The Carrier Dome filled with 14,600 ravenous fans? Check.

A semi-prominent opening act that, as always, carries on just a little too long? Check.

A three-time Grammy Award nominee headlining the biggest Syracuse University concert of the year? Check.

A successful 2011 Block Party? Err —

So what, exactly, made this year’s Block Party concert, hosted by University Union, a disappointment? All the pieces were there. As headliner Kid Cudi jumped around onstage, building the hype for each song, people were ready to believe his recorded work would translate perfectly onstage. But as Cudi broke into verse, all that came out were inaudible slurs and mumbles.

‘I love Cudi, but his live performance just really lacks,’ said Max Gredinger, a sophomore in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries, and manager of student bands Aer and Mouth’s Cradle. ‘I wish it translated better, but it doesn’t.’

After waiting nearly four hours since the doors to the concert opened, students grew impatient. Opening acts Tinie Tempah, Nas and Damian Marley, however, held the crowd over. With smooth rhythm, quick lyricism and abundance of flag waving, they did what any good opener should do — hold their own while building hype for the headliner. As Damien Marley and Nas sung about how ‘Africa must wake up,’ the distinct scent of marijuana filled the Dome. ‘Syracuse,’ they belted, ‘make some noise! We want God to hear us.’

After Nas and Marley left the stage, students waited for twenty minutes, screaming ‘Cudi, Cudi.’ Finally, at 10:40 p.m., the Dome was cast in a dark blue hue. The crowd roared. Cudi burst onto the stage, hopping from one spot to another. He began with ‘Revofev’ off his latest album, ‘Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.’ While he easily slid through the croons of his chorus,with his head buried in the mic, the individual bridges of the song were muddled and difficult to comprehend.

Cudi’s backup band, made of a guitarist and a drummer, added to the dissonance. While he usually operates with just a disc jockey and sound board, Cudi mixed it up with a heavy rock aesthetic. He even told the crowd his set should sound like a rock concert rather than a hip-hop show. That would certainly account for the pounding drums, which rendered the crowd nearly deaf.

Joe Kovel, a junior information and technology major and marketer for the student music blog ‘Hold My Coat,’ said this rock ‘n’ roll direction would have worked better if the drums were turned down and Cudi’s voice was brought up. Still, he said he enjoyed seeing more people onstage, and that it made for a more engaging performance.

And that’s where the biggest checkmark on Cudi’s performance could be given: his showmanship. After working his way through his better-known tracks, including ‘Scott Mescudi vs. the World’ and ‘Soundtrack to my Life,’ Cudi took the time to address the audience.

‘I thought y’all be exhausted by now,’ Cudi said. ‘I’m glad you’re not tired because I need that energy.’

Riding his rock wave, Cudi then told everyone to move toward the stage, creating an impromptu mosh pit. A flood of students rushed the floor, overpowering even the ushers.

Building up the excitement to a fever pitch, Cudi then deflated the hype with a sleepy rendition of ‘Mojo So Dope.’ With the bass cranked at ear bleeding level, Cudi’s voice could hardly be traced in the rumbling cacophony.

‘His material is just too dark for a performance of that caliber,’ Kovel said.

This was the pattern for the most of the concert. Cudi pumped the crowd up, bouncing around the stage, and giving statements like, ‘Who got high for me tonight? This one’s for you,’ or he amped students up for a three-song marathon called ‘the Mucho Mega Mix,’ only to have his music fall flat. At some points, he spent more time talking to his band or the audience about his personal life than actually singing.

When Cudi transitioned back to his older music, he traded in his rock-fest vibe for a more traditional hip-hop feel. This is where he shined. Placing the instrumentals in the backseat, Cudi sliced through his verses with a smooth but quick pace. The audience noticed. Many joined in on the rapping, creating a backup chorus that carried Cudi through a sizable chunk of his set list.

‘This is one big happy f***ing sing-along,’ he said.

Cudi then switched back to his major label songs like ‘All Along’ and his radio single ‘Erase Me.’ While the popularity of ‘Erase Me’ garnered a stronger reaction from fans, the crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers when he finally ended his set with ‘Pursuit of happiness.’ Thanking Syracuse for having him, Cudi bowed out to a fairly quiet audience.

An Encore? Not even requested.

‘I love his music, I think he’s amazing,’ Gredinger said. ‘I just don’t like his live set.’

ansteinb@syr.edu

Published on May 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm