While we never found time to hang out apart from our relationship as editor at the Maine Campus and Student Entertainment maestro, he texted me more than once suggesting we chat over beer.

That’s a long way of me proving the guy was a beer lover. Since last fall, he’d been a fan of Novare Res Bier Cafe in the Old Port – a pub that offers “members” a checklist to keep track of their conquest of 200 beers. When he died last Tuesday, he had 13 down, 187 to go.

Andrew Gerke’s friends and family made a pilgrimage to Novare Res on Saturday night to finish what he started, just as Christopher Tolkien finished the work of his father, J.R.R., in chronicling Middle-earth.

—

At 9 p.m., I find the brick pub and proceed to wait 15 minutes for a beer; a side bar is completely mobbed with people chipping away at Andrew’s list. Novare Res and its spacious beer garden are swarmed with people wearing both red and blue Red Sox hats reading, “In Loving Memory: Andrew Gerke: 8/8/84 – 4/14/09.” Later, upward of 40 people gather for the event to sing a boisterous rendition of the Maine “Stein Song” outside.

When I finally get my hands on the list, there are hardly any beers left. According to Andrew’s friend Brandon Aaskov, a separate group from Team Gerke heard what was going on and pitched in, purchasing some of the more expensive beers.

Cory Sims, Andrew’s sister’s boyfriend, orchestrated the event. Cory is quick to downplay his role.

“It’s all in the name of Andy,” Cory says. After hearing Andrew was a fan of the establishment and that he’d hoped to finish all the beers, Cory spoke to the Novare Res manager.

“He’d never done anything like this before, and he was ready to just do it,” he says.

Cory left with Andrew’s sister, Katy McAlister, at seven for dinner at Margaritas.

“At that point, the bartenders were like, ‘You know, if you guys don’t finish it tonight, we’ll keep it going. You’ve got a long ways to go.’ And we got back here at nine and they’re like, ‘There’s only about 12 beers left,’” Cory says, laughing. “So people did a lot of work.”

The beers range from $5 to more than $30 and come from all over the world, with a big chunk hailing from Belgium and Germany. With no method, I pick a Belgian Augustijn Ale from the menu; the bartender ducks into the bottle room and returns with a green monster reminiscent of a wine bottle, cork and all. I’ll find out later it costs $21. I’m okay with it because I know why I’m here.

“To finish his list, to finish his goal? I think this is the perfect tribute, because no matter what Andy and I were doing, we had a blast. No. Matter. What,” says Kyle Norris, punctuating each word with a slap of his hands. He’s known Andrew since age six. “Bringing all these people together – from his fraternity, from high school, from drum corps, from bands, everyone together in one place, to celebrate the life of one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known – is incredible.”

He goes on to tell me stories unfit for print, but fit to make me laugh until my face hurts – one memory ends, “that was the best $10 I ever spent.”

That’s the vibe of the evening – there doesn’t appear to be much sad drinking. “Commemorate Andy Gerke” is the name of the Facebook event, and that’s what is happening.

“By the time today came around, we’d gotten a lot of our tears out,” says Dennis Boyd, a 2005 UMaine alum and one of Andrew’s many Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers. He was at the hospital with Andrew when he died.

“He wouldn’t have wanted a bunch of people sitting around crying about it. He would’ve wanted all his friends to get together, raise a glass, here’s to you,” Dennis says. “This is how I wanna go out. Line ‘em up at the bar.”

Boyd has done his fair share working through Andrew’s list. He estimates 25 Sig Ep brothers came to Novare Res to do the same.

“We had people come incredible lengths just to say goodbye,” Dennis says. Andrew’s friends traveled from Massachusetts, New York and Colorado.

Novare Res is a pub for beer lovers. They serve beer in more than 35 styles of glasses. They decorate the tables with makeshift beer-bottle vases filled with baby’s breath. Empties of prestigious brews line every spare inch of shelf space.

A guy I’ve never met toasts my glass and says, “To Andy.” Photocopies of Andrew’s list float around – “Gerke, Andrew, November 14, 2008,” is written in his handwriting.

At 10:13 p.m., Andrew’s sister Katy buys the last beer. It’s an Allagash, from Maine.

“We are here for one man,” someone yells as a toast. Glasses clink and tears are shed.

Each person who finishes the 200-beer list is given an engraved chalice and a spot to keep it in a locked room.

“There’s one person that’s awarded with a key,” Cory tells me. He holds up a small, ordinary silver key. “Whenever we want, we can open up the gate with this key, grab the chalice and just commemorate Andy Gerke.”

We do just that. Cory removes a large link of heavy chain from a formidable metal gate, and we go into a room full of cubby holes; less than two dozen belong to champions of the challenge. The room is peaceful and quiet, even with the roar of the bar audible in the background.

Cory and Katy say the chalice will be engraved with Andrew’s name, his birth and death dates, and the word “commemorative.” They’ll also put a picture of Andrew in the cubby. They’ve been drinking from Andrew’s chalice – they give me a sip before setting it in his cubby and showing me his completed list.

The list is like Andrew’s life: You show up, it’s astonishing, and you can’t wait for it to go on and on. Then all of a sudden, it’s over with three hours till last call. And it’s still a hell of a way to be sent off. There’s no question everyone here will remember the night and tell the story for ages. The Beer Police will certainly be back, thinking of Andrew and sipping one in his honor.

“He was one of those people blessed with having a smile that instantly makes you smile when you see it. I’m going to miss that,” stated Brandon Aaskov, a friend of Gerke’s since seventh grade, in an e-mail. Aaskov began a Facebook group, “News about Andrew Gerke” shortly after Gerke’s car crash and admission to Maine Medical Center. The group had 527 members by press time, mourning and commemorating Gerke, who was 24 years old.

“I’m trying to celebrate his life and all the good times we had together instead of mourning his death. He was just too lively and happy a person, I think he’d rather people smile when they think of him instead of cry,” Aaskov said. He set up a PayPal donation system for Gerke’s family and funeral arrangements Tuesday morning after Gerke’s death. At press time, $1,295 had been raised in roughly 36 hours.

“I’m in shock. It’s just been such a whirlwind,” said Katy McAlister, Gerke’s sister. The siblings were two years apart and best friends, she said.

“My brother was an amazing guy. He was a mentor to a lot of people,” she said, adding they closely shared interests and friends. McAlister has been with the family in Biddeford since Tuesday. “We had a hard life together – our parents were divorced, we pretty much only had each other.”

Gerke graduated from the University of Maine in December with a degree in civil engineering. He studied and spoke German. He was a brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon and acted as one of the “naked five” at UMaine hockey games – a zealous group of shirtless fans with the letters M-A-I-N-E painted on their chests. He was vice president of the Sophomore Owls Honor Society.

Gerke was a world traveler. His Facebook shows him in Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, England and Ireland. He volunteered in Chicago for Alternative Spring Break in 2008 and coordinated YouthAIDS events as well as Rock Against Rape at UMaine.

Nearly every personal account of Gerke involved his inseparable ties to music – he was an avid percussionist and horn player.

“That kid lived for music. That’s where he felt the best, was through music. It was so much more than just an outlet for him,” student Jess Long said. She grew up on Gerke’s street and saw him every day in her sophomore year of high school. Like Gerke’s closest friends, she knew him as Andy. “He was a band geek and proud of it.”

Friend Daniel Raphael Cooper in an e-mail called Gerke “probably the most disciplined musician I’ve known,” saying he was a “serious musical inspiration” for him.

Gerke was a member of many marching, jazz and pep bands in his life. He marched with several drum corps, including the Boston Crusaders on trumpet in 2005 and the Phantom Regiment on mellophone in 2006. He traveled to Florida several times with ensembles. On Sunday Gerke told a Maine Campus editor that he was looking forward to seeing Killswitch Engage and Chimaira live this weekend in Portland.

Jamie Reinhold was a percussionist several years behind Gerke at South Portland High School.

“Andy came back every year to help out with our rehearsals and shows. He pushed students hard but in a kind and helpful way, and everyone respected him,” she stated in an e-mail, calling his enthusiasm “contagious.”

“One of my fondest memories is of him walking around our ‘practice field’ – a parking lot, actually – with his clipboard. After a really hard set, he came up to me and told me I had really good marching technique. That compliment from Andy made my night,” Reinhold said.

“I’ve had so many tell me that he’s been just such an inspiration to them,” McAlister said. She called her brother someone people could always talk to.

As vice president for Student Entertainment for most of autumn 2008, Gerke booked two high-profile acts, Dropkick Murphys and O.A.R., for one semester. Earlier, he worked on the final Bumstock in 2006, the MTVU Tour, Dashboard Confessional and Ben Folds with a resume stretching as far back as Gavin Degraw in April 2005.

“I think the students are going to love it,” Gerke said in September in an interview about the Dropkick Murphys concert. He prided himself on the cheap ticket prices he’d created for students. He said he wanted to give students and first-time concertgoers “a good time and show them what a concert’s about.”

“He’s bigger than life,” Long said. She characterized Gerke’s impossible-to-pinpoint personality as “a professional young person.”

“He looks you in the eye when he talks to you and he makes you feel like you’re there, and he sees you,” Long said. She continued to shift between past and present tense in remembering her friend.

“He was hilarious, he was fun to be around, but he knew how to get down to business,” stated alumnus Brett Sowerby in an e-mail. “I probably only know him a fraction better than the hundreds of other students Andrew interacted with – I think that was one of the great things about it: He was able to make people feel like they were great friends and truly important to him. I think he really did think they were important to him.”

Director of Campus Activities and Events Gustavo Burkett knew Gerke personally and in a professional capacity, working together to craft student entertainment.

“Just talking with alumni and Sig Ep, I’ve heard more stories today than I’ve heard in years,” Burkett said on Tuesday. “He was always energized about something. He was a very positive person.”

“You would be talking about something very serious, and he would make up a word in the middle of a sentence and you’re like, ‘What?’ Then you’ll realize he just made that up. He had fun with what he was doing,” said Burkett, a Sig Ep alum.

Gerke’s Sig Ep brother and Student Government President Owen McCarthy said 15 to 20 brothers and alumni went to the hospital Monday and Tuesday.

Many Sig Ep members and friends of Gerke spent Tuesday in the fraternity’s library, consoling each other and reminiscing.

“We started telling some stories about Andrew, some funny stories,” McCarthy said. He remembered Gerke’s sense of style – specifically his stylish glasses – as a first impression.

“He made a point when you were new in the fraternity to meet you, get to know you. He really connected with you pretty immediately.”

His favorite Andrew Gerke story is last summer, when McCarthy was living in Ohio.

“He knew I was by myself, so he used to just call to talk. He was like, ‘Oh, I’m coming to Cincinnati,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s great,’” McCarthy said. “And Andrew’s like, ‘I can’t see you, though. I just wanted to let you know I’d be in the area.’ Oh, thank you, Andrew, thanks a lot.” Like many nice-guy stories about Gerke, McCarthy’s has a comic bite.

“He definitely was the typical ‘salt of the earth’ Mainer that would give you the shirt off his back even if you didn’t ask for it,” Aaskov said.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department chair Eric Landis was Gerke’s advisor and professor. They were acquainted since Gerke was a first-year student. Landis called him likable and personable with “very diverse interests.” They met at least once per semester.

“He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he obviously had many opportunities in front of him,” Landis said.

Aaskov said Gerke attained an almost competitive zeal when he faced adversity.

“I’ve tried pretty hard to take that kind of attitude toward life, and I still have a hard time,” Aaskov stated in an e-mail. “You know when you see someone like Tony Hawk do a trick and you think, ‘He makes that look so easy?’ That’s how I felt about Andy.”

Aaskov said Gerke applied to more than 60 employers recently.

“It was strange how he said it though. He was just commenting on the economy, not complaining or looking for sympathy,” Aaskov said.

Burkett acknowledged it is “a painful time” and encouraged the community to find personally suitable ways to deal with their grief. He recommended UMaine’s Counseling Center.

“Use each other, because there’s no one better than someone who knew the person to help you remember,” Burkett said.

Two funeral visitation sessions will be at Hobbs Funeral Home in South Portland on Friday, April 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

A celebration of Gerke’s life will be held Saturday April 19 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Cape Elizabeth – guests are encouraged to bring musical instruments. Detailed directions to both events are available on the Facebook group “News about Andrew Gerke.”

According to a news release by Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland, Gerke was traveling northbound on the Maine Turnpike in Saco when he lost control of his 1987 Nissan 300 at 5:45 p.m. The car rolled three times before landing on its wheels in the southbound lane and Gerke, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle.

According to the release, “witnesses to the crash told [a trooper] Gerke’s car veered suddenly into the far left passing lane and it appears Gerke overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn.” Driver inattention, not speed, was the cause of the crash, McCausland said.

Gerke was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was listed in critical condition. The 24-year-old died at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to Mary Saucier, a spokesperson for the hospital.

“If he had been seatbelted, he would likely have survived this crash,” McCausland said.

An official cause of death has not been determined and will not be released by the medical examiner for several weeks.

Gerke graduated in December with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as vice president of Student Entertainment while at UMaine.

This Tuesday, The University of Maine lost a good friend and a phenomenal personality to a terrible accident. Andrew Gerke will be missed.

It might seem selfish, but I can only comment on Andrew’s life and death in respect to how it has affected me. Realistically, it’s all any of us can do right now. Some may say Andrew’s death was a tragedy because he was young or because he had potential. I say it’s a tragedy because Andrew was my friend and a damn good one to have around. He knew how to endure adversity and was an asset to have in your corner. I think if he could, he would console those who are grieving now. That ass, always trying to be a better man than I can be. But that’s the thing about Andrew – he inspired me to be a better person.

A quick glance at Facebook reveals Andrew had more than 900 friends, of which I am one. Was he a “friend collector”? Hardly. Andrew knew these people – I’m not even sure I can say that for the people in my friend list. I bet most of them would even call Andrew their friend, not just a mere acquaintance.

I can’t pretend I was Andrew’s best friend; I simply wasn’t. I think the closest approximation of our relationship would be “business associates,” but I would nonetheless call him a friend. I, like many others at UMaine, just knew him. I looked forward to my encounters with Andrew, whether it was seeing him shirtless, running around the Alfond Arena, or just enjoying a cup of coffee across from that huge grin he showed off most of the day – generally, shirt on.

It was almost impossible to have avoided Andrew’s presence, what with his gregarious personality and involvement in so many facets of the university community. He was able to do the amazing juggling act: simultaneously donning the hat of the constant entertainer, wearing the suit of a businessman, carrying the letters of Greek life, fulfilling the rigors of engineering, all while being that guy everyone wants to hang out with.

This was one thing about Andrew I found especially amazing: He was a man wearing many hats, but was able to transcend all of these roles. He refused to be two-dimensional and made real connections with so many people because of it. He was at once the guy in the pep band, the guy playing music outside his dorm room, the guy in Greek life, the booking agent down in Augusta, and yet was never boxed in by any of the stereotypes those roles may have.

If you had asked me three days ago, I would have had no doubt that Andrew Gerke was destined for great things. No, scratch destined. I thought he would chisel great things out of life’s opportunities. Andrew reminds us how much responsibility we can take on our shoulders and still be decent, giving individuals. He has reminded me to keep in mind our short time on earth.

Given the recent deaths that have affected many students, I sincerely hope the UMaine community uses this opportunity to address mortality, regardless of the feelings of squeamishness it may cause.

Appreciate the people you know. Be a hugger. Love your friends. Let petty differences go. Call your family more often. Above all else, hope.

Brett Sowerby wishes life’s lessons didn’t have to be so painful.

According to a news release by Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland, Gerke was traveling northbound on the Maine Turnpike in Saco when he lost control of his 1987 Nissan 300 at 5:45 p.m. The car rolled three times before landing on its wheels in the southbound lane and Gerke, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. According to the release, “witnesses to the crash told [a trooper] Gerke’s car veered suddenly into the far left passing lane and it appears Gerke overcorrected causing the vehicle to overturn.” Driver inattention, not speed, was the cause of the crash, McCausland said.

Gerke was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was listed in critical condition. He died at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Mary Saucier, a spokesperson for the hospital.

“If he had been seatbelted, he would likely have survived this crash,” McCausland said.

Gerke graduated in December with a degree in civil engineering. He worked as vice president of Student Entertainment while at UMaine.

Watch The Maine Campus for more in-depth coverage.

“There were just a bunch of little things that added up, and administration took it the wrong way,” Gerke said.

“It was a successful concert in terms of the band, and the crowd was energized. But we had a variety of other issues related to things like ticketing, restrooms and other things along that line that don’t really directly impact the concert-viewing experience, but they can have an impact on Student Government and future concerts,” President of Student Government James Lyons said.

With a long checklist to fulfill coming up to the concert, Gerke said he unknowingly neglected to set up the scanners completely.

“I didn’t know the ticket scanners were not going to work at the door. It wasn’t as thorough as it needed to be. I didn’t know I needed to sign online for them and I needed all these special codes for it. I kind of assumed they were good,” Gerke said. “You forget to check something like that ahead of time . and that’s my fault. It all seems like stuff I should’ve done, and because I’m director, I’m completely reliable for it.”

Lyons said programming the scanners should have been planned ahead of time. He said not having scanners at the door did not directly cause any problems, “but it had the potential to do so.”

Another issue Lyons cited for the firing was inadequate planning related to bathrooms and portable toilets. “Simply there weren’t enough,” Lyons said. “That meant we had to increase restroom capacity inside the building, which was unplanned for and resulted in significant changes to the plan that was initially in place.”

There were five portable toilets for the 2,800 concert attendees. One was wheelchair accessible. Gerke told the company the type of event and the expected attendance and relied on their estimate for adequate facilities. “You go on someone else’s word,” he said. “I don’t know how many porta-potties you should get per person. That’s not something that I’m pretty savvy with. I’ve never, you know, allotted porta-potties for events. And maybe I should’ve been like, hey, you know, five Porta Potties, that doesn’t seem right. That’s about 800 people per Porta Pottie. I should’ve double-checked, and that’s where the organization should’ve come on my part.”

“For students who had to wait 45 minutes for a restroom, I would consider that a damage to the viewing experience. We were less confident than I’d like to be that all the tickets being used were properly validated,” Lyons said.

Issues with a fence company to secure the portable toilet arose on the day of the show.

“You work with a lot of verbal agreements, and you hope that not only are you doing your job correctly but so isn’t everyone else in on it. There were just a lot of situations where, you know, they had to put it on someone, so it was my fault. Apparently I wasn’t doing my job well enough.”

Gerke said it is difficult to foresee or plan for every possible issue.

“There’s just so much, so many things, bases that you have to cover in that position, and, you know, it might as well be a full-time job. You might as well just stop school and going to classes and just, you know, do the Student Entertainment thing,” Gerke said. “Because otherwise, someone’s going to get drowned; they’re going to get drowned with work. And that’s what I worry about in the future, is that someone that has the experience got fired, I worry for that next person in line.”

Lyons said he felt Gerke was not prepared to handle these administrative issues for the O.A.R. concert. “Did he flat-out come to me and tell me ‘I can’t resolve them.’? No. Did a variety of other factors indicate to me that he wasn’t prepared to do so? Yes.” Lyons cited “an unwillingness to work with the organizations that would be necessary to resolve those issues.” Lyons said there was, to his knowledge, no reason for this unwillingness.

Lyons was not directly involved in hiring Gerke.

Steven Moran was the Student Government president at the time of Gerke’s hire. Moran said that Gerke had good credentials in the music industry and good references.

His experience included working for the Cumberland County Civic Center for several years as the Northeast talent adviser. He recently returned Bob Dylan and Cher to Portland and booked Elton John for one of only three American gigs. At UMaine, Gerke worked on the final Bumstock in 2006 and Dashboard Confessional, with a resume stretching as far back as Gavin Degraw in April 2005.

“I don’t know what the situation was to cause him to get overwhelmed to not fulfill the duties of his office, but I couldn’t have foreseen that he was going to make the administrative errors that he did,” Moran said.

“This had been a dream of his – to be the VPSE – because he had been passed over for the position once or twice because he was more inexperienced at the time,” Moran said. “. He told me his other commitments wouldn’t be a factor, that he would be wrapping them up, that they would be more summer commitments. Obviously maybe he wasn’t completely truthful with me. Maybe he had more on his plate than I realized.” Moran said it seemed like Gerke had been more than capable of handling the job.

Gerke said that with the two-concert series he bit off more than he could chew. “I wasn’t quantifying what I should give. I think I was more thinking about ‘How cool would it be to have two shows rather than one, in two different genres, rather than one?’” Gerke said his goal was to cater to all students on campus. “The university isn’t going to have concerts of that caliber probably ever again.”

Lyons said there is wiggle room for mistakes to be made, but it must be kept to a certain range.

“The contingency planning and organization was not the level it had been in the past.” Lyons said his focus is on the next concert and making sure all of the issues brought up at the Dropkick Murphys concert will not be repeated.

Lyons fired Gerke on the afternoon of Nov. 10. He then announced that former Senator and Assistant Vice President for Student Entertainment Abtin Mehdizadegan will step into the role of acting vice president of Student Entertainment “to ensure that the coming O.A.R. concert is a success.”

Lyons plans to increase security and restroom capacity and do dry runs of the scanners for the O.A.R concert. “I think the concert will be a success.”

Applications for the vice president of Student Entertainment position were out as of Nov. 12 and are due back on Nov. 19. The applicants will be interviewed and the nominees will be presented to senate. There the senate will vote to decide who will be the new hire.

Senate can appeal Gerke’s firing.

Abtin Mehdizadegan will assume the VP of Student Entertainment responsibilities for O.A.R., finalizing the event details and welcoming the band to the Field House.

Gerke’s removal came as part of the post-Dropkick cleanup, pre-O.A.R. preparation. “Apparently I wasn’t doing my job well enough,” Gerke said.

Complaints at the Dropkick Murphys concert on Nov. 6 included outdoor waits of over an hour, crowd violence and long lines for limited restroom facilities.

The wait to enter the Field House was a result of a ticket scanner oversight. Mehdizadegan said the issue is “addressed, it’s fine; it’s fixed,” after spending an hour with IT on Tuesday.

Doors will open on time at 7 p.m., with the show set to begin at 7:45. “We don’t expect it to take 45 minutes to get everyone in,” Mehdizadegan said.

Private crowd security will increase from 18 at Dropkick to 34 at O.A.R., with two “mosh teams” on the floor. Crowd surfers will be swiftly removed. This no-tolerance policy was not in effect for Dropkick Murphys.

“If they thought things were bad for [that] show, good luck on Monday,” Gerke said. “It’s a bigger show and they’re going to run into new problems.”

Although both Dropkick Murphys and O.A.R. formed in 1996 and neither enjoys a vastly larger amount of success or sales, Gerke felt O.A.R. the weightier concert of the two he booked.

“The [Field House] for Dropkick was a brand-new venue for us,” Gustavo Burkett said. As director of Campus Activities and Events, Burkett is adviser to Student Government and Student Entertainment. “We haven’t done a concert there in a long time, a concert of this magnitude. Whenever you use a facility for the first time, you work out the glitches after. So that’s what we did,” Burkett said.

Little pressure seems to be felt in Student Entertainment at this time. “I feel very confident,” Mehdizadegan said. “I think we’re really just, you know, being a lot more thorough.”

“I don’t think O.A.R. is going to be a problem at all,” Burkett said. “This is what we are prepared to do. In student affairs, crisis sometimes gets people more pumped about something so things get done better and gets juices flowing, in a way. I think Abtin is prepared, Student Government is prepared,” Burkett said.

Tickets for O.A.R. are still available at $15 for UMaine students, $20 for Maine college students and $30 for general public.

“To the average student, I’m not sure if they’ll notice anything other than the fact that the bathroom line’s going to be a lot shorter,” Mehdizadegan said.

“With these two groups, you’re covering everything. There’s not going to be a single student that won’t be able to go to a show and enjoy it,” said Vice President of Student Entertainment Andrew Gerke.

“The two concerts reflect student desire and these exciting opportunities will certainly bring a sense of excitement and options to our campus community,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Dana.

The Dropkick Murphys, a Boston-based seven-piece who mix feisty punk with Irish swagger, are slated to play the inaugural gig of their fall tour at UMaine. The lineup, tentatively comprised of other national acts, is not yet finalized.

“A lot of people didn’t expect for something like [this] to actually happen on campus,” Gerke said. “They think it’s kind of unbelievable. The fact that a week after the World Series, a band like that would be willing to play up at the University of Maine . it’s hard enough to get them into Portland.” The Dropkick Murphys have had a close affiliation with the Boston Red Sox for several seasons – their song “Tessie” has become an anthemic tune for Red Sox Nation. Dropkick’s 2007 release, “The Meanest of Times,” debuted at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.

O.A.R. – abbreviated for Of a Revolution – mix reggae, jam and mellow rock for an unmistakable product popular with college crowds. The Maryland group was founded in 1996 and released their sixth studio album, “All Sides,” in July.

Gerke prides the selection of two bands with “totally different feels.”

“I really think bringing bands like Dropkick and O.A.R. shows the quality of our office and shows the success of the program,” said Assistant Vice President of Student Entertainment Abtin Mehdizadegan. “I think offering students two very different styles of music just 11 days apart is one of the most enriching things a student can experience while at college. It’s an excellent showcase of what Student Entertainment has evolved from.”

A major amount of Student Entertainment’s planning has been directed at the two November concerts, with little time to focus on the spring semester. Gerke hopes to continue the standard set this fall.

“It’s going to be tough because this is really stepping up, comparatively. It’s going to be hard to implement it for next year,” he said.

After a subpar sound experience with Mythbusters in the Field House this past spring, Gerke and co. are taking measures to ensure a higher auditory quality for the coming concerts. “The sound quality anywhere really isn’t that good within a huge venue. It’s definitely something . we need to really pay attention to.”

Gerke met with Orono’s fire marshal Friday to discuss what could safely be utilized as far as curtains and sound baffling systems. Student Entertainment will hire professional sound engineers to work with the bands’ staffs.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to really hone in on their skills,” Gerke said. One upside of the sound question is the Field House’s simple situation as far as configuring sound.

“As far as my experience with concerts, the Cumberland County Civic Center isn’t much better than the Field House or even the Alfond Arena. As far as shapes go, the Field House actually offers a better situation.”

Dana commended Student Entertainment for implementing “reasonable ticket prices.” Tickets are available at umainetix.com and Bull Moose Music. O.A.R. tickets are on sale exclusively to UMaine students from Monday, Sept. 29 to Monday, Oct. 6 for $15. After Oct. 6, tickets will sell for $20 for all college students in Maine and $30 for general public. By comparison, Bucknell University, which will host O.A.R. on Nov. 15, charges students $25.

Dropkick Murphys tickets will be on sale exclusively to UMaine students from Thursday, Oct. 2 to Thursday, Oct. 9 for $10. After Oct. 9, tickets will be available to all Maine college students for $15. The general public will pay $20.

Vice President of Student Entertainment Andrew Gerke also pioneered a deal for all college students across Maine to receive Dropkick Murphys tickets for $15 – $5 less than the $20 public fee. This is a commendable action. Gerke is working to provide local vendors like Bull Moose Music with photocopies of college IDs across the state to ensure valid discounts. Everyone other than UMaine students faced steep ticket prices of more than $20 for past major concerts.

In an industry where making money is the bottom line, Gerke and Student Entertainment deserve a round of applause for looking out for the audience – in this case, college students on budgets. The idea has already been adopted by Colby College, which will charge $12 for its students and $15 for all other Maine college students to see Cake on Oct. 3.

Allowing all students to take part in a major concert – regardless of budget – is a terrific idea. Many students will experience their first concert this way – in a safe, college atmosphere with an established New England band, for an affordable price.

“They put on a hell of a show,” Vice President of Student Entertainment Andrew Gerke said in a Friday announcement of the first of two reported major fall concerts at UMaine. “I think the students are going to love it.” Gerke worked with the seven-piece act for a Cumberland County Civic Center concert this summer.

Gerke’s earlier promise of insatiably low admission prices holds strong.

“Dropkick Murphys have never sold tickets this low,” Gerke said. “We’re trying to draw as many students as possible. Students are making away like bandits. We know that they already pay the student activity fee.” Ticket prices will be announced Monday, Oct. 23 along with the group and date for the second fall show.

“The reason we chose the Dropkick Murphys is the whole tie with New England and Boston Red Sox and hoping, knock on wood, that the Red Sox do as well as they have been in the past. That really nails it into the board right there.” The concert date falls within one to two weeks of the World Series’ conclusion. Gerke aims to employ an Irish theme.

Gerke spoke of “the concert bug” and realizing that UMaine’s fall gigs may be the first such experiences for many college students..

“When you’re dealing with that kind of thing, you want to really optimize that and show them a good time and show them what a concert’s about,” Gerke said.

The Field House has recently been used for Mythbusters and the MTVU tour. Student Entertainment will hire professional sound engineers, as well as the bands’ personal sound gurus.

The Dropkick Murphy’s will bring the as-yet-unannounced lineup for their fall tour. Previous acts on their US and world tours have included Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Against Me!, The Tossers and Less Than Jake. The group shared a headlining stage with Metallica, Tenacious D and Feeder at the sold-out Reading Festival in England at the end of August.

Although most of the loose ends for the fall’s first major concert are now tied up, the second show remains disclosed at the moment.

“I will say that it’s diverse. You have your Dropkick Murphys, which is more of that alternative rock, and then you’ll have that other group that’s on the other aspect, the other spectrum of things,” Gerke said. “We’re really trying to draw a more diverse crowd. There is going to be more to come.”