Lovelytheband headlines the 2019 Spring Concert Thursday night in McAfee Gym, and the University Board is hoping for a large turnout for the free show.

On Tuesday UB announced via social media that the concert is now free to students and community members.

This decision comes after the UB only sold between 50 and 100 tickets.

Mariah Marlar, the UB chair, said UB is hoping to have anywhere from a couple 100 people in attendance to even a couple thousand, which she said is the bigger goal.

She said the first thousand people will receive wristbands and be able to stand on the floor of the gym. 

After that initial 1,000, people will have to sit in the stands because of safety codes. 

In the past, the spring concerts have been held in Lantz Arena.

But Marlar said the concert was moved to McAfee Gym to avoid paying an overtime fee at Lantz and to be more cost efficient.

Marlar said even though they will have the windows open, McAfee is comfortable this time of year, and the heat will not be a problem. 

Marlar said when enrollment dropped, so did UB’s budget, and artists are not cheap. 

In an April 10 article of The Daily Eastern News, Marlar said UB tries to get as much feedback from students as possible by sending out surveys and taking polls in order to have open communication with the students and spend student fees to the best of UB’s ability. 

She said lovelytheband was voted number two on the list, and UB felt confident bringing them to campus. 

Lovelytheband is a Los Angeles indie pop group and is touring this spring behind their debut album “Finding it Hard to Smile,” which features the band’s breakout hit “Broken.”

Other singles include “These Are My Friends” and “Maybe.”

The opener for the band is newvices, an indie-pop group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

They were formed in 2016 by Marco Jaimez on vocals, Rodrick Wortham on guitar, Carlos Garcia on guitar and Clayton Gustin on drums.

Newvices have been featured as winners of Summerfest’s Emerging Artist Series 2018.

Per Eastern Concert Security Policy, the following “illegal” or “prohibited” items will not be allowed into the EIU Spring Concert event – narcotics, drug paraphernalia, flash photography, professional cameras/recording devices, laser pointers, pocket knives, firearms, flasks, glass bottles, alcohol, coolers, backpacks, multi-pocketed bags, pepper spray and air horns.

Exceptions for medical reasons include syringes, inhalers or EpiPens, according to a press release.

Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or achaynes@eiu.edu.