HCPSU Review: B.O.B. & Travie McCoy

This past Tuesday, B.O.B. and Travie McCoy performed at the Bryce Jordan Center, playing alongside each other for the first time.  The two recently popular artists have played at the same venue before, but have never shared the stage for the same concert.  Student tickets sold like wildfire in late July for $20 a pop, giving the BJC high hopes for the concert. 

B.O.B., more formally known as Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., released his current album, “The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” in April 2010.  His most famous song, “Airplanes,” a duet with Hayley Williams from Paramore, still ranks in the top 10 after spending 18 weeks on the charts.  The song “Magic,” a duet with Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, is following in the footsteps of “Airplanes” and making its way onto the charts as well. 

A former Gym Class Heroes rapper, Travie McCoy is making a great new solo career for himself.  Debuting his first solo album, “Lazarus,” this past June, his song “Billionaire” (featuring Bruno Mars) peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

With hot new artists like these in town, the BJC was the place to be last Tuesday. Fans packed onto the floor to get as close as possible to the stage.  The concert was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. but, due to some delays, the opening act (Playboy Tre) did not come onstage until just before 8.  Finally, the much-awaited B.O.B. opened with the songs “I’ll See Ya” and his remix of Vampire Weekend’s “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance.”  He continued to light up the stage and please the crowd by playing “Don’t Let Me Fall,” “Past My Shades” and “Bet I” (featuring Playboy Tre).  B.O.B. did not just play his music and leave—he was a very energetic performer and gave students just what they were looking for.  He even asked the raging crowd to invite him into the Penn State Family, put on a football jersey and proceeded to start a WE ARE… PENN STATE cheer! At that moment, he had taken the concert to a whole new level.

Victoria Vella, a sophomore at Penn State, said, “He certainly knew how to entertain an audience and keep the excitement high. It didn’t even bother him when the crowd dropped him while he attempted to surf over them!” 

As if the night could not get any better, B.O.B. played his popular song “Magic,” making the crowd go wild. His encore consisted of “Ghost in the Machine,” the favorite “Airplanes” and a highly unexpected remix of MGMT’s “Kids.”  B.O.B. put on an amazing show—and Travie McCoy was still to come. 

There was a pretty long break between the two performing artists, causing many people to leave.  However, Travie McCoy showed up around 10:45 p.m. and ended the concert with a bang.  He opened with his hit “We’ll be Alright” and played other songs such as “Critical” and “Dr. Feel Good.”  “Billionaire” topped off the night.

This highly anticipated concert exceeded expectations and made for a memorable night in State College.

Sources:
Victoria Vella, sophomore, Penn State
The Bryce Jordan Center
The Daily Collegian