The crowd jumped, the beat blared and Ludacris delivered Saturday night for Elon University’s homecoming concert in Colonnades parking lot.
The concert, sponsored by Student Union Board and Student Government Association, drew a record 5,700 people from across campus and the surrounding community. Past popular homecoming concerts included Timeflies and We The Kings.
Doors opened at 7:00 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show, but eager fans lined up well before that.
While waiting for Ludacris, audience members passed the time by energetically chanting “Luda” and responding with “cris.”
Many audience members had never been to a Ludacris concert before.
“It’s my first time [seeing him in concert], so I’m really excited,” said sophomore Alexis De Groot. “He’s from my hometown [Atlanta], so I got to support the same hometown.”
After much anticipation, Ludacris appeared on-stage a few minutes after 8 p.m.
The concert opened with the hit song “Number One Spot” from his 2004 album “The Red Light District.”
Throughout his performance Ludacris performed songs such as “My Chick Bad,” “Money Maker” and “Get Back.” The crowd was even treated to a rendition of Usher’s “Yeah,” in which Ludacris is featured.
While Ludacris’ performance was good, what made the concert great was his stage presence and interaction with the audience.
He made an effort to engage with the audience - even taking song requests.
This charismatic presence made the show captivating to audience members who weren’t familiar with Ludacris or his music.
Lifelong Ludacris fans weren’t forgotten, though.
“I knew a lot of you grew up on this music,” Ludacris said, playing some of his first hits for those who had been listening to him since the beginning.
Junior Darron Daniels, who got in line around 6:30 p.m. to secure a front-row spot, was one such fan in the audience.
“I’ve been listening to Ludacris since I was in kindergarten, so it’s a surreal experience to get to see him live tonight, this close to the stage,” Daniels said.
In the middle of the show Ludacris took a short break and turned the stage over to DJ Infamous.
The mix of well-known hip-hop songs therefore enticed almost all audience members, Ludacris lovers and not.
DJ Infamous played a mix of popular songs such as LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” and “Shots,” as well as Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.”
Ludacris then returned to the stage to finish his energetic performance.
While the concert was relatively short, many audience members said Ludacris made it worth everyone’s time.
“He did a really good job and was a crowd pleaser,” sophomore Melissa Matias said. “I think it was a good concert overall, but I think it should have been longer.”
Ludacris brought enthusiasm to the stage with his first note and it remained until he rapped his last word of the night about an hour later.