Eco-tour brings Passion Pit to IU

On the heels of their positively received Vampire Weekend concert Monday, Union Board announced another popular indie rock performance slated to perform in Bloomington.

Passion Pit will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 23 at the IU Auditorium as part of the Campus Consciousness Tour. Pre-sale tickets priced at $33 are available for IU-Bloomington students  at 10 a.m. Thursday at the IU auditorium box office and www.iuauditorium.com, according to Maria Talbert, events coordinator at the auditorium.

Bursar billing is also available for IUB students. Tickets for the general public will be available for $38 at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 at the auditorium box office, the auditorium website and through Ticketmaster.

James Still, concerts director for Union Board, said while the concerts committee reviewed a number of bands for this fall, Passion Pit stuck out, not only because of their popularity, but from their recent success as well.

“They’ve had one of the best summers of all the bands we looked at,” Still said. “They’ve sold out a lot of their shows. When I was in Washington D.C., they were selling tickets for $100 that originally cost $30.”

Passion Pit formed in 2007 as the brainchild of lead vocalist and keyboardist Michael Angelakos. The group released its first EP, “Chunk of Change,” in 2008.

One of that album’s singles, “Sleepyhead,” brought the band into national prominence when it was featured in a Palm Pixi cell phone advertisement. The band, who released their debut album, “Manners,” in 2009, have been the opener on British rock group Muse’s tour this fall.

Known for their infectiously catchy tunes, Passion Pit has earned their reputation as one of indie music’s most prominent dance-rock groups — a reputation Still said the Union Board factored into their decision.

“Students should just expect a huge dance party,” Still said. “Their music is just unbelievably fun. It’s going to be a great time.”

The show is educational as well. Passion Pit will perform as part of the Campus Consciousness Tour. It is an initiative of the non-profit organization Reverb aimed at promoting sustainability and environmental awareness.

The spring 2010 Campus Consciousness Tour included performances from Drake and Ben Harper and Relentless7.

Still said the Campus Consciousness Tour will have a “Chill Village” with information about how to reduce carbon footprint and act green.