Over this past weekend, Illinois State’s campus got a little fancier thanks to rapper Iggy Azalea. Iggy Azalea performed a sold out show at ISU’s Braden Auditorium this past Saturday. The event was sponsored by the University Program Board and sold out quickly; some fans waited in line for up to three hours to get their tickets at the start of the semester when the Iggy Azalea hype first began. As one of those fellow line goers, I can attest to the long waiting time and after this weekend, I can also attest to the fact that it was well worth the wait.
Logan, a Chicago native rapper, took the stage and opened the show promptly at 7:30 p.m. His aggressive lyrics and performance got the pit going crazy and the crowd going, especially when his stage crew came out and sprayed water all over the front few rows. Taylor Bennet, another Chicago native took the stage. Bennett took the stage by storm with his own well-versed and witty lyrics, he represented himself as well as his famous brother Chance the Rapper. Both artists, Logan and Taylor Bennett, confessed their familiarity with the crowd as they are both around the average college student’s age (Logan, 19, and Bennett, 18). Also, Bennett said some of his friends attend ISU. They also both expressed their same love of social media and how everyone should connect with them. This connection was seen by the crowd’s reaction to their performances, cheering them on as if they were one of our very own.
Throughout the night, the wait for Iggy Azalea was everywhere. Just as the night seemed to die down, the lights went out; the crowd roared and Iggy Azalea made her entrance. Opening the show alongside her four dancers, two backup singers and single DJ, Iggy Azalea came to put on a show like ISU has never seen before; her stage set up consisting of a high staircase that she performed on throughout the night. She performed popular songs such as “Work”, “Bounce”, “Black Widow” and many other one-of-a-kind titled songs. She danced to each and every song alongside her skilled backup dancers while showing off her own skills, luscious blond locks and her infamous booty. Unlike any other concert I have been to, Iggy Azalea performed not only her songs but also ones that she was also featured in including “Problem” with Ariana Grande, “Mediocre” with T.I. and “Booty” with Jennifer Lopez. This really got the crowd going, as her features in these songs made the Iggy takeover even more prominent. Her performance skills were flawless, as she spit her lyrics to each different rhythm without mistake while still staying on beat with the dances. Her stage lights and effects also had a great effect on the crowd. Different colors swarmed the audience to light up their excited expressions, as well as the fog to envelope them during her slower numbers and add to the intensity. The pit really got a show as Iggy walked up and touched the hands of many throughout the show. She even publicly complimented many girls’ attire, the ISU boys as a whole, and wished one 21 year old a happy birthday. To end the show, Iggy performed her hit “Fancy”, leaving the audience to feel that very way even though we all know everyone was sweaty, voiceless and far from anything literally fancy. Overall, Iggy’s impact on ISU will have a long lasting impression because how many schools can say that Iggy Azalea said their campus was beautiful? Not many!