Rain, sleet or snow – the show must go on!
KATRINA HARRIS/The Gramblinite
Erykah Badu pours out her heart and neo-soul at the Homecoming Concert in T.H. Harris Auditorium.
Students, alumni and staff took to social media in awe and fright due to the latest news dropped on them via email and social media. It was reported that due to the inclement weather that the headline performer, Erykah Badu, would be arriving late, thus pushing the concert back almost two hours.
This did not stop the GramFam, fans and anyone who just came out to enjoy Homecoming from coming out to T.H. Harris Auditorium on Friday night.
The concert was originally scheduled for doors to open at 7 p.m., but because of the weather and delayed flights the doors were opened at 9:30, and the actual show was pushed back to 10:30.
The time or weather couldn’t stop the students and fans. Lines were formed and people began to walk/run to the door to get in and get a good seat.
Laterra Smith, a chemistry major, heard many rumors about the concert after the message was sent out. “Someone told me the concert was canceled, and another person told me it was still on just not sure if Badu was coming,” Smith said.
To calm the crowd, DJ Twins, along with comedian and host Steve Brown, woke up the slowly filling auditorium.
GramFam’s Tanitra Paul opened the show singing to what was now a packed house. She sang songs that she wrote as well as many known classics.
Following her Anthony Broadway current GSU student displayed his rapping skills and lyrical flow.
Another member of the GramFam graced the stage giving what could have been mistaken for a concert given by someone already famous. Leaving the crowd eager and ready for Badu, Erthe St. James was the last performance before the show started.
The auditorium was like a party. Students and Alumni seemed to be competing on who could have the most fun.
Brown came to the stage to introduce the opening performance and young women began to scream as the man from behind the curtain made his way to the stage. After making his way to the front of the stage he smiled and more screams let out from young women around the auditorium.
Avery Wilson who began his music career in 2012 after being a contestant on the view took over the hearts of many young women in the auditorium. Some girls rushed to get their hands held while others simply wanted a picture of the handsome young man.
After performing all his songs of the night Wilson exited the stage leaving Brown to take on a now tired and semi-angry crowd.
Always lighting up the mood, he and the twins created a skit pretending they were about to deliver bad news that Badu canceled. After doing that they advised everyone she was in the concert and that the show was still going on.
The lights got darker and there was one bright light on a woman with big hair.
“Ladies how yall doing? Brothas, yall alright,” was the first thing she said. The crowd went ballistic with many people coming directly to the front.
Many former class mates of Badu came to the stage to shout her name or what’s up.
Giving the crowd exactly what they paid for she gave what was almost a 2 and a half hour show. Badu sung all her classics and almost everyone’s favorite. She took selfies on people’s phones and interacted with the crowd to the fullest extent.
“She [Badu] gave a really good show!” Ryan Jackson a Kinesiology major from New Orleans told the paper. “She can dance and sing, she still got it!”
Along with giving a dynamic performance she introduced the world to her newest hobby, Disk Jocking.
Erykah also told the crowd about her time at GSU. Telling us how she use to live in the village and was considered a “hippie.” She gave shootouts to her former organizations, Black Dynasty and Floyd L. Sandle Players.
She ended the show sing “Other side Of the Game” and doing a pose she said she made up, the same pose she did after every performance.
“Homecoming was something I’ll always remember,” said Blake Pierre’ junior studio art major from Baltimore, Maryland. “I was able to show Erykah Badu my painting and she wants me to mail it to her!” To see the picture Blake did for Badu his instagram is (@justblake_)