Pop-rock band OneRepublic and rapper Fabolous are slated to perform at Mississippi State University’s annual spring concert, the Old Main Music Festival April 17. Last year Old Main Music Festival and Down in the District consolidated to become Spring Fever, an on-campus concert that featured Blues Traveler and Yung Joc. This year, Old Main is being resurrected. Sponsors for the event include shoe company Crocs, Spin magazine, the MSU Campus Activities Board, Music Makers and the Student Association. CAB director Patrick Young said along with OneRepublic and Fabolous, a third national act will be hired to perform.The third act has not been verified, but it will be revealed within the next few weeks.
“So far, we have two diverse acts. Fabolous will appeal to … those who are fans of rap,” he said. “OneRepublic is a great rock-pop band who will appeal to a more broad audience.”
Music Makers director Tyler Stacy said the third national act will probably be from the rock genre because of the “Next Step” Campus Tour’s genre requirements for bands to perform with OneRepublic and Fabolous.
Stacy said he is excited about OneRepublic and Fabolous playing at Old Main.
He said he hopes students will be happy with the two national bands.
Normally, the MSU concert committee makes a list of possible acts and then narrows it down through a process of elimination, which is based on the budget and any tours that may be going on.
This year’s selection process has been slightly different, Young said.
“The Crocs and Spin people approached us about having their tour come through here,” he said. “We really couldn’t pass it up. We figured since they were a two-name sponsor, they could help us out financially.”
The festival will be held at the MSU amphitheater. The rain location is the Humphrey Coliseum, the location of last year’s concert.
“We hope to have it outdoors, which I believe will have more of a festival feel to it,” Young said.
SA President-elect Braxton Coombs said the sponsors are praying for good weather for this year’s concert.
“Hopefully this will be a lasting tradition for Music Makers, CAB and SA to work together,” he said.
Crocs and Spin booths will be set up, and a few small local vendors will be able to set up tents with food.
The event is not going to be held during Super Bulldog Weekend like it has been in previous years.
Young said the concert committee decided to change the name because Spring Fever was frequently confused with other events held in the spring.
He also said Old Main Music Fest was more appropriate because it honors the MSU residence hall that burned down in 1959.
“The university is planning on restoring the Old Main Plaza, so we felt it was important to have a concert to commemorate Old Main and to inaugurate the plaza for generations of students to come,” he said.
Coombs said Spring Fever didn’t seem like it was catching on well with students.
“The first meeting we [concert committee] had, we sat around the table and decided to change it back,” he said. “It was a unanimous agreement.”
SA President Jeremy Johnson said that although Spring Fever was a fun event last year, he hopes more people attend Old Main this year.
“In all actuality, as far as the concert and people coming out, I hope it’s better [than last year],” he said. “Everyone really enjoyed themselves, and I really hope it isn’t different in that aspect.”
Stacy said a big difference between last year’s Spring Fever and this year’s Old Main Music Festival is that the sponsors have only planned for one stage to be set up.
“Hopefully it’ll be different in that it’s outside and there will be less bands. It should be a real festival environment,” Stacy said.

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