Afrojack to cause ‘State of Emergency’ on campus for Little 500

Sigma Alpha Epsilon has partnered with Bloomington-based MES Presents, along with other promotion companies in the area, to bring Dutch music producer and disc jockey Afrojack to IU for “State of Emergency,” a Little 500 concert.

Electronic acts Shermanology and David Solano will open for Afrojack.
 
Afrojack was named the No. 7 DJ of 2011 by DJ Mags, and his song “Take Over Control” was No. 1 for six weeks on Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart.

The concert will take place at 6 p.m. April 18 in the Memorial Stadium parking lot.

Ticket information has not yet been announced, but they will cost between $35 and $40 for general admission.

Dancing Astronaut, a California-based promotion company that has helped coordinate the “State of Emergency” tour, aims to bring big electronic artists to college campuses.

“Students are really into this dance music, but colleges don’t usually get to see the cool concerts because they focus on bigger cities,” Dancing Astronaut employee Fred Hwang said.

“We’re excited to start our college tour series, it’s kind of like Warped Tour, except cooler.”

The concert will be the first time Afrojack performs on a college campus.

Mitchell Schoeneman, a promoter with MES Presents, said the show will be performed rain or shine.

Lighting will play an important part in the production of the show to fit with the “State of Emergency” theme and make the show different from other Little 500 acts.

But Schoeneman said there is no chance of the show being canceled due to rain.

“We’ve already discussed the possibility of rain. We will lower the stage and move the lights back,” he said.

“People would embrace it if it would rain, it might even be better and crazier,” he added.

While the outdoor venue is prone to bad weather, Schoeneman said the setting will make for a better concert experience because the sound will be amplified by Memorial
Stadium.

SAE President Jarrett Smith said he hopes the Afrojack show will help reestablish a positive reputation for the fraternity after it was kicked off campus in 2002.
 
“We learned from the mistakes of the guys who were kicked off campus in 2002 and now strive to do everything the right way,” he said.

Smith said SAE partnered with MES Presents because it wants to provide the student body with a show with a unique and exciting atmosphere.

“We have a group of 86 dedicated young men, a fantastic promotional team in MES Presents and we are all working to provide the student body the best experience possible,” he said.