Bird Bash has country flash
Maryann Batlle
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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It was also a lot different from anything FGCU had seen in at least four years.
Headliner Luke Bryan along with Candy Coburn and Corey Smith were the performers at Bird Bash, the brainchild of Mike Frustaci, director of the Board of Eagle Entertainment Programming.
Frustaci came up with the idea for the concert after he was told that Eaglepalooza would not have entertainment.
"I wasn't happy that we were going from two concerts to one, especially on my watch," he said.
After Frustaci started planning Bird Bash, it was decided that Eaglepalooza would include a concert after all, but Frustaci decided to keep the new concert on the roster.
Frustaci and his staff planned the concert starting in July. Because it was the summer, Frustaci said there were fewer people on campus to consult when narrowing down the list of available performers.
"I would be at Orientation asking students. I kind of tested the field," Frustaci said.
Student attendance for the concert was comparable to that of Nest Fest, according to Frustaci - 1,122 student tickets were given out for Bird Bash, 1,013 were distributed for Nest Fest.
Some students even got the chance to meet the musicians backstage.
Janna Dewey, a sophomore double majoring in psychology and theater who recently discovered her love for country music, said Bryan is one of her favorite artists. A friend gave Dewey a "Meet and Greet" pass so she could meet him.
She had been thinking about meeting the "All My Friends Say" musician all day. "I've never met anyone famous before," Dewey said.
After she bought a T-shirt for Bryan to sign, Dewey stood in a line with about 50 other fans, many fellow FGCU students.
Amanda Porter, a freshman majoring in psychology, was next to Dewey in line. Porter won her "Meet and Greet" ticket through a contest held by Bryan's fan club, Nuthouse.
"I cried when I got the e-mail saying that I got the 'Meet and Greet' pass," Porter said.
When Bryan entered the area, the fans, including Dewey and Porter, grew more excited. Porter was fidgeting in her tan cowboy boots, staring at the cover of the CD she held in her hands. Dewey's cheeks had grown red.
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