As the pace of Saturday's rainfall quickened during Goldfinger's performance on the President's Lawn, the master electrician in charge of Spring Fling made the decision to cut the power on Busta Rhymes' appearance.
After consulting with representatives of the company who set up the sound equipment, West Bridgewater, Mass.-based Scorpio Sound, the Tufts electrician deemed the weather conditions too unsafe for Rhymes' performance.
According to a statement released to the Daily, Concert Board co-chairs juniors Alice Chiou and Sheena Harris said the decision to cancel Rhymes' performace was a difficult one. "There was heated dialogue among us, [Office of Student Activities] staff, Scorpio Sound, and the Tufts electrician on whether the cancellation was necessary," the statement said. "However, because of a joint decision between representatives of Scorpio Sound and the on-site Tufts electrician, the environment was considered unsafe to the talent."
Chiou said the electricians were especially concerned because the guitarist of The Walkmen had been shocked during the band's set.
According to the statement, it was a contractual obligation of Spring Fling that the Tufts electrician have the final call as to whether the event could continue if weather were to become inclement.
"Busta Rhymes was on campus and willing to perform, however, the decision rendered by the Tufts electrician prevented the show from continuing," the statement said. "As promised in our contract with Busta Rhymes, he was paid." Chiou said she was unable to disclose how much money Rhymes was paid this year.
Though Rhymes was paid, it is unknown whether that cost was insured. The statement said that Concert Board was unable to disclose the terms of Rhymes' contract and whether insurance was taken out in the event that his performance had to be cancelled.
The 2005 concert board budget allocates $66,000 for Spring Fling talent. That figure covers all the acts, not just the headliner.
In 2003, Busta Rhymes' performance at Spring Fling was also cancelled due to rain. He was still paid an estimated $50,000.
Even though Rhymes' appearance was cancelled, the rain still affected other performances. "Due to the long duration of rain throughout the morning and afternoon, the electrical equipment on both of the stages were saturated by water," the statement said. "Concert Board members put forth an enormous amount of effort to keep the stages as dry as possible, using towels, mops, tarps, and even newspapers."
