By Liliana Cifuentes | October 10, 2022
Every October when Homecoming season rolls around, students in the Albany area can look forward to home football games, tailgates, and performances by musical guests.
This year, however, students may not have the opportunity of attending a star-studded show.
A Little Booking Agency LLC, the full service production agency that has hosted events starring musical artists Cardi B, Lil Durk, and Pop Smoke, implied a musical guest would not be present through the promotion of their event “One Night Stand: Vol. 2,” which failed to name a headlining act but mentioned that there’d be “some surprises."
The agency is blaming the size of the Albany Capital Center, which can only accommodate 3,000 seats in comparison to MVP Arena’s 17,500, for the sudden change in plans.
“In years’ past, we have had access to MVP Arena, but they are booked for an event that has been in place before the announcement of which weekend Homecoming was,” agency representatives told the ASP. “Unfortunately, we cannot provide that same experience at Albany Capital Center, as it limits capacity and limits the size of the artist.”
The announcement comes after the cancellation of College Palooza, a concert that was set to host rappers Ice Spice, B-Lovee, and IQ. The event, scheduled for Sept. 30, was canceled after Ice Spice chose to attend the BET Hip Hop Awards instead.
Many ticket holders, who spent $20 per ticket, were upset about the inconvenience.
“As a business woman, she should know that to agree to something, you pull through with what you agreed to no matter if a bigger offer happens to come up,” said Jada Moncrieffe, a senior at the University at Albany, regarding the no-show.
Moncrieffe also mentioned that the agency was to blame for their poor communication skills.
“I feel swindled in a way because, in my head, they genuinely didn’t have a Homecoming performer and still don’t,” said Moncrieffe. “I think this was very unorganized and very last minute.”
Others agreed with Moncrieffe’s sentiment.
“I think there being no musical guest wasn’t a good idea because everybody was misled,” said Xavier Thompson, another student at the university. “On the weekends, everyone wants to listen to music and go out.”
But the agency reassured students that the event will be just as fun, and suggested that anyone interested should purchase tickets as soon as possible.
“We take pride year in and year out bringing homecoming events to UAlbany,” they said. “The event on Friday, Oct. 14 will be one of the most memorable events we’ve ever had.”
A Little Booking Agency also reminded the ASP that such events are organized solely by them.
“We finance these events on our own,” they stated. “There is no help from the school.”
The Homecoming event is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 14 at the Albany Capital Center.