Spring Fest should host A-list performers again

Spring Fest is a time when Buffalo State students join their friends and classmates to celebrate the end of the school year with live music. Everyone has fun.

At least that's the case for most people. Me? Nope.

Since I transferred here from NCCC in 2009, the acts that have performed at the Sports Arena in the spring haven't been very appealing to me. Acts like Young Jeezy, Lupe Fiasco, J. Cole and Miguel just haven't tickled my fancy.

Young Jeezy and Lupe are, for the most part, B-list stars. They do have talent and have released some good songs, but they aren't quite as good at their craft as other rappers like Jay-Z and Eminem are.

They also haven't had that many hits. It's a common complaint among people who refuse to attend concerts that feature certain musicians. If you don't know enough of their material, and you can only recall a song or two that you like, why bother going?

It's not like we can blame our status of being a small college, either. Even though the Sports Arena holds a capacity of over 3,000 people and our budget isn't as big as someone like UB's, Buff State has hosted many big acts in the past.

Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Nickelback, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Goo Goo Dolls and even the legendary Bob Dylan have passed through the confines of our campus. If you want to take it back even further than that, we've had the privilege of hosting all-time greats such as Ray Charles, Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Genesis and Louis Armstrong.

USG recently sent out two surveys to find out who our student population would like to see perform here in May. And although a few of the suggested artists caught my eye — like The Lonely Island — I'd like to take this opportunity to suggest a couple of artists who aren't on the list and that some students might like to see.

Linkin Park: Linkin Park could definitely satisfy people who love hip-hop and rock. With hit songs like "Faint," "In The End" and "One Step Closer," this band could no doubt be a smash hit at Buff State and would appeal to a wide variety of audiences.

Jason Aldean: Aldean is one of the hottest acts in music today. And even though his songs are deemed country, they would quench the thirst of fans of pop, hip-hop and country fans alike. Aldean has recorded successful tunes such as "Dirt Road Anthem," "Don't You Wanna Stay" and "She's Country," and I think he would be a great fit here.

Barenaked Ladies: It's stunning to me that, for all of the local bands that have performed here over the years, we've never had the opportunity to host one of the greatest bands to come out of Toronto. BNL has been around for at least 20 years and with popular songs like "Brian Wilson," "One Week" and "If I Had A $1,000,000," it would awesome to have them come to our campus.

I think these acts are big enough to come to Buff State and wouldn't command too much money. It's not like I'm asking for the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith. All I'm asking for is a band or musician who is popular and has more than a few good songs.

Tony Fiorello can be reached at fiorello.record@live.com.