It’s called “The Social Experiment Tour” for a reason.

Chance The Rapper, a 20-year old Chicago native, has been turning heads everywhere he’s been since the release of his critically acclaimed mixtape “Acid Rap” in late April. His most recent stop was Syracuse University, where he performed at the Schine Underground on Wednesday as the latest artist in University Union’s Bandersnatch concert series. He definitely made a statement.

“I think the fact that Chance’s show sold so well is a testament to our ability to pick the right artists for the Bandersnatch series,” said Billy Ceskavich, president of University Union. “When we book Bandersnatch shows, we look for artists that are on the cusp of getting big.”

It may be an understatement to say Chance The Rapper “sold so well.” The university reported the concert broke the record for selling out faster than any other Bandersnatch show in history — tickets for the show sold out in less than an hour.

There was already a long line of students waiting to watch the rapper perform by the time doors opened to the Schine Underground at 7 p.m. The room quickly filled with a diverse mix of students who danced around to some of the biggest hip-hop songs currently on the radio, curated by Chance’s opening act, DJ Rashad.

The room was buzzing with anticipation in the moments before Chance took the stage, and his opening song “Good Ass Intro” was sung just as much by the crowd as it was by the rapper himself. The students’ familiarity with Chance’s music was apparent from the very start of the concert, and it did not go unnoticed.

“Man, this is a great crowd,” Chance said between performing two of his songs. “I especially appreciate you guys supporting my music because this is a college show, and I know you’re all students. That’s really special to me.”

The show continued with “You Song,” a track off Lil Wayne’s recent “Dedication 5” mixtape, which Chance was featured on. Chance has said in the past that being asked to work with Lil Wayne has been the highlight of his still-budding career. And the number of students singing along to the chorus of “You Song” proved working with Lil Wayne has helped Chance gain even more exposure among hip-hop fans.

After exiting the stage for a brief moment, Chance returned to the beat of his song “Smoke Again” blaring through the speakers of the Underground. “Smoke Again” brought the crowd’s energy to its peak, and Chance kept this momentum up by transitioning quickly into “Juice” and then “Favorite Song,” three of “Acid Rap’s” most popular and well-known songs.

In a move that could only be called a social experiment, Chance then switched things up with an unexpected cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” which he sang in its entirety over a soft and subtle instrumental of the song.

Chance then thanked the audience for a great show and left the stage in what initially seemed like his final hurrah. Whispers and worried speculation filled the room as students questioned whether or not he would return to the stage to perform an encore. But after a long minute or two of waiting, Chance ended the uncertainty when he took to the stage one last time.

Prefacing the first of three songs in the encore as his “favorite song, for real,” Chance began singing “Interlude (That’s Love)” to the flashes of a sea of smartphones. Students stayed engaged and kept their energy levels high, singing along to the last two songs of Chance’s set, “Chain Smoker” and “Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro).” And with that, the crowd dispersed as the lights in the Underground turned on and the music cut out.

Chance stayed grateful to the crowd throughout the show and thanked students for participating in and embracing his unconventional style. There were moments of spontaneous breakdancing and even an unexpected wardrobe change during Chance’s set. And while the show may have been one big experiment, students seemed happy to participate.

“I absolutely love Chance The Rapper, so there was no way I was missing this show,” said Morgan Hutson, a sophomore acting major. “I’ve been listening to him since he dropped his first mixtape, ‘10 Day,’ and I thought ‘Acid Rap’ was incredible. The show did not disappoint.”

The next artist to perform in UU Bandersnatch concert series will be Hudson Mohawke, who will take the stage in the Underground on Dec. 4. Tickets are currently on sale at the Schine Box Office for $5 for students with a valid SU or State University of New York College of Environment Science and Forestry ID.

Published on November 7, 2013 at 2:08 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu