Danielle Sheahan
On February 3rd, 2018 at 9:26 AM the St. Pat’s Board tweeted (from the Twitter handle @StPatsBoard), that the headliner of the 110th Best Ever St. Pat’s Concert will be Tech N9ne! I know I was excited to see this announcement and there is no doubt that other Missouri S&T students were just as stoked.
St. Pat’s concerts have been a long standing tradition of the St. Pat’s Board so much so that most St. Pat’s board members do not even know when it officially got started. The St. Pat’s concert serves as a way to give back to Missouri S&T students and the Rolla community for upholding tradition and service (such as Gonzo Gives Back). It has always been a free concert for both students and citizens and it serves a fitting conclusion to the ten day celebration.
The St. Pat’s Board works tirelessly every year, all year round, to fundraise, organize, and put on all ten days of St. Pat’s events. The Board is essentially the Rolla-Pat’s equivalent of like Santa Claus. Professor Schramm, the newly appointed St. Pat’s Board Advisor (as of last Spring), helps direct Board members to throwing The Best Ever St. Pat’s, pun intended. I recently got in contact with him regarding the concert and was curious to hear how the Board was able to ‘woo’ Tech N9ne into being their headliner. To which he said:
“I’m honestly not sure. And I’m old and had never heard of him. He is from KC though, so that may have helped out. He may have heard of St. Pat’s and wanted to be a part of the celebration, since he’s a Missourian.” - Professor Schramm, St. Pat’s Board Advisor
I also spoke with the head of the St. Pat’s Board Concert Committee, John Powell, about the concert and concert-related information that has and has yet to be published/released. He informed me the concert will take place on Saturday, March 17th. The ‘doors’ will open at 2:45 PM and the concert will last until 6:00 PM. Students have the opportunity to enter the venue first if they have their S&T student ID with them to show the gate guards. Nothing is necessarily required to get into the concert, but a St. Pat’s sweatshirt comes highly recommended by Powell.
The concert venue is outdoors, in front of the Rolla City Hall (901 N Elm Street Rolla MO, 65401). Upon entering the venue, you will be greeted by volunteer security guards in brightly colored St. Pat’s sweatshirts, these volunteers are typically fellow Missouri S&T students. Beyond guarding the gate, these volunteers will also do crowd control during the concert as well, for the safety of the performers and students alike. When attending the concert please listen to the volunteer security guards so that everyone can have a fun and safe experience. There is still a need for volunteers at this concert. If you are interested, please contact John Powell and attend the informational on Saturday, March 3rd at 10 AM in the Meramec Room in Havener. The one of the biggest perks about volunteering as security is that you get a free and unique St. Pat’s Sweatshirt for you to keep. A friend of mine highly recommends the experience.
“It’s a ton of fun. I would advise doing it at least once before graduating." - Heath Petre, Former Volunteer St. Pats Concert Security Guard
John Powell was also able to provide me with more information about the lineup. The opener is Stevie Stone, the midliner is Rittz, and as said before, the headliner is Tech N9ne. Stevie Stone is musician/rapper from Columbia, MO, who is known for his songs like “Another Level.” Rittz is a rapper from Pennsylvania and is primarily known for his song “I’m Only Human.” While talking with Powell, I was curious to know why he chose Tech N9ne and how he was able to ‘woo’ the famous American Rapper from Kansas City since Schramm was more speculative than anything (his input still greatly appreciated).
“I got Tech N9ne because he is a great, well known rapper and because there have been many failed attempts to get him here in the past. [Also].... we just got lucky really [that] we got him just before he is going on tour and I guess the price was just right. ” - John Powell, St. Pat’s Board Concert Chair
Overall, it looks like the 110th ANNUAL BEST EVER ST. PAT’S Concert will be fantastic and I recommend all to come out and join in the festivities, whether that be as a volunteer or as a concert goer! Have a safe and fun St. Pat’s everybody!
