Saturday, January 28, 2006

WILMINGTON, NC - University of North Carolina Wilmington's Association for Campus Entertainment (ACE) announces Grammy winner Kanye West as the 2006 Big Spring Concert performer. West is set to perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 22 in Trask Coliseum.

The announcement was made by the ACE Executive Board during a time-out at the UNCW men's basketball game against Northeastern University on Saturday, Jan. 28. The majority of UNCW students surveyed in fall 2005 voiced they would like to see West selected as the artist for this year's Big Spring Concert.

As part of his "Touch the Sky Tour," West has most recently appeared on the campuses of The University of Miami, University of Florida, and Penn State University Park. He performed at Duke University and Virginia Tech in the past.

West has won three Grammy Awards and has eight nominations this year including Album Of The Year (two, for Late Registration and as a producer on Mariah Carey's The Emancipation Of Mimi); Record Of The Year ("Gold Digger"); Best R&B Song (with Alicia Keys, Garry Glenn, and Harold Lily for Keys' "Unbreakable"); Best Rap Solo Performance ("Gold Digger"); Best Rap Album (Late Registration); Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("They Say," with Common and John Legend); and Best Rap Song ("Diamonds From Sierra Leone," with J. Barry, D. Black, and D. Harris). He will perform alongside fellow nominee Jaime Foxx at the awards ceremony on Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

Tickets go on sale to students beginning Monday, Feb. 27. Floor seats will be sold at the University Union Information Desk starting at 7 a.m. Only one ticket will be sold per student at $28.50. All remaining tickets will go on sale at noon on the same day and must be purchased through www.uncwtickets.com. Students who purchase tickets online may purchase up to four tickets total, one at the student price of $28.50 and three at the public price of $45. UNCW faculty and staff can purchase tickets starting March 6 online for $33.50 and the general public can purchase tickets online starting March 8 for $45. Tickets will only go on sale to the public if the show does not sell out to the UNCW audience.

The UNCW Association for Campus Entertainment is a student organization that seeks to coordinate various programs that promote opportunities for educational, social, and cultural growth for students and the campus community throughout the year. No taxpayer or tuition monies are used for any of ACE's programs.

For questions regarding the concert, please contact Joseph McGibboney, president of ACE, at 910.962.3842. Media inquiries may be directed to Caroline Cropp, UNCW media relations specialist, 910.962.7109.

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