Last year’s concert with OAR as the headliner took much longer to sell out. (DP)

The time was 1:28 p.m. As cascades of eager would-be ticket buyers lined up to guarantee their spot for Ben Folds, a petite brunette at the head of the line emitted a large gasp. “Sold out?!”

It was true. As the crowds parted, the Spring Fling banner on the walk could be seen emblazoned with those fiery, red letters. There was nothing to do but walk away (which most of us did without incident, save for the infuriated guy who couldn’t resist flicking off SPEC committee members).

Luckily, I had purchased my ticket this morning around 11, after reading the alarming news in the DP (sorry, shameless plug) that over half of the tickets had been sold. But for the rest of the Penn community (basically everyone except the fortunate 3,000), the only course of action now is to climb the fence of Wynn Commons or buy tickets from scalpers at outrageously exorbitant prices.

Perhaps no one expected the concert would sell out this quickly. After all, I remember buying my ticket for O.A.R last year nearly a week after tickets went on sale. And, as College junior and SPEC co-director Tony Rizzo says, “this concert’s ticket sales broke all the records.”

According to Rizzo, because of contractual obligations there will still be some tickets available the day of the show, though he doesn’t know how many. Still, 3,000 tickets for a community of 20,000? Seems a little low.

I realize that the 2005 Sonic Youth debacle sent SPEC’s expectations on a downward spiral, but this is Ben Folds we’re talking about. Wharton and Engineering senior Matt Mizrahi, co-chairman of the SPEC Concerts Committee, told the DP that it was evident that Ben Folds was a “favorite on campus,” as he was voted one of the most popular concert candidates by a survey SPEC conducted in October. Clearly, SPEC organizers understood that Folds would attract a lot of students.

As such, organizers should have anticipated heightened ticket sales and entertained the notion of switching venues. Artists used to rock out on Hill Field, then switched to Franklin Field in 2003, and finally to Wynn Commons in 2005. While Rizzo refused to discuss accommodation concerns, he says a change is something he’s “willing to consider” for next year.

Even without a change of venue, there are other ways to make sure as many students as possible can attend the show. Some students purchased up to ten tickets yesterday because there was no ticket limit imposed. And while I’m sure many of them were good-naturedly buying tickets for their friends stuck in class, I wouldn’t dismiss the idea that many students bought tickets to sell them at much higher rates.

For next year’s concert, organizers should discuss ways to increase the number of students who can enjoy the show. That way, when the banner on Locust reads “Sold Out,” 10,000 students can walk by unconcernedly, clutching their tickets in their hands.

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