Rebelpalooza: A concerted effort

UNLV students put on Rebelpalooza--with class

By Newt Briggs

In UNLV's spring course catalog, TCA 376E doesn't really stand out from the pack. Even its title is boring: Special Topic. But what the casual observer doesn't know is that the class doesn't have any major written tests and doesn't require a final exam. Rather, the majority of the grade is based on attendance and participation at Rebelpalooza--UNLV's annual, student-run music festival.

"We thought there was a need for this class in the hotel college because so many people are starting to work at entertainment-oriented properties," says Dan Nelson, a former events coordinator for the Fremont Street Experience who has taught TCA 376E for the past three years. Although Nelson is the first to admit the class is "not really heavy academically," he insists the experience is valuable for anyone with aspirations in the hospitality industry.

"It's a school-produced event, so the students get to participate in the process from the ground up. They literally do everything. They book the bands, they recruit the vendors and sponsors and they work on staging and production. This year, they're putting up a half-pipe and a DJ tent. Plus, somebody's got to work the gate and monitor the VIP area and all that."

Inaugurated almost a decade ago by current Clark County events coordinator Brian Saliba, Rebelpalooza has since blossomed into a full-blown festival event. "They started out with a really small show over on one of the softball fields," Nelson recalls. "There was a little-bitty stage over in the corner and somebody ran an extension cord out from one of the buildings. And now we're bringing in generators and we've got 40-foot stages with trussing and lights and concert-level sound."

The responsibility for which ultimately falls on 23-year-old senior Jeff Long, the entertainment and programming director for UNLV's CSUN student government. Also a student in Nelson's class, Long says the turning point for the show came two years ago with the booking of Busta Rhymes.

"That was the biggest event in Rebelpalooza history," Long says. "We paid $50,000 just to get one guy."

This year, Long and the CSUN board decided to spread their budget around, securing a diverse group of punk, hip hop and alt-rock acts. While none can individually contend with the star power of Rhymes, this year's bands do create a formidable lineup of talent, including Jello Biafra, the Pharcyde, the Vandals and NOFX.

"The challenge was to create a show that would appeal to all of the students," says Long, who started with a list of more than 40 potential bands and narrowed them down based on the input of classmates and colleagues. The only hitch came when Alkaline Trio, one of the initial headliners, dropped out of the show.

"Everybody was pretty bummed when Alkaline Trio bailed," he admits. Still, he averted the potential catastrophe by signing Orange County punkers the Vandals to the bill.

Ironically, the only thing Long didn't ever have to worry about was the show's finances. Although the school again poured almost $50,000 into the event, students are given free access and only a limited number of tickets are sold to the public. And with $15 advance tickets selling well, both Long and Nelson are pleased with how things have come together thus far.

"I think a lot of the students come in thinking the class is going to be an easy A," Nelson says. "What they find out is that it isn't as easy as it looks. There's a lot more personal responsibility attached to this class. If you decide to blow off a math class, it doesn't affect anybody else. Whereas, if you're involved in producing an event and you just flake out, somebody else has to pick up the slack for you."