A line of anxious students gathered in front of Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center. Unwilling to let go of Halloween, students dressed in combinations of jean jackets, big glasses and neon colors. Or maybe they tried to imitate the eccentric wardrobe of rapper Kreayshawn. Regardless, the fans’ vibrant garment choices reflected the excitement that buzzed around the room.

Up-and-coming acts Kreayshawn and Neon Indian performed last night as part of the Noisey College Tour. The Syracuse audience of more than 100 fans greeted the performers with skepticism at first. But as each act progressed, that uncertainty transformed into enthusiasm displayed by the crowd’s dancing.

The first student in line, Rohan Thakore, a freshman industrial design major, waited more than 45 minutes to get in.

‘I heard of Neon Indian about a month before I moved here through Pandora, and I really liked his style,’ Thakore said. ‘I’m just hoping for an awesome performance. I hope he does everything with a lot of passion and just lets loose for this college experience.’

The concert started around 8:15 p.m., 15 minutes later than its scheduled time. Time dragged for a bit, as nothing happened onstage except for the disc jockey scratching a few records. A piercing scream erupted from the audience moments later as Kreayshawn skipped onstage. Seemingly pleased with the reaction, she gestured for more with a wave of her hand.

‘Don’t you wanna make some noise for me?’ the rapper shouted.

Besides Kreayshawn’s enthusiastic entrance, fans were slow to get caught up in the music. A few songs into the set brought her biggest reaction when she asked if there were any smokers in the building. This question prompted half the students in the audience to raise their lighters in the air, waving them from side to side in the dark atmosphere of the auditorium.

The anticipation for Kreayshawn’s most popular song, ‘Gucci Gucci,’ was tangible. The crowd was bobbing their heads and arms in beat with the music when everything except for spotlights spinning around the room went black. As ‘Gucci Gucci’ played through the speakers, the entire crowd broke out in dance, whereas before only a few people were rocking from side to side.

The noise hushed as Kreayshawn and her posse of performers walked offstage. About 15 minutes and one sound check later, the lights dimmed once more. A hidden smoke machine filled the air as orange and purple lights violently flashed around the stage. Space-age ambient sounds began to play when the flashing lights evolved into multicolored strobes. Then Neon Indian emerged from the back of the stage, striking their instruments. Students loudly cheered and threw their hands in the air.

Besides consistent head nodding and foot tapping, the crowd stayed motionless for five songs. Alan Palomo, lead singer of Neon Indian, paused in between songs to talk to the crowd.

‘Can we hit those lights? I feel like I’m playing on a basketball court,’ he said referring to the spotlights twirling around the room. This provoked a laugh from the audience.

Finally, as Neon Indian played the opening synth notes of ‘Polish Girl,’ fans’ hands flew to the air once more as everyone began to dance. Palomo belted into the microphone, evoking applause from the audience. As the simple yet catchy synth line continued through the song, bodies bounced from side to side, imitating the bands exaggerated movements onstage.

Monica Bermudez, a freshman entrepreneurship and television, radio and film dual major, said she never stopped dancing during the Neon Indian set.

‘They were great performers, in my opinion, better than Kreayshawn,’ Bermudez said. ‘All Kreayshawn did was walk and talk, but Neon Indian was visually passionate about their music.’

Sweating in the dark, Wayne Smith III said he felt freed from the stress of the week as he danced and sang along with the music.

‘The show was hype, it had high energy and a lot of jumping around,’ said Smith, an undeclared freshman in the School of Information Studies. ‘Why not utilize the shows on campus? I just wish there weren’t so many people just sitting there. I mean, what’s the point?’

jtinfant@syr.edu

Published on November 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Joe: jtinfant@syr.edu | @joeinfantino