Alumnus helps bring headlining performances to Memorial Stadium with Full Ride Tour
Popular musicians – Kane Brown, Jon Pardi, Jessie Murph, and Clayton Anderson – are coming to the IU Bloomington campus April 13 with the Full Ride Tour thanks in part to Paul Caine, BA’86, president of hospitality companies IMG Events and On Location. Held the week before Little 500, the tour will kick off at Memorial Stadium before making its way to other iconic college campuses.
“It’s a bit of a test to see how colleges like the tour experiences on their campuses because it’s a full-scale tour that you would go and see at any major stadium, but we’re bringing it to a college stadium,” Caine said. “As a proud IU alum, I’m really thrilled that Indiana (University) is the first stop.”
Since graduating from IU, Caine has spent his career in entertainment and sports working in the media industry at places like People Magazine and as the CEO of Westwood One, a sports media company.
On Location provides luxury hospitality experiences around major sports events including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, NCAA championships, and the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.
“It’s very rare that a concert takes place in Memorial Stadium, so it will have a full stadium experience, but uniquely built for Indiana,” Caine said.
The idea for the Full Ride Tour came up when Caine and his team were considering the lack of concerts that are accessible for college students, especially for musicians in that specific market. They wanted to bring talent to the community and the students, and it was also an opportunity to be philanthropic. A portion of every ticket will support the IU Student Foundation’s Students Helping Students mission.
“That’s also an important part for us. How do we help create these incredible experiences but not just be all about commercial, being philanthropic and tying it to the university culture?”
The idea of bringing it to IU specifically came easily, Caine explained.
“I love Indiana, and I love Bloomington. The idea of bringing a show to the Memorial Stadium was something I would never have imagined as a student there, but now being an alumnus in the position I’m in, I just feel like it’s an incredible opportunity to bring that to the school,” he said.
While looking for places to take the tour, Caine’s passion for Indiana, as well as his company’s previous partnerships with IU Athletics, made it the obvious first choice. He recalled the excitement around the time of Little 5 and based the date around that.
Caine attributes much of what he’s done in media to the importance of The Media School and his time on campus.
“Everything that The Media School teaches is what we’re doing here, and it’s what I’ve been doing my whole career. I’m deeply connected to The Media School and have been very passionate about it from the inception, throughout every incarnation since,” he said.
Caine was part of the alumni group that advocated for the merging of the Schools of Journalism and Telecommunications to create The Media School in 2014. He said that everything his company does combines the breadth of the school’s teachings, from advertising to content creation to journalism. The tour is an example of bringing all the skills he learned inside and outside of the classroom on campus.
Being deeply involved with student cultures and events helped him develop the skills he uses now, and he organized many events during his time at IU.
“It’s all life experience, both in the classroom and out of the classroom. After I graduated, I spent over 35 years in this career building upon the foundation that IU provided,” Caine said.
His advice for students looking to get into a similar field to his is to get connected, get involved, and seek out opportunities. He recommends students come to the Full Ride Tour concert and get involved with the people there to see what the experience is like.
“As you look for experiences professionally, whether it’s an internship or a job, find places to work that you’re deeply passionate about that really take all of it, and allow you to express it at a much higher level,” he said.
Tickets and several exclusive packages for the Full Ride Tour are on sale now. General admission tickets are available to IU students, alumni, and fans. On Location also offers experience packages that allow exclusive access to the pit and VIP lounge, early access to the stadium, exclusive merchandise, and access to a pre-show reception.