Lupe Fiasco to perform at Pitt Program Council’s indoor show

The show will go on this March when Lupe Fiasco hits Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House. 

Fiasco, a prominent American rapper, performs for Pitt Program Council’s annual indoor show in the Fitzgerald Field House on March 28, PPC announced on Monday. Fiasco will be accompanied by David Burd, better known by his stage name, Lil Dicky, a comedian and rapper prominent on YouTube. The winner of PPC’s student hip-hop battle on Feb. 28 will open the show. 

PPC will begin selling tickets at its ticket office in the William Pitt Union on Feb. 2 for $5 each, and students can purchase up to five tickets each. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m.

Fiasco has received three Grammy nominations in his career, including Best Rap Album, and released his fifth studio album, titled Tetsuo & Youth, last week.

“The recent release of [Fiasco’s] new album makes Lupe Fiasco even more relevant to pop culture,” said PPC’s special events director Kim Nguyen. 

During meetings, the Special Events Committee drafts a list of well-known performers they think will appeal to the student body, Nguyen said.

Because weekly meetings can draw larger crowds, the Special Events Committee is a good barometer of student opinion, according to PPC’s executive board director Jon Lehan.

PPC initiates polls to gauge students’ preferred genre, Lehan said, as opposed to specific artists. 

There are some limitations to what performances PPC can select, however. 

“When selecting acts, we are confined to just one date and do not have much flexibility,” Lehan said. “This is especially true for the Fitzgerald Field House, where we have to compete for space with athletics, city events and other student organizations.”

Lehan said the Indoor Show has been an annual event on Pitt’s campus since 1999 when The Black Eyed Peas and The Roots performed. 

Following artist announcements by PPC, students sometimes post their displeasure with the chosen acts on social media. 

“You have to know that no matter who you choose to bring in for the concerts, there will be students who are displeased,” Lehan said. “We try to avoid it by choosing an artist that appeals to the vast majority of the student population.”

Lehan could not disclose the price PPC paid for Fiasco to perform at Pitt because of contract stipulations, he said, although the performers’ respective agents set the price.

PPC expects the show to sell out because of Fiasco’s popularity. 

“We have been close to selling out the Indoor Show the last three years, but we did not sell out,” Lehan said. “However, we think that Lupe Fiasco is more of a draw to Pitt students than the performers we have had in the past.”

When PPC books an artist, Nguyen said, it has to try to book one who sells the best. In the past, PPC has sold out of general admission tickets very quickly and has been able to sell a majority of the seating tickets. 

At last year’s Indoor Show, the headliner, Tyga, cancelled his appearance last minute because of flight complications. Local artist Chevy Woods stepped in to perform as the headliner. 

Nguyen said this occurrence was an externality that PPC could not foresee, and it was highly unusual for any of PPC’s live performance events. 

“If it happens again, we know how to handle the situation and will deal with the matter if it arises,” Nguyen said. 

Lehan said in the live performance industry, there are no concrete backup plans. 

“What happened last year was unfortunate, but we had no control over it, and we did our best to put on a great show given the circumstances. This year will be no different,” Lehan said. 

Lehan said the purpose of the more than 100 events PPC holds each year is to give Pitt students the opportunity to have an experience that they do not have the money or resources to seek on their own. 

“With the collaboration of our eight committees, we aim to provide a wide variety of social, educational and recreational events to the Pitt community,” Lehan said.