Angela Bray
Gianna Carchia
Journal Staff
Suffolk brought three-time Grammy winner Ludacris to perform at this year’s Fall Concert last night at the House of Blues.
Although scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. with doors an hour prior, students and guests lined up outside as early 5:30 p.m.
“Luda’s a great rapper. I came so I can brag to my mom because she really wants to marry him,” said Haleigh Smith, a Suffolk freshman, “and, you can’t see Ludacris anywhere else for $20. I also really want to see Wicked.” Ruth Perkins, also a freshman, was particularly excited to see Wicked and was looking forward to “singing, dancing and rapping.”
Planning committee members gathered on the mezzanine level of the concert hall as all other attendees filled the open dance floor.
“We’ve had four concerts in the past four years, last year being Girl Talk and Sean Kingston. We really want to diversify the concerts and try to cater to everyone,” said Kelsey Trenti, vice president of Program Council. Ludacris won among other choices in a survey sent out to students. According to Trenti, other choices included Third Eye Blind, Ke$ha, and Brand New. “I saw the results, and Luda won by a lot,” said David Fritzson, Suffolk Free Radio’s general manager.
The event was planned with bi-weekly meetings over the summer with representatives from Program Council, Student Government Association (SGA) and Suffolk Free Radio (SFR). Trenti said although the planning process may seem chaotic, there was “pretty constant communication.”
“I do want to give a big shout out to SGA and SFR because this couldn’t have happened without them,” said Trenti. “I think it’s awesome that we can all collaborate to create this amazing event for Suffolk.”
Sam Andrea, films chair of Program Council and a Wicked dancer, said the dancers have been practicing since they held tryouts in mid-September. “The routine was made strictly to be premiered here tonight,” she said. “It has a big, futuristic theme, with music including Black Eyed Peas and remixes of other songs. We’re all wearing ‘futuristic’ colors, like electric blue and black.”
“It’s most exciting to have someone as big as Ludacris come to Suffolk. The student body is psyched about it,” said Fritzson. “[SFR] had a dance-off at the Temple Street Fair to give away a pair of tickets that really got everyone pumped. We also gave away close to 40 shirts.”
Like a nightclub event, the energy flow couldn’t be missed as attendees met their friends in the lobby and headed to the main floor to dance to music spun by a live DJ.
“I’m here because it’s a Suffolk event, and of course I love Ludacris. It’s gonna be a fun night out,” said freshman Annarita Tracamma. “It’s cool here, and I think it will be pretty crazy with a lot of good songs, dancing and singing.”
“I think the show’s going to be great, getting about 1,400 students at a concert and all,” said John Silveria, assistant dean of Student Affairs.
Freshman John Pinzo, said how he loves Ludacris’ “old stuff,” referring back to 2001. “The album, ‘Word of Mouf-’ every song on that album could have been a hit.”
No matter what the status of their fandom, everybody was into the music. The bass thumped through the venue while the building shook around a blend of music.
Wicked’s performance highlighted a high-energy hip-hop routine with well-known mixed tracks including Boom Boom Pow, Let it Rock, and Shooting Star to pump up the crowd. Students went nuts for the dancers they knew and were impressed by the professional look of the performance.
The team appeared as a blur of metallic jackets, shorts, and sequin tops in various combinations of silver, blue, and black. Some of the men had the opportunity to show off their incredible break dancing skills between the electrifying group-wide routines.
“Wicked was great. I went to the same high school as one of the dancers, Jonathan Lang. He’s really good,” said Lellahi.
The DJ kept the crowd energized during the intermissions with numbers by Pitbull, Beyonce, Kanye and other popular artists. The tightly knit mass of people made their own party while they awaited sight of Ludacris.
“It will be a good show, hopefully he’s on time,” Pinzo said.
Expected to be on stage at 8 p.m., Ludacris was said to not have been present in the venue at the time. “Hip hop acts are always late,” said security. A sound check 10 minutes later brought the crowd to chant, “Luda! Luda!” as the lights dimmed. The rapper’s DJ finally appeared on stage to complete his set up at 8:20 p.m.
“He’s probably trying to watch the Celtics game,” said freshman Logan Szidik, as he anxiously stood in the front row with his friends.
“As long as he’s here, that’s all that matters,” said Ismael Feliz, also a freshman. “He’s not here now, but think how awesome it will be when he is here.”
The DJ finally announced Ludacris’ presence at 8:36 p.m. The volume of screams and cheers for the rapper increased until he appeared on the right hand side of the stage, saying he would “take it back” seven or eight years “to find out who the real fans are.”
“There are some real Ludacris fans in here, it feels good,” Ludacris said after a battle between two sides of the crowd had everyone waving their hands in the air.
“This is really fun, I’ve never been to a show like this,” said senior Rachel Cohen. “Everyone’s dancing and having a good time. [Ludacris] is doing a great job. He’s fun.”
“Luda is a phenomenal performer who takes hold of the crowd and gives a stunning performance,” said Alex Barry, a senior at Salem State University. “My favorite song is Blueberry Yum Yum.”
“The show- so good. The beats- they keep going and it never gets boring,” said freshman Laquanda Seymore.
Jen Dukoski, the campus traditions chair of Program Council said 1,300 to 1,500 students were expected to attend the concert.
