T-Pain, the iconic auto-tuned rapper of the early 2000s, headlined the 2018 Devilpalooza concert presented by ASU's Programming and Activities Board on Feb. 24 to positive student reviews.
Freshman duo Apollo Bravos, which recently won the ASU Battle of the Bands competition, and DJ HWLS, opened for the Florida rapper.
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T-Pain to perform at Devilpalooza 2018
Apollo Bravos will open for T-Pain at Devilpalooza 2018
Doors opened for the event at 6 p.m. and students waited for three hours for T-Pain to take the stage as the opening acts played. The rapper generated excitement from the crowd and chants from students hoping to hear their favorite songs.
The stage, set up on the SDFC field, was surrounded by activities ranging from a contest to win IKEA gift cards to inflatable obstacle courses.
After the concert, students on Twitter and elsewhere expressed elation at hearing some of their favorite verses sung live.
Nicole St Marie, a theater and forensic psychology sophomore, said she enjoyed the concert but that she wished T-Pain had performed some of his songs sans auto-tune, as he has recently been recognized for in recorded performances.
“I thought it was amazing – T-Pain is the most beautiful singer that has ever lived. He just needs to get rid of auto-tune,” she said. “He doesn't need it, but he uses it live, and that’s the first person I’ve ever seen use auto-tune live.”
St Marie also said she enjoyed the opening acts, especially Apollo Bravos, which she and her friends voted for during the Battle of the Bands.
Aaron Galindo, a medical studies freshman who made it to the front of the crowd on Saturday night, said he had a lot of fun during T-Pain's performance despite being pushed around, though he wasn’t as impressed by the opening act.
"They were kind of boring,” Galindo said. “They were good, but they weren't my type of music.”
Many students expressed confusion during some of the transitions in T-Pain's set, as the stage went dark and quiet between songs, leading some to wonder if the show was ending early.
But Miguel Ramos, a freshman studying criminology and immigration policy, said he enjoyed the concert and appreciated the opportunity to blow off some steam before midterms.
“For being my first concert, I really loved it,” Ramos said. “It was nice to get away from the stress of school and everything.”
In a written statement, Jeewon Park, director of Devilpalooza for PAB and a supply chain management junior, said, “from an event planning perspective, it was a smooth operation. Setup went well, many of the vendors got ready on time, barely any hiccups at all."
"Maybe I’m just biased, but from what I could see, it seemed like everyone who attended the event seemed to be having a good time and that’s what matters the most when planning events like these. Of course, none of it would have been possible without the Devilpalooza Committee, our advisers, all of our many volunteers, USG and especially PAB.”
Reach the reporter at abpotter@asu.edu and follow @lexipotter04 on Twitter.
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