Wyclef Agrees To Play Concert

Wyclef Jean will be “gone till November” this fall—until Nov. 6, that is.

The Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) and the Undergraduate Council (UC) announced last night that Wyclef Jean will headline the Nov. 6 fall concert at the Gordon Track and Field Center.

“Between everyone that was available, Wyclef was an artist that everyone knows,” said HCC President Jack P. McCambridge ’06. “He throws an amazing show.”

The Haitian-born hip-hop producer and artist rose to fame as member of the multi-platinum selling group, the Fugees, before launching his solo career in the late ’90s.

The HCC also announced the concert’s opening act, The Perceptionists, a local Boston hip-hop group. According to McCambridge, the group is “immensely popular in Boston and sells out concerts.”

The HCC and Wyclef entered into negotiations about a month ago before signing a contract late yesterday afternoon, McCambridge said.

“Wyclef was our top priority,” he said. “He was the only artist we were in negotiations with.”

The HCC started planning and searching for an artist in April and narrowed down its choice from a pool of 21 artists, which included Nas, Beck, OAR, The Killers, Ludacris, and John Mayer.

“A lot of people don’t understand how much logistical work goes into this,” said UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06.

Last spring, the HCC cancelled its negotiations with the rapper Snoop Dogg and scrapped its planned May 1 concert because the cost of security was too high for its budget.

According to Glazer, Captain William Evans of the Boston Police Department (BPD) wanted to increase the number of BPD officers present at the event.

Both Glazer and McCambridge said this year, they did not encounter any problems with the BPD.

“They trust us,” said McCambridge. “We have Harvard University Police and Allied Security signing off on our plans, which brings us a high level of credibility.”

Evans was not available for comment last night.

Both Glazer and McCambridge noted the increased cooperation between the UC and the HCC. As a result of reforms passed last year, three HCC positions are reserved for UC representatives.

“The UC and the Concert Commission seem to be on the same page,” said Glazer. “It’s been great having more folks formally on the HCC.”

Although McCambridge was unable to give an exact price, he estimated the total cost for the show is about $100,000.

Although the UC has earmarked $30,000 for the concert, it does not expect to spend all of that, said UC Treasurer Matthew R. Greenfield ’08.

According to Glazer and McCambridge, the UC will cover the difference between the ticket sales and total cost.

Tickets will go on sale for undergraduates on Wednesday at 12 p.m. at the Harvard Box Office and cost $16.

Although some students interviewed last night were unfamiliar with Wyclef’s music, others expressed enthusiasm for the event.

“Everyone I know would be into the music Wyclef does,” said Jennifer N. Ntiri ’07. “They would go this year.”

“This event covers two main goals of the UC,” said Glazer. “It provides a fun community-building event at a low cost to students. We are all excited. This is going to be a great show.”

Wyclef was scheduled to perform at Harvard in spring 2002 alongside Jurassic 5, but the event was cancelled because ticket sales did not start early enough and organizers were concerned about their ability to fill the venue.

—Staff writer Alexander D. Blankfein can be reached at ablankf@fas.harvard.edu.