Claudia Mazur
The annual Delirium concert, hosted by AS Program Board, had a crowd of costumed students gathered outside of the Thunderdome well before the scheduled 9:30 p.m. showtime. Opener Social House had students bopping to their hype beats before welcoming the headliner, Young Thug, who garnered mixed reviews from attending students.
The 27-year-old Jeffery Lamar Williams, professionally known as Young Thug, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has previously collaborated with Kanye West and Calvin Harris. From cracking into the mainstream with his radical fashion sense to creating eccentric hits seen in albums JEFFREY and Beautiful Thugger Girls, Young Thug continues to lay the foundation for a new crop of unconventional artists.
Pennsylvania natives Michael Foster and Charles Anderson, commonly referred to by their stage names Mikey and Scootie, form the duo Social House. Their talent led them to write songs for artists such as Ariana Grande and DJ Khaled before turning out their first single, “Magic in the Hamptons,” earlier this year.
Due to the artists’ fame, turnout at the event was high, with lengthy lines having wait times lasting up to an hour.
Despite the throng closest to the stage, concert-goers only filled a little more than half of the venue even at the peak of the evening. As tickets for this year’s Delirium were sold out by the evening of Monday, Oct. 22 — the same day they went on sale — the void at the back of the Thunderdome should signify to AS Program Board to increase the amount of tickets available next year.
Nevertheless, the crowd’s anxious await for Social House was well worth it. The duo was very personable with the crowd, even debuting never-before-heard material atop their hit single. Seeming very appreciative of the gig, the two even doused the cheering crowd with water, a much needed chill amongst those in the mosh pit at the front.
Young Thug, however, came on stage much later than anticipated, greeting a crowd fairly tired from the time in between sets. Despite his tardiness, he managed to drum up cheers from the students whilst playing hits such as “Best Friend,” “Chanel (Go Get it),” and his collaboration with Young Stoner Life, “Audemar.”
Whereas the openers managed to hype the crowd up with their well-prepared set, Young Thug seemed to disappoint many. Fourth year English major Andrea Godsey mentioned, “Young Thug’s performance was sub-par. I was anxiously awaiting his set while trapped in the long line to get in, but he and his entourage appeared disinterested and [his tired demeanor] led to a less thrilling concert than I would have hoped [for.]”
Third year political science major Steven Hoot added, “I [hadn’t] heard too much about Social House up until the event, but honestly, they could’ve fooled me because I easily could have pictured them as the headliners instead of Young Thug. He wasn’t on my level of hype. It seemed like I was more interested than he was to be there.”
At the end of the night, students left feeling dissatisfied with Young Thug’s performance. However, those lucky enough to make it past the dense crowd outside the Thunderdome in time for Social House’s opening were both delighted to see such a great set and thrilled to kickstart Halloween in such a fun way.