Archive/HIGHLANDER
Archive/HIGHLANDER

Correction on 1/25/2016: No final decision on the status of Heat being a two day even or one day event in Spring Quarter has been settled by either parties — ASUCR and ASBP. 

This year Heat will not take place during winter quarter due to the heavy rainfall expected from El Nino. A survey was conducted by HUB Governing Board member and ASUCR Vice President of Finance Shafi Karim in which 91.6 percent of students voted for the concert to be rescheduled in spring quarter as a two-day concert in conjunction with Spring Splash. However, due to the funds and difficult planning that it would take, Heat was cancelled and the funds have now been allocated to Spring Splash to make it a longer one-day event. I, along with the rest of the students who also voted for that choice, am disappointed the two-day concert won’t be happening.

The two-day concert idea from the start was expected to be pricey and especially tough to put together. Of course money and the effort to put this event together are the big reasons why there were doubts and essentially were the main reasons why it was rejected. I understand this point of view held by the school and the people running these events; however, there are many reasons why this idea should’ve been considered more thoroughly.

The students spoke and our voices should be considered more. This isn’t the first year Heat has been cancelled. In 2014, the concert was cancelled at the last minute due to potential lightning, which of course created a safety hazard for everyone there. There were great artists expected such as Childish Gambino, Ciara and Madeon. This only made students enraged even more after having awaited this day for a long time. Like in 2014, students are also just as upset. Students want all three of the concerts in the year, not just two with one being all-day.

An all-day festival can be exhausting. By the time the best artists begin to perform, people will be tired from standing on their feet all day. I have attended a few concerts myself and even though they only have ranged from one to four hours each, I’ve returned completely worn out and have fallen asleep instantly once I’ve reached the car. I feel like most students can relate to my experience, which is why a two-day concert is more ideal. They can go, have fun, sleep and repeat the next day. It would be similar to Coachella, a music festival held in Indio every year that consists of week one and week two with each weekend having a two-day concert. UCR’s two-day concert and Coachella would be very much alike except people wouldn’t camp out all week, people wouldn’t get wasted and the tickets wouldn’t be nearly as expensive as Coachella’s. The concert being held on campus would have been easy to get to and the price is reasonable, which is perfect for students living on or near campus along with students who don’t have much money to spend. It would have been a fun and unforgettable weekend filled with many memories, opportunities and fun.

I believe the experience is a huge reason why most students voted for this event to happen. To be able to wake up after day one and say, “Let’s do this again!” on day two is why people like multiple-day events such as Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) and Hard Summer. It’s knowing that the fun isn’t over when it ends when you can do it all over again in less than 24 hours. That’s the real reason why I was looking forward to a two-day event, knowing I was going to be able to let myself relax for two days with friends and nothing else to worry about, especially in a quarter system.

Time goes by way too quickly and before you know it, here comes the stress from midterms and not too long after that, finals. Trying to balance homework, a job, study time, a social life and family in only 10 weeks is extremely overwhelming. So, having a full weekend with none of that lingering in the back of my mind would have been the perfect stress reliever. A weekend full of nothing but good times is exactly what a college student needs.
This event would have been double the fun and it’s a shame it won’t be happening how students wanted it to. I hope Spring Splash is able to live up to my expectations as well as everyone else’s  — but no pressure.