WIUX offers tickets to sold-out show

Even though Regina Spektor's weekend concert at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater sold-out Tuesday, student-run radio station WIUX will offer one last chance to win tickets during its "Evening Hour" program at 8 p.m. Thursday.\nSpektor, an eclectic pianist and singer, perform before an audience of 616 people at 8 p.m. Saturday. Junior Katie Ly said Spektor's very presence in Bloomington is a big deal. \n"I think Bloomington is the perfect fit for Regina," said Ly, concert director for Union Board, who is co-presenting the event with the Buskirk-Chumley. "IU students and the Bloomington community have really embraced her music, as evident by the sold-out tickets."\nLy said she acts as a talent buyer on behalf of Union Board, booking and negotiating offers for major, nationally touring artists. \nWhen Ly's committee expressed an interest in bringing a strong female artist to Bloomington, she and the committee decided to try to book Spektor. Ly called Spektor's booking agent and learned that she had an open date between her Detroit and Chicago shows. \n"She is a very in-demand artist right now, and my committee and I thought she had great potential in Bloomington," Ly said. According to a press release, Spektor's recent popularity was catapulted by rave reviews of her last two albums, "Soviet Kitsch" and "Begin to Hope." \nLy said she went on to contact the theater and negotiated a co-sponsorship of the show. \n"Union Board could not have had as much of a success with the show without the help of everyone at the Buskirk-Chumley," Ly said.\nSpektor's sound appeals to a wide variety of music tastes, Ly said.\n"Regina's music transcends so many musical genres. There will be so many different kinds of people coming together at the show who would otherwise never cross paths or associate."\nLy added that she feels fortunate to have been able to be a part of bringing Spektor to Bloomington.\n"It's always hard to book someone as unique and popular as Regina Spektor, and we feel very lucky to have the opportunity to bring her here."\nSenior Zach Pollakoff, music director for WIUX, said he was contacted by Union Board to start a ticket give-away for the concert.\nPollakoff said there would be one final opportunity to win a pair of the tickets to the sold out concert. Those interested can tune their radios to 100.3 FM or listen to a live stream of the "Evening Hour" broadcast online at www.WIUX.org at 8 p.m. Thursday.\nPollakoff said he thinks Spektor is a nice addition to the Bloomington music scene.\n"I think it's great that she is coming to Bloomington," Pollakoff said. "We have a lot of great bands that come to town or are already here."\nLy said she is looking forward to attending the concert.\n"It's going to be an extraordinary show," Ly said. "I hear she's just beautiful live"