By Olivia Borgula
Student Entertainment Events hosted a surprise Big Time Rush acoustic concert on Tuesday in Stamp Student Union’s Grand Ballroom. Despite excitement about the event, many students were left disappointed about the limited tickets available.
The boy band — made up of Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Carlos PenaVega — announced their Forever Tour last summer. Except for a short run of reunion shows in 2021, this tour was the band’s first in an almost 10-year touring hiatus.
The band performed fan favorites including “Boyfriend” and “City is Ours.” They ended with “Windows Down” as an encore. Since their return to performing in 2021, Big Time Rush has released new songs, some of which were performed at Tuesday’s concert. These songs include “Call it Like I See It,” released in December 2021, and “Can’t Get Enough,” released just days ago on Feb. 6.
During the show, the band members revealed that their manager, Jared Paul, is a University of Maryland alum, and actually worked for SEE when he was a student here, adding to the band’s excitement about coming to play at UMD.
Jimin Lee, a freshman environmental science and policy major, said she grew up watching Big Time Rush and listening to their music. She said enjoyed the themes of living life to the fullest.
“The lyrics are always like … you have one life,” she said. “I kind of like that vibe that they’re giving off.”
Lee was able to secure tickets to the show. When the ticket site went live, she had both her computer and phone open to the page.
“On the [day tickets went on sale] I ate lunch with a couple of friends at Stamp, and they were saying how there was a Big Time Rush concert that was happening,” Lee said. “I already previously registered for events before, so I knew how to get tickets.”
Ashley Ireland, a freshman biology major, was unable to get tickets to the Jennette McCurdy “Back to School Lecture” in the fall, an event that was also hosted by SEE in Stamp’s Grand Ballroom. This time, she said, she had a better understanding of how to navigate ticket sales.
“I logged on a half an hour before they even went live. And even after logging on that early, I still had to wait in the queue for another 20 minutes … I did get tickets, but the website kept crashing, and when I would go to the cart to check out, it would say that the event was sold out, even though it wasn’t,” Ireland said. “It was so stressful.”
Tickets for the show went on sale at 5 p.m. on Feb. 2. They sold out in an hour, according to freshman architecture major Merina Billey.
“I was in a class when I was trying to get tickets, and I got into the waiting room, maybe 20 minutes before 5,” she said. “I was in that waiting room for like, an hour. Didn’t get the tickets.”
Students also expressed frustration over the choice of venue — Stamp’s Grand Ballroom — which is a smaller space than larger on-campus venues. It holds just over 1,000 people while the Xfinity Center, University of Maryland’s largest venue, holds almost 20,000 attendants. A petition circulating titled, “Move the UMD Big Time Rush concert to the Xfinity center,” received 742 signatures.
“Let’s be real. Big Time Rush is a bigger event on campus than Polo G was last year. I mean, more people want to go see Big Time Rush,” said Joe Diaz, a sophomore computer science major. “There were absolutely options other than [Stamp.] I get it’s an acoustic show. But it really does not really make that much sense to me.”
Brooke Gordon, SEE Public Relations Director, said larger venues were unavailable the day of the show.
“Stamp’s Grand Ballroom was a great location for this event,” Gordon said in an email to Stories Beneath the Shell. “Given the acoustic nature of the show, a smaller venue allowed for the show to be more intimate.”
Diaz, hoping to get tickets to the concert, logged onto the site at 5:04 p.m. He said he never left the queue and was unable to get tickets. Like other hopeful ticket purchasers, Diaz said he “grew up” with Big Time Rush.
Ireland said she felt lucky to have gotten a ticket. Her favorite moment at the concert was when the band performed the song “Boyfriend.”
“I think it would have been cooler if more people were able to go,” Ireland said. “I also think it would have been cooler for Big Time Rush to see just how many fans they have.”
Featured Image: Big Time Rush performs along with their guitarist, Cody Perrin, in Stamp’s Grand Ballroom in College Park, Maryland on Feb. 7, 2023. Photo by Minnie Stephenson.