Eastern will be the first stop on Drake’s “Away from Home” tour Tuesday.

Tickets may still be available Tuesday night, and will call tickets can be picked up before the show at the Lantz Arena box office. The doors and box office will open at 7 p.m.

About 3,100 of the 3,300 Drake tickets have sold so far.

“This is still considered a sell-out,” said Ceci Brinker, director of student life.

For the concert, the University Board has assembled crews including catering, arrangements for a walk-through, sound and lighting crews, two Emergency Medical Technicians and riggers to find out where to hang the sound and lighting.

The Concerts Committee for the UB is also putting together student crews – stage crew, hospitality, security and ushers.

Krystina Lamorte, the concerts chair-elect for UB, said the committee has been preparing for the day of the concert for months.

As the show approached, the committee got more information concerning the artist’s schedule and the lineup for the concert and worked with that information.

“We’ve been preparing since Christmas break,” Lamorte said.

Lamorte said the committee would arrive around 7 a.m. on the day of the concert and will be in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly.

The UB has also been working with the University Police Department on issues concerning security and parking.

Preparations for the event will start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The University Police Department will shut down Fourth Street from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to move four 55-foot buses and two semi-tractor-trailers with the equipment for the concert into the Lantz parking lot.

Different parts of the building will be shut down Tuesday and Lantz Arena will close Monday night.

Departments including the Health Studies Department, Kinesiology and Sports Studies Department, athletics and the Student Recreation Center will also relocate their practices and classes the day of the concert.

“Otherwise, this would not be possible on a weekday,” Brinker said.

At the moment, the UB is in the final parts of preparation.

“We are finalizing and confirming with Drake’s management personnel,” Brinker said.

“We are processing contracts so the artists get paid on time.”

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu