Juan Wauters brings live music back to the Grinnell stage

Concerts are back in-person at Grinnell College for the first time since 100 gecs graced Gardner Lounge in early March 2020. Grinnell hosted its first outdoor concert of the fall semester on Friday, Oct. 1, featuring Juan Wauters, a singer-songwriter from New York City.

The responsibilities of the Concerts Committee in a normal year include reaching out to artists, communicating with agents and managers, setting up a musical lineup and handling contracts. The committee also organizes the sound and lighting, as well as publicity, for the night of the performance.

Robby Burchit `23, SGA concerts chair, described how planning for concerts has changed from past years. “I would have started all of the planning a lot earlier and you would have come to Grinnell this semester knowing what the shows were going to be for the whole semester,” he said.

Almost a year and a half later, planning a concert now involves extra considerations which complicate the process. “Post-pandemic, it’s been kind of a dumpster fire trying to figure out everything,” said Burchit.

An outdoor concert with a guest performer posed a whole new set of challenges. Burchit explained that outdoor concerts require different contracts with the artists, different equipment and a lot more coordination with College administration. “It’s been a lot of bargaining and trying to figure out what the safest way to put on a show is,” he said.

To design this semester’s concert lineup, a survey was sent out to members of the Concerts Committee to help determine which genres and artists students are interested in seeing at Grinnell. While the results of this survey are taken into account, the concerts chair considers the available budget and ultimately makes the final decision on which artists to invite.

“I’ve definitely made a really conscious effort to try to provide the students with, like, a diverse range of musical artists, both in genre and just in diversity in general,” said Burchit. “I want there to be shows that everyone can enjoy, and also expand the student body’s musical interest.”

The concert on Oct. 1 featured string lights illuminating the commencement stage with the audience either seated or standing on the grass in front of it. For a lot of the audience, which included first and second years, this was their first time going to a concert at Grinnell.

Juan Wauters addressed the audience between songs, “I guess we all have to deal together with whatever it feels like to do a concert again.”

As for the rest of the semester, Burchit is hopeful that the Concerts Committee will be able to put on a few more outdoor shows before weather conditions become too harsh. “There are definitely other shows in the works; the question is how and when are we going to have them,” he said.