Country music is a staple of our culture here in Texas, and because Jesuit is a Texan school, many of its students find themselves attending the concerts of country icons such as Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, and George Strait. This year, the Jesuit Alumni Association managed to book the Eli Young Band for the Alumni Homecoming, which will take place on Saturday, November 3rd at Jesuit.
The Eli Young Band consists of four-members from Denton, Texas. Led by lead singer Mike Eli, the band features two dominant guitarists- James Young and Jon Jones- as well as drummer, Chris Thompson. Interestingly, the band was formed at the University of North Texas where Eli and Young were roommates who began to sing and write songs together in their collegiate years. They released their first album, titled “Eli Young Band,” in 2002 and have experienced massive success ever since.
Since then the band has excelled and now they rank among the most nationally respected country bands. The band’s two most recent albums have become greatly popular: “Crazy Girl” went platinum (it sold at least one million albums) and “Even if it breaks Your Heart” went gold (it sold at least 500,000 albums).
Fortunately for the Jesuit Alums- all 2,000 that are expected to attend the event- the Alumni Association worked with a booking agency with numerous connections to artists, agencies, and record labels in order to land this year’s band. Director of Alumni Relations Kevin Mullan explained, “They help us reach out to the bands and negotiate contracts.”
Of course, other acts were considered for this event, and there were no guarantees going into the planning. Usually, multiple offers are given to a number of acts before the final decision is made, but Jesuit decided to take a gamble this year. As Mullan put it, “This year, we were “all-in” on the Eli Young Band. We actually made our offer before they won any awards, but between our staff, alumni, parents, current students and our booking agency, EYB was clearly a rising star.” With so much buzz surrounding EYB, Jesuit anticipates a sellout crowd, and Mullan suggests, “If parents or alumni want to go, they better buy their tickets early.”
For a change, this year the party will be moved outdoors, and eight gourmet food trucks will be serving food to partygoers throughout the evening. “We are also extending the hours of the party,” Mullan added, “and having live music the entire time.” Opening for EYB will be Josh Ingram out of Denton, TX starting at 5pm followed by Eleven Hundred Springs out of Austin, TX. After the second band, Ingram will play acoustic one more time before EYB takes the stage around 8:30pm.
The Alumni Homecoming at Jesuit is always a special event, where former students and parents can come back to Jesuit and reminisce about the wondrous days of high school, and relive the unique sense of community that is ever-present here at Jesuit. Not only that, but “it’s going to be the biggest party we’ve ever had on campus,” and an unforgettable time.
