SMASH MOUTH

By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian

Ticket sales for the April 30 concert by pop-rock band Smash Mouth are sluggish enough that Show Me Center director David Ross refuses to say how many have been sold so far.

"It would be detrimental to my efforts," he says drily.

Ross hopes this party band's party is just slow getting started.

For this concert, 1,000 of the tickets available are general admission for standing room in front of the stage. Ross said many who want those tickets likely are waiting until the last days before the show. "With general admission shows, there's no reason to buy early," he says. "As a result, people tend to hang onto their money."

Tickets are $10 for Southeast students and $20.75 general admission.

The Show Me Center will be set up to accommodate an audience of 3,500. On the day the concert was announced, expectations were for a crowd of 2,500 to 3,000. Now Show Me Center officials are shooting for 2,000 and don't know if they'll get there.

"It's hard to get a handle on what the advance is versus getting to that 2,000 number," Ross said. The demand for reserved seats has not been strong either.

Not many people lined up when the Show Me Center held a lottery to determine the order of sales for reserved seats, Ross said. "We have seats that are reserved that are great seats."

Those seats are in the 100 section.

Smash Mouth's hits include "Walkin' on the Sun," "All Star" and a cover of the Monkees' hit "I'm a Believer." It will be the first youth-oriented rock 'n' roll band to play the Show Me Center in two years. Bush and Moby drew 2,800 to the venue in April 2000.

Part of the difficulty selling the Smash Mouth concert in advance is the band's fan base: high school and college students who tend not to make long-range plans. "They think in terms of what they're doing this weekend or spring break," Ross said.

Tickets have been on sale for six weeks. Smash Mouth is following by 11 days a Kenny Chesney-headlined country concert that sold 7,000 tickets.

The Smash Mouth concert is being co-produced by the Show Me Center, the Student Activities Council and St. Charles, Mo.-based Playtime Productions. Smash Mouth, which recently has been on tour with 'NSYNC, is headlining the College Television Network Music Binge Tour on the stop at Southeast.

The Chicago punk-pop band Lucky Boys Confusion will open up for Smash Mouth, which recently canceled an Oklahoma date on its tour after the sister of bassist Paul DeLisle was killed in an accident.

SAC advisor Edwin Blanton didn't want to reveal how much the organization has invested in the concert. "At this point I'm a little bit concerned about ticket sales," he said, "but I think sales will pick up the week of the show."

SAC will promote the show during Weird Science Week, which starts Monday at the university.

Ross said the show will go on no matter how many tickets are sold. "I'm hopeful that we find out how to reach other people and get them coming in.

"I think there's a market out there for rock," he said. "It's just finding them."

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182