Ke$ha brought the sleaze, entertainment to back up image in first Events Center concert
Glitter guns, neon paint and dancing fruit adorned the stage Friday night when Ke$ha performed in McGuirk Arena as part of her "Get Sleazy Tour."
Program Board President Steve Lewis said the hip-hop star, best known for her songs "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R," came with a $50,000 price tag. About 4,800 people filled the arena for the first big-name concert to christen CMU's new Events Center.
Fans started lining up within the doors of the Events Center before 5 p.m. Friday for the sold-out show. By 6:30 p.m., when doors opened, the crowd was lined up out the doors nearly to the Student Activity Center.
By 8 p.m., almost all fans were into McGuirk Arena waiting for Ke$ha and her opening act Beardo to perform. Beardo hit the stage just after 8 p.m., and said it was a great show.
"It was the best show of the tour so far," the singer/guitarist said while taking photos with fans after the show. "I love Michigan, it's awesome. I'll be back.
He added that the crowd was great and fun to play in front of, which is why decided to come out and meet with fans after the show.
Katie Wojewodo was unimpressed with Beardo, she said, though she did find him interesting.
"I wasn't a fan," the Caro freshman said. "He was just weird."
But the reaction to Ke$ha was unanimous. With nearly every song the crowd sang and danced along, especially to the hits such as "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R."
Though Ke$ha did not do a ton of dancing, she didn't have to do much. Her fans did the rest.
Utica senior Jessica Cates said the show was everything she wanted it to be and more.
"It was awesome. I danced my ass off," Cates said. "Just like I planned. I even had a big dinner."
She also said she really appreciates the attitude Ke$ha has behind her music.
"I really applaud her no-nonsense approach to relationships," she said.
Relationships seemed to be a common theme throughout the night for Ke$ha, who sparsely spoke between songs, but when she did, she was usually speaking about how that particular song was written about a guy.
Before playing "C U Next Tuesday" Ke$ha told the crowd, "This is a song I wrote ... for a guy I was boning. Then I found how he had a girlfriend and dumped his ass."
She barreled through an hour-long set and a 15-minute encore which featured "We R Who We R" and a cover of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right."
Beardo said he thought Ke$ha played great tonight. Ke$ha repeatedly told the crowd that she "loved them" and that she "hoped they were here to party."
It was a party, at least for Cates, who said her favorite part of the concert was dancing as much as she did. She said she loved the party atmosphere.
VIP treatment One of the biggest draws to the concert, Ke$ha aside, was a VIP lounge set up for students, Student Activity Coordinator Damon Brown said.
"We really wanted to students to have that chance to know what it's like to be a VIP for a night," he said.
Stan Shingles, assistant vice president of University Recreation, said he felt the same way and that he viewed the VIP section as an opportunity for students to just do something different than they normally would.
"It is a different kind of thing," Singles said, "There aren't just student leaders there, it is going to be a mix of everyone, it should really be an excellent time."
Among the amenities offered to those in the VIP section were free food and drinks, and to be able to view the concert from the Upper Club Room.
Rochester junior Lydia Heins was one of the fans in the VIP lounge. She said she wasn't originally planning on going, but was given VIP passes by a friend.
"I'm really excited," Heins said. "I have never felt more important in my life"
