MGMT for LSU Groovin’ on the Grounds
Today I got an invitation to join a group on Facebook called “MGMT For LSU Groovin’ on the Grounds Spring 2010″. For those uninitiated, Groovin’ on the Grounds is a special outdoor concert held each spring by the LSU Student Government. It’s a student-planned, student-funded Spring spectacular. In the past, headliners have included Akon, Wyclef Jean, Better than Erza and Three-Six Mafia. This group, started by LSU students Ryan Smith and Lu Seka, was formed in an attempt to get the alternative/indie band MGMT to headline the 2010 event, happening this March. “If we have enough ’signatures’, we will send the names to our [student] government to have our voice heard. Help us help you,” says the group.
I talked with cofounder Lu Seka, who told me that he and cofounder Ryan Smith are “avid fans of their music and wanted to bring a good show to Baton Rouge. The student body pays for the show, so we figured why not have a voice in who shows up to the concert?” The group only started recently, and while serious in their endeavors, Seka told me that they were “surprised that the group grew as quickly as it did.” As of this writing, the group has 1,746 members, growing about 80 members every hour just today. But they’re not letting the success get to their head: “We still have much work to do, such as getting these names to the student government and contacting an MGMT representative, but as of now, we’re staying optimistic.”
The group is indeed growing fast—nearly 26 of my friends joined just in the time I’ve been writing this article. But, they’re not the only ones campaigning for their favorite artist: a Lady Gaga group also has been formed, and has just over 600 members at the time of this writing. In either case, the Baton Rougean supports this initiative by the students to get their Student Government working for them. If they succeed, I’d say this could be one of the biggest wins in LSUSG history. As the group says, “invite everyone you’ve ever known.”