Blind Melon Rejects U.C. Bid

The Undergraduate Council's Blind Melon winter concert, scheduled for February 17 in Memorial Hall, has fallen through, council President Carey W. Gabay '94 said earlier this week.

The rejection by the group of the council's $14,500 bid follows the demise of a Digable Planets concert scheduled for January reading period. That concert was barely approved by the full council in a 32-30 vote on December 6.

But the Blind Melon concert garnered much broader support within the council, passing almost unanimously. Gabay attributed the turnaround to the more mainstream appeal of Blind Melon, as well as the changed date.

"We're very disappointed that Blind Melon isn't coming, but we're still sponsoring two other concerts," Gabay said.

The council will subsidize tickets to a Penn and Teller comedy-magic concert in Sanders Theatre in January, and will also bring Saturday Night Live comedian David Spade to campus on March 24.

Both music concerts were organized by council campus life committee member John A. Mann '92-94. Mann could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Some students registered surprise and echoed Gabay's disappointment about the canceled concert.

"Harvard never has good, big-name bands come here for concerts--they never have any concerts at all--and it would have been fun," said Elisabeth A. Mayer '96.

But other students said they had never heard of Blind Melon, and that the cancellation won't affect their entertainment plans at all.

"I still thought it was Digable Planets," said Adam Kalai '96. "What's a blind melon?"