The clock in the Schine Student Center showed 7:16 p.m. Though the line for University Union’s EA Sports and The Game College Tour sprawled out the door and into the street, Alex Gelting was not deterred.

‘Game is probably my favorite rapper,’ said Gelting, a sophomore environmental science major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. ‘I’ll deal with the line to see him perform.’

The concert, slated to start at 7 p.m. sharp, stalled as students waited exasperatedly in the hallway outside of Goldstein Auditorium, buzzing with anxious anticipation until the doors finally opened at about 7:30 p.m. A flood of students pushed into the auditorium.

As the crowd formed a pit in front of the barricade, green floodlights highlighted two enormous posters for EA’s upcoming video game ‘Battlefield 3,’ one of the event’s sponsors. Two oversized battle rifles bookended the stage, and a disc jockey turntable near the back of the stage was sandwiched between two life-size, camouflage ammunition boxes. Flashing in the background during the entire concert, a video screen repeatedly looped footage of the game.

And that’s when the waiting game really began. As the PA system blasted rap tunes by A Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West, the crew worked diligently backstage to set up for the headliner while the mob of students grew restless. After a short sound check, a crew member planted a lone microphone stand at the center of the stage a few minutes after 8 p.m.

Even though the preparations took a long time, Gelting remained optimistic for the concert.

‘It’s a free show,’ Gelting said, ‘So it’s really hard to complain.’

After a short DJ set opened the show to lukewarm reception, the audience burst into raucous cheers and applause once Game, wearing a Syracuse hoodie, stepped onto the stage, casually flipping his fitted cap into the crowd and launching into ‘The City.’

Game quickly recapped a few stops on his tour before commanding the audience to make some noise. After a loud cheer swept through the auditorium, Game laughed.

‘I can’t hear you Syracuse,’ he shouted. ‘Kansas State was louder than that, and you can’t let them outshine you!’

Game rapped ‘West Side Story’ before exchanging banter with students in the front row about college parties and splitting a handle of alcohol with two of his crew members.

‘Why not?’ Game said about the stunt. ‘It’s a college show, and it’s like a party, so it’s fun to have a party atmosphere.’

For the rest of his set, Game kept up a steady stream of crowd interaction by bringing groups of students onto the stage. He asked the girls in the audience to rush the stage for one song. He then asked everyone wearing red to come up for another. The hip-hop artist snapped pictures with students onstage and threw his T-shirt into the crowd while the DJ played a remix of Sir Mix-a-lot’s ‘Baby Got Back.’

Before starting one song, Game called a member of the audience onto the stage to rap with him, ridiculing him when he didn’t know the lyrics when handed the microphone.

‘It’s all about the fans, man,’ Game said. ‘It’s fun to have everyone up here, having a good time. It’s a blast.’

The rapper didn’t let the audience forget the sponsors who brought the tour, often namedropping EA and ‘Battlefield 3’ with quick interjections during singles like ‘How We Do’ and ‘Martians vs. Goblins.’ The product placement in his raps, matching with the warzone decorated stage and game play demo streaming behind the rapper’s set, served as a constant reminder for the reason of Game’s tour.

After a quick set that lasted less than an hour, Game exited the stage before 9 p.m., leaving the DJ to play for the crowd on the way out.

‘These kinds of shows always have crazy energy,’ Game said in an interview after the show. ‘And Syracuse was the last stop on this tour, and it didn’t disappoint.’

For Gelting, the Game concert rewarded his wait.

‘I was so excited when I heard he was coming in the first place,’ Gelting said. ‘It was totally worth it.’

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on October 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman