Larger Worthstock to Feature Five Headliner Bands; Replace Spring LSE

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Due to an imbalance in budget spending, a larger Worthstock will replace the spring Large Scale Event for this semester. The committee will present more well-known bands for Worthstock this year as a compromise with the LSE. Expect headliners and old time favorites like Yo La Tengo and Blue Method. The day-long concert will take place on May 3rd, will feature five external bands and will last longer into the night.

When the LSE committee tried to book a performance for the Fall event, both of the prospective bands negotiated until eventually they dropped out. Since bookings must be made several months in advance, the committee was hard-pressed to find a band that met their budget but still was nationally recognized. Past performers have included rising indie group The New Pornographers and comedian Wanda Sykes.

The committee heard that The Roots, a legendary Grammy-Award jazz/blues group, were available in Philadelphia. “To my knowledge, the opportunity to obtain such a big name artist wasn’t possible before,” said Paury Flowers, director of Student Activities in an email. “I’d like to think of our expenditure on the Roots and Hezekiah as a tremendously successful event.”

Unfortunately, the brand-name came at the heavy cost of using 80% of their budget for the year. Instead of limiting themselves for a small LSE event, the committee chose to combine the extra budget with the funding for Worthstock. Worthstock is an all-day outdoor concert featuring local unsigned bands to celebrate the end of classes for the year. In addition to bringing more well-known artists, the concert series will extend past sunset until 9:30. An accommodation for the new nighttime performances will include a brightly lighted stage.

While the management of the LSE will not be a precedent, some students are still pleased with the substitute. “We’ve had great LSEs the past few years in my opinion, with some of my own favorite bands performing, but The New Pornographers or The Roots aren’t everybody’s cup of tea,” said Charlie Decker ’09 in an email. “Worthstock, on the other hand, offers more variety…It has the potential to please a ton of people.”