not have enough power for the lighting equipment and because the equipment is hung from the ceiling, the weight could cause a collapse, Harris said.
The concert was not relocated because of Moody’s capacity, he said.
“Moody has more of an intimate feeling per se and had the number of seats we were looking for,” Harris said.
The coliseum seats 7,000 compared to Moody’s 4,600.
Harris said his only concern is that the concert’s date, a Monday, could affect attendance. The tour managers had offered to have the show March 28, a Saturday, but a basketball game is scheduled then.
However, Harris said about 2,500 tickets have been sold so far, and he takes that as a positive sign.
Billy Smith, sophomore marketing major from San Antonio and member of the Campus Activity Board, said about 600 more artist circle seats are now available for $25, compared to the original 300 similar seats in Moody that sold out in one day.
The move between coliseums made the overall expenses rise, Harris said.
“CAB is chipping in with some of the finances, but only a limited amount,” Harris said. “We are taking the brunt of it.”
Amanda Spell, coordinator of student organizations and activities, said CAB has money set aside for this.
“It may cost a little more, but in the end we will get our expenses back,” she said.
Harris said KGNZ will start promoting the concert on radio this week and already has a television ad on KTXS.
“This is a big thing for the church as far as an evangelistic outreach,” Harris said. “The artists really range and can reach out to everybody,” Smith said. “MercyMe appeals to most everybody, Amy Grant reaches somewhat of an older crowd and Bebo Norman more of the college crowd.
“It is opening up Christian music to non-Christians, which is a big deal and we are excited about it.”
Grant was raised in a Church of Christ and told the Optimist when she last performed on campus in the early 1980s that she nearly attended the university and grew up attending events such as Sing Song. This would have been her first concert on campus since then.
Tickets are available to students in the Campus Center ticket windows weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Campus Cash, check and cash, and all other times in Room 10 of the Bean Sprout where only cash and check are accepted.
