Way to go SMC

Something's going right at the Show Me Center, though I can't say exactly what.

Maybe it's just luck, or maybe not. Whatever the reason, over the past year we've seen plenty of performances by big-name acts hit Cape Girardeau.

It started with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and continued with the likes of Dierks Bentley and Sara Evans. Later Tool came along, as did Martina McBride and Merle Haggard (though none of these concerts sold out).

But I doubt that's stopped the complaining about the venue's offerings, especially among Trans-Siberian Orchestra fans -- the band won't tour through Cape for the first time in four years this Christmas season.

The newest announcement, that of pop-rock hitmakers Daughtry coming on Nov. 15, has special implications.

One of the most vocal groups to complain about the Show Me Center's concert offerings in the past few years has been college students, and for good reason. Many years there was little to appeal to them.

Now those college students have brought in a concert under the direction of Southeast Missouri State University's Student Activities Council, something that's happened in the past, but not for a few years, at least.

Of course, those college students didn't help Tool get a sellout, although some of them are the ones complaining about the lack of a real rock show. But it was in the summer. And the group that would pay to see Tool won't pay to see Daughtry -- the band's just too darn radio friendly. Frontman Chris Daughtry got his start on "American Idol," and his music is WAY too close to Nickelback to be embraced by music nazis, like myself.

However, even being the music nazi I am, I can see the significance in the student involvement in sponsoring Daughtry's show.

College students now make up more than 10,000 people who either live in or spend a large part of their time in Cape. Sure, many of them don't have a lot of money, but what little they have they will spend on stuff like ramen noodles and, yes, concerts.

Trust me, I know.

Seems like for a long time now, the college students just weren't accounted for when it came to Show Me Center concerts. At least once, a band they might be interested in came to town -- Tool -- the students weren't in town. Now, with Daughtry, they're taking an active part.

I can see only good coming out of this renewed partnership between the students and the Show Me Center -- more concerts by modern rock acts, more diversity. So it's Daughtry -- big deal.

The significance of this concert goes beyond the commercialism of the music.