The Linfield Activities Board made an announcement on its Facebook page Feb. 15, declaring, “You heard right, Parachute will be performing at this year’s Wildstock Festival, May 13. Excited yet?” The post garnered 13 “likes” and four positive comments.

“I’m really excited. I didn’t really think I would ever have the opportunity to see them,” freshman Gabi Leif said upon seeing the announcement. “I definitely had a little freak-out.”

Junior Nicole Bond, Associated Students of Linfield College vice president of programming, said she offered the band $12,500 during January Term to come to Wildstock this year. The band accepted.

Bond oversees the Linfield Activities Board and said she is the primary organizer of Wildstock.

Director of College Activities Dan Fergueson said that the budget committee, which comprises the ASLC president, vice president of business & finance and three senators, voted to increase the amount of money spent on the act for Wildstock.

The changes were noted when they drafted the 2010-11 ASLC budget at the end of last year in an attempt to bring in widely known bands that could draw a larger turnout.

“The program board was given more money for the entertainment this year than in past years, where the entertainment budget ranged from $4,000 to 7,000, so this was a very intentional increase both by LAB and by ASLC to have a larger-named act at Wildstock,” Fergueson said.

“For a number of years now, the vice president of programming has wanted to bring an act who folks would know, which unfortunately has a price point associated with it,” he continued. “By choosing an act last year with a little more name recognition, they were able to show what that could be, and so the budgeting committee liked that approach and decided to grant some more money to try and get a bigger name.”

While other groups, such as clubs, saw cuts in funding from the 2010-11 budget, LAB was among the groups that saw an increase in funding: $31,857 more than the previous academic year for a total of $142,087 (“Penny Wise or Pound Foolish?” TLR, May 21, 2010).

Fergueson also mentioned that previous acts involved opening bands, which increased the costs, bringing them somewhat closer to the current budget.

Leif said she thought the increase was money well spent because it gives students the opportunity to see a popular name band without traveling far or paying money.

Bond also emphasized the draw of a more popular band.

“I wanted to get a band that a lot of people on campus would know, and I know they [Parachute] had one really big hit song and a few other pretty popular songs, and I thought they’d be fun for outside,” she said. “I wanted to get upbeat, energetic music.”

Wildstock will also take place shortly after Parachute releases its new album, “The Way It Was,” on April 12, making the event even more exciting, Bond said.

Braden Smith/Managing editor
Braden Smith can be reached at [email protected].