The Daily O’Collegian

Its voice is changing a little, its appearance is beginning to take shape and it’s learning about who it is. Like any 13-year-old, it wants to make friends and find its place in the world. The question on everyone’s mind is “How?”

It looks like our little Orange Peel is growing up.

For the past 13 years, student after student has tried to figure out how to take Boone Pickens stadium, hire a few entertainers and come out with a successful event.

Three executive directors agreed during interviews with The Daily O’Collegian that, like anything that has existed for 13 years, Orange Peel would inevitably change at some point.

And now, in 2008, that time has come.

Instead of playing in Boone Pickens stadium, this year’s headliner Sugarland along with American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler; country singer Ashton Shepherd; and Motion City Soundtrack will entertain guests indoors at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Because of the move in venue, seating has decreased from about 24,000 to about 8,000.

Ticket prices are $40 for reserved seats and $55 for floor seats — about a 30 percent price increase from the average past ticket price.

Starting Monday at 9 a.m., students and faculty can buy tickets at Ticket Central across from the Student Union Bookstore.

Ticket sales for the general public begin Thursday at 9 a.m. At this time, people will be able to buy tickets not only in the Student Union but also by phone and online.

Also, because seating is reserved, students who want to sit together will need to buy tickets together.

These changes and more come after a year of discussing what exactly Orange Peel is and what purpose it serves.

In the O’Colly, Orange Peel was first described as “Oklahoma State University’s first major Big 12 Conference pep rally, to kick off the new school year and serve as a catalyst for school spirit.”

Angela Courtin was part of the team that created Orange Peel. She was executive director for both Orange Peel 1996: Building a tradition and Orange Peel 1997: Into the Galaxy and Beyond.

Courtin, the senior vice president of marketing, entertainment and content for Myspace.com, said when they began to plan Orange Peel, it was an interesting time in Oklahoma State University history.

For one, the university had a new president, James Halligan.

OSU was suffering from retention issues, and the Orange Peel team wanted to create the event to get people excited about the university.

“Initially, it started out as a pep rally that included high-caliber entertainers,” she said.

Courtin said she wanted entertainers who could cross generations, something that was key in interesting not only students but also alumni and the Stillwater community.

The concept of Orange Peel began after a group from Stillwater and OSU went to the University of Florida to attend the annual pep rally known as Gator Growl.

Gator Growl is in its 85th year of existence. It has grown to the largest student-run pep rally in the world.

Until recently, the show featured only comedians at the main source of entertainment.

In 2003, Sugar Ray headlined the event. Since then, musical artists have not been included in every year’s show. In 2007, Lynyrd Skynyrd was the second musical artist to play at Gator Growl.

Michael Jordan, this year’s Gator Growl producer, said attendees look forward to not just the comedian or musical artist but also the extra things the event offers.

Part of the Gator Growl tradition is also to have celebrity cameos recorded saying, “Let the Gator Growl” and to have pre-recorded student skits.

Of the thousands of people who attend Gator Growl every year, of about 50,000 University of Florida students, close to 15,000 attended Gator Growl in 2007, said Jordan.

In the 1990s, the crowd sometimes reached about 70,000.

Since then, the numbers have decreased, and the Gator Growl team’s goal is to sell 50,000 tickets this year, Jordan said.

Clayton Cotton, the Orange Peel 2008 executive director, said the biggest difference between Gator Growl and Orange Peel is obviously the size of the event attendance, the schools’ number of students and the population of the cities.

The University of Florida is in Gainesville, Florida, a city of about 95,447, according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

Meanwhile, Stillwater has a population of about 40,000, according to the statistics.

The attendance of Orange Peel, like Gator Growl, has wavered throughout the years.

The first Orange Peel in 1996 featured Bill Cosby, Norm McDonald and Dog’s Eye View and sold 17,043 tickets.

Ticket sales dropped to an all-time low of 5,490 in 2005 when Jason Mraz headlined the show, and the Student Union and Clear Channel each lost about $80,000 in one night.

The largest ticket sale for the concert was in 1999 when country artist Faith Hill, who was paid $160,000, was scheduled to perform — an Orange Peel where 23,826 tickets were sold, according to records from the Campus Life office.

However, thanks to the weather in Oklahoma, the show was rained out.

Alan Jackson played in 2006, a year that was viewed as successful.

Cotton said still, Orange Peel lost money.

The event barely broke even, making about $600, Cotton said.

“When we realized that Alan Jackson was coming through on a great weekend with a great price, great turnout, and we still did not turn a profit … we realized something had to change.”

It’s not realistic to continue believing Orange Peel can be the equivalent to Gator Growl immediately, Cotton said.

“The scale of the Orange Peel that we had for the first 11 or so years was larger than the OSU students and alumni and Stillwater community could support,” he said.

Thus, the changes had to occur.

In a few years, Cotton and 2007 Orange Peel executive director Josh Neil both agreed they could see the event going back to Boone Pickens stadium.

But for now, Cotton said the 2008 executive team must go back to the basics and use the smaller venue as a way to figure out what Orange Peel is.

“It’s maturing,” he said.

Courtin said she has kept up with Orange Peel throughout the years.

She agreed that it made sense the event was changing.

“We’re 13 in relation to the entire history of Oklahoma State,” she said. “Most new events or traditions don’t hang in there that long. The fact that we’re getting into puberty, for me as one of the first executive directors and creators for Orange Peel — I feel like my kid is growing up.”

Apples to oranges

Sugarland will play nine dates on the “Love on the Inside” tour before coming to Orange Peel.

The Daily O’Collegian compared ticket prices for a similar-sized venue.

Available seating for Orange Peel:

About 8,000

Available seating for Asheville Civic Center:

7,654

Price of tickets at Orange Peel:

$40 for reserved; $50 for floor

Price of tickets at Asheville with Ticketmaster fees:

$45.20; $55.20

What could have been…

The Orange Peel 2008 executive team didn’t start out knowing the headliner and opening acts.

They also looked at the following bands.

Headliners

Rock

All-American Rejects

Third Eye Blind

Panic At the Disco

Angels and Airwaves

Foo Fighters

Flaming Lips

The Killers

R&B

Alicia Keys

Classic rock

John Fougherty

John Mellencamp

Journey

Country

Rascal Flatts

Taylor Swift

Reba McEntire

Dirks Bentley

Alabama

Carrie Underwood

Openers:

Puddle of Mudd

OK Go

Death Cab

Weezer

Daughtry

Guster

Comedians:

Flight of the Conchords