Jay-Z Concert Screw-Up at University of Arizona Costs Student Group Almost $1 Million

An unsuccessful stadium concert hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona will be costing students for years to come.The Last Smash Platinum Bash concert took place at the Arizona Stadium in Tucson and featured Jay-Z, Kelly Clarkson, Third Eye Blind, and other musical groups. According to the...

By Ray Stern

May 5, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

An unsuccessful stadium concert hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona will be costing students for years to come.

The Last Smash Platinum Bash concert took place at the Arizona Stadium in Tucson and featured Jay-Z, Kelly Clarkson, Third Eye Blind, and other musical groups. According to the Daily Wildcat 's coverage of plans for the show:

The concert builds on the success of the Kanye West "Glow in the Dark Tour," which ASUA brought to the UA McKale Center one year ago. The concert drew more than 9,000 attendees.

ASUA president Tommy Bruce has said it has been a top priority during his second term to rekindle a stadium concert by bringing in top named platinum recording artists to the UA to perform.

But it didn't build on the success. It lost $917,000.

The above-linked Arizona Daily Star article says a chunk of the loss will come from an emergency fund. Another $114,000 a year will be deducted from ASUA's share of profits from the university's bookstore, its main revenue source.

Lesson over.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.