BY DONALD MASON
For UK Homecoming Week, the Student Activities Board always tries to bring a show to the students that will pack the house as well as get the energy up going into the weekend. This year’s attraction was two fold: B.o.B. and Jason DeRulo.
Though both performance goals were different, the crowd embraced them both.
As Jason DeRulo came out, the female audience, being the majority, went into a hysterical fury. Armed with 4 dancers at his side, DeRulo channeled some Usher and sweat was pouring as he moved across the stage. He covered Justin Timberlake as well as “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night” – Black Eyed Peas and several versions of his own “Ridin Solo” By the end of his set, he had taken off his shirt, and brought up a “special lady” to get down and dirty with, to the delight of the of the ladies.
B.o.B.’s set was geared to show off the musical talents he has been blessed with. That didn’t stop the ladies from screaming for some Bobby Ray. Most hip hop singers/rappers use the gift of gab as their weapon of choice. B.o.B. shows that his musical range is broad, playing several types of guitars for what each song called for (a major upgrade from the Lil Wayne attempts at guitar playing. The crowd favorite was “Magic,” featuring Rivers Cuomo from Weezer (no, he was not there). At the close of “Nothin’ On You,” B.o.B. went into a reggae breakdown, adding some flavor to the song that put him on the map. The DJ called on that the next platinum hit will be “Don’t Let Me Fall” one of the more emotional songs on the debut album. The encore included B.o.B. getting down on the piano for “Ghost in the Machine.”
It was interesting that the headliner for the Homecoming weekend against UGA is a Georgia native. That didn’t stop him from showing favor to the home crowd. His dancers were outfitted in UK shirts and B.o.B’s accessories showcased the blue and white. People who usually wouldn’t dance were moving and grooving.
Levy Bui said, “I think SAB did an amazing job this year. B.o.B. and Jason DeRulo was the best concert I’ve been to thus far at UK. They brought such high energy and excitement.”
Hopefully, this energy that was stolen from one of Georgia’s finest will carry over into a UK victory. We will find out if they could really use a wish right now or if they have the magic in them. Go Cats!
Click here to purchase B.o.B on iTunes.
Click here to purchase Jason DeRulo on iTunes.
Click here to read Donald Mason’s review of Michael Franti and Spearhead’s October 18 show at Buster’s.
