The man behind the underground
Dreams turn into reality thanks to Patrick Bentz.
by Alex Morford | for Royal Report
“For Bethel, bringing Ben Rector to campus has always been the dream” said Underground Planning Committee (UPC) member Tim Hunt. “Patrick had that dream and made it a reality.”
Many students are familiar with the Underground as a location at Bethel and are not as aware of the planning that is done by a team of individuals which brought together some of the biggest events this past year at Bethel. The Executive Director of the Underground, Patrick Bentz, is the man behind these events even though he doesn’t like to take credit for them.
“I can’t take responsibility for the Ben Rector idea,” said Bentz. His vision for the event, however, was what made it a reality.
“Patrick latched onto the idea of Ben Rector coming to campus and made it happen,” Hunt said. “It’s a big deal because the Underground is associated with dances. The Underground wasn’t built for big concerts.”
“I wanted to do something cool that has never been done before…to create an event that Bethel could be really proud of,” said Bentz.
This dream became a reality when Rector performed to a packed out auditorium on Nov. 1, 2014.
“Patrick is good at strategy so he knows his stuff. He knows how to get things done,” said Hunt. This worked very well for Bentz who was in charge of virtually everything surrounding bringing Rector to campus. Bentz related how he had to write and rewrite the contract between Bethel and Rector noting ticket prices as a significant point of disagreement. According to Hunt, Bentz organized transportation, ticketing, renting Benson Great Hall and even catering for the band.
Bentz doesn’t like to take much credit for himself, however. Once the initial planning was done he recognized his team for taking care of many of the practical details. While large events by student activities are generally put on by dozens of students, Patrick relies on only had a handful of volunteers as a part of the UPC.
“I get excited about being able to do new and exciting things. I’m excited when other people take ownership or pride with being in the Underground staff or get excited about the events,” said Bentz.
The Underground executive position as a part of Bethel Student Government was designed not only to manage events in the Underground but also plan larger events around campus. “The vision behind it was that it would plan special events, sort of like alternative programing to what SA (Student Activities) puts on,” said Bentz. This position allowed him to plan concerts in both Benson Great Hall and the Dining Center along with more typical events in the Underground.
Besides bringing Rector to campus, other big events that Bentz has been involved with are forums in the Underground, and the spring concert.
“I like being at a college like Bethel. I really do like Bethel. I like to see an event go really well. Like one really good one was Why Black Lives Matter. I got really excited about that,” said Bentz.
Black Lives Matter was an especially impactful event for Bentz to help with because it was something unique and new for both the Underground and the Bethel campus.
Focusing on the spring concert, Bentz wanted to do something that Bethel had never seen before. Only five people had attended the 2014 spring concert so Bentz knew he needed to get creative.
“That idea (for the DC after Dark spring concert) came because I was sitting in the DC and had the idea that it would be a really great venue.” From there Bentz contacted Bob Schuchardt, general manager for the Monson Dining Center to get permission.
“Once Patrick gets into the venue he starts to get really excited,” Hunt said about the DC after Dark event.
Hosted Saturday, this year’s spring concert in the dining center showcased Bethel talent on the big stage. Bentz wanted to create a concert venue out of the DC so he rented staging, speakers and lights, even borrowing extra speakers from a friend to improve acoustics in the large, two-floor dining center.
Featured performers included DJ Daniel Parkin, and live musical performances by Max Nygren, Calvin Heights, the Bethel Mens Choir and Will Kah. Compared to 2014’s concert’s meager attendance, DC after Dark attracted over 250 students. In addition to performances, pizza and popcorn was served and there were video games in other parts of the building. The theme surrounding all of the activities was music.
When asked about what he would like to see in the future, Bentz related, “I would love to see Need to Breathe come to Bethel. I would get consistent excitement for music at Bethel that would be centered around the Underground and the Underground Planning Committee.”
While Bentz ends his role as Underground Executive Director next week, he has plans to use his experiences over the past year even as he graduates in the fall. “I could see myself using this job to lead a team somewhere else. I want to use my skills in advertising and marketing as it relates to events like throwing parties and concerts.”
Hunt, who is also friends with Bentz outside of work, said, “Patrick has a lot of dream. He has a lot of talents. Patrick loves cars and tech stuff and he loves graphic design.” All of these dreams and skills combined into his job as the man behind the Underground.
