SAB Puts on Gym Class Heroes Concert

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Gym Class Heroes playing in the Pritchard Gym /Donalda Leveille

By Rohma Abbas

Amid rain and a blackout affecting a swath of campus, Gym Class Heroes performed a 90 minute set organized by the Student Activities Board at the Sports Complex on April 15. This was the second concert hosted by the board this semester.

The concert took place in Pritchard gym at the complex. Doors opened around 6:30 PM, and Gym Class Heroes performed around 8:15 PM.

Student reviews of the concert were generally positive. “I loved it,” Man Chi Ngan, a Stony Brook student, said. “Travis was really funny.”

Another student, Athanasia Kotopoulos, freshman and a residence hall assistant for Gershwin College said it was a good show and commented on the diversity.

“I really liked it,” Kotopolous said. “I thought it was pretty good—the lead singer did a good job at keeping everybody entertained.”

“The crowd was very diverse,” she added.

Gym Class Heroes, defined as an alternative hip hop band, originally started when Travis McCoy, lead singer, and Matt McGinley, drummer, became friends during physical education class in high school. The band later acquired more members, with most recent band member bassist Eric Roberts joining in 2005.

The band is best known for the hit single “Cupid’s Chokehold,” which made Billboard magazine’s top five out of the weekly Billboard Hot 100 list.

As the event planning semester draws to an end for the Student Activities Board, the remaining budget is an estimated $9,000, according to the board’s weekly budget report. The concert cost an estimated $40,000, and estimated ticket sales were $13,000, with 95 surplus tickets. Advertising for the concert began on April 9, with an estimated 1,200 tickets.

USG President-elect Joseph Antonelli commended the board for its work on the Gym Class Heroes event. “I think your timing was excellent,” he said, addressing the executive board members. “You guys did a great job.”