Photo courtesy of the URI Student Entertainment Committee
Lil Wayne, Post Malone, Fetty Wap, Kendrick Lamar and many more have graced the Ryan Center stage for the annual spring concert. This year’s spring concert is 20-year-old R&B singer Khalid. The concert is sponsored and put on by the University of Rhode Island’s Student Entertainment Committee. The concert is scheduled for April 11 and is to be held in the Ryan Center on campus.
The up and coming El Paso native has had a lot of success with his debut studio album “American Teen,” which was released March 3, 2017. His first single, “Location,” went platinum four times in its first year.
The concert was announced January 30 and tickets went on sale the next day. The general admission floor tickets sold out within the first day while there are still tickets available for the seated sections.
The concert is co-sponsored by the Ryan Center and the URI Student Entertainment Committee. President of SEC’s concert committee, Danny DePetro, spoke on what it means to bring an artist like Khalid to campus.
“Being able to bring an artist like Khalid is an exceptional privilege not just for me but for all the students on campus.”
DePetro also talked about how tough it is to get an artist admired by all.
“It can be difficult; not everyone knows who we can bring, and it’s hard to get the biggest names in the industry. We have to get artists like Khalid who can sell tickets,and we have to get them at the right time to achieve peak student interest.”
Khalid was recently nominated for five Grammys including best new artist. Although he didn’t take any hardware home that night he is still one of the youngest artists to ever receive multiple nominations.
Khalids album “American Teen” has had international success as it has gone platinum in three different countries including the United States. He has also teamed up with hip-hop star Logic and up-and-coming artist Alessia Cara to deliver one of the most influential songs of 2017, “1-800-273-8255.” The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Floor tickets for Khalid went on sale at $38 for students; tickets for the seated sections are still on sale for $23, with a student ID.
It has also been recently announced that the opening act for Khalid will be Toronto singer songwriter, Blaise Moore. Moore broke out on the scene with her hit song, “Friends.”
“It’s amazing to have a grammy award-winning artist come to our little state here in Rhode Island,” said URI sophomore Rowanne Curran. “It is so nice to also have such a big act and have tickets that college students can afford.”
Featured image: Concert poster from the URI SEC