As part of a Students’ Association initiative to bring more concerts to campus, Ben Rector will perform in mid-April at the Paramount Theatre.

Amanda Pittman, online marketing manager, and SA President Rodney Johnson have worked together to bring the band to Abilene, they said.

“It’s been rather simple,” said Johnson, senior marketing major from Odessa. “It’s just reviewing contracts. That is the tricky thing, going back and maybe finding things we looked over or didn’t see. It’s part of the learning curve that comes with concert planning.”

The show comes in response to a survey sent to students last summer asking what artists students would like to see play in Abilene. With that, negotiations with Ben Rector’s agent began in October, Pittman said.

“We really want to make the whole night a cool experience,” Pittman said. “We’ve invited local food trucks to come and park outside the Paramount and start offering dinner for purchase around 6 p.m. We hope the ACU community will join us for a night of great music and good food.”

A push for more concerts on campus was part of Johnson’s campaign for SA president. Now that the show is set, Johnson said he hopes it will be successful and lead to similar concerts after he graduates.

“I just want to encourage students to go and be a part of this, because this is something I know that we want and something I’ve heard year after year,” Johnson said. “But if we do something like this and it’s unsuccessful, that’s going to discourage the university’s effort to do this more often.”

Though word of negotiations spread early this semester, the university and Ben Rector’s agency have been working on the contracts for months.

“We were thrilled when a date worked out for him and the Paramount and the price per ticket was exactly what students said they’d be willing to pay,” Pittman said.

Ben Rector and his full band will play at the Paramount Theatre April 27. Tickets will go on sale soon at $26 for general admission and $42 for VIP seating.

VIP ticket holders will be allowed to enter the venue before general admission ticket holders and will have reserved seating at front and center stage.