Pete too expensive for PPC concerts

The Oct. 13 Counting Crows concert is the only concert scheduled to occur at the Petersen… The Oct. 13 Counting Crows concert is the only concert scheduled to occur at the Petersen Events Center, but that could change.

Currently, Pitt’s men’s and women’s home basketball games and the April graduation ceremony, along with the Counting Crows concert, are the only events scheduled for the Pete, according to Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Robert Hill.

“I know that the Petersen Center will be available for other concerts,” he said.

Hill added that Pitt is working with SMG, a professional facility management company, to “maximize the use [of the Pete] and to assure that students will benefit from the facility.”

But Pitt Program Council, an organization that organizes student events, is not planning on using the arena for any concerts themselves, according to PPC Executive Board Director Jocelyn Gamble.

“We could never bring someone like the Counting Crows,” Gamble said.

PPC usually pays $10,000 to $12,000 for a band to perform at one of its concerts, Gamble said. Trying to pay for a band such as the Counting Crows would cost too much.

The cost of an event at the Pete varies and is determined on a case-by-case basis, Hill said.

SMG manages other collegiate facilities and professional sports complexes, including the Mellon Arena. According to Hill, SMG will work with bands’ promoters to “secure the best pricing and seating for students.”

SMG helped to provide students with access to Counting Crows tickets before they went on sale to the general public, according to Hill.

Gamble also emphasized the student-oriented nature of the Pete.

“Steve Pederson told us that the building is for students,” she said.

Pitt “is not trying to make money” from having concerts at the Pete so long as it does not lose money, Hill said.

Though PPC will not be using the Pete for any of its concerts, they plan to close down Bigelow Boulevard Oct. 5 for Fall Fest.

“We like to do things students will see as they pass by,” Gamble said about the location.

Since most of Pitt’s on-campus population is located on lower campus, using places such as Bigelow Boulevard is important for PPC events to be successful, she said.

Though PPC cannot afford to use the Pete for a concert, Gamble said they might use the facility’s patio and concourses for other activities.

PPC has nothing planned to occur at the Pete yet, she said, but they may use it in the spring.