Two-time Grammy award-winning American rapper T-Pain performed at Kennesaw State’s homecoming concert on Oct. 20 as part of KSU’s Homecoming Owl-Star week, one of the most anticipated events by students.
Doors opened at 6 p.m. at the Kennesaw Campus Convocation Center to the concert exclusively for KSU students. A limited number of tickets went up for sale on Oct. 18, which students had to claim before the concert date to attend. T-Pain performed hit songs like “Bartender,” “Buy U a Drank,” “That’s Just Tips,” “I Like Dat,” fan-favorite “Apple Bottom Jeans” and more with captivating choreography, lighting and colorful background animations. His energy was contagious as he engaged the crowd with witty banter and jokes.
As students waited for T-Pain to come to the stage, DJ KC and DJ Young Steez had a disc jockey battle to get the crowd excited for the main event.
“I thought it was really fun! We were in the mosh pit so we had front-row seats. It was really packed but everyone was still singing and dancing,” Freshman Faith Turner said. “I really liked the DJ battle and how they engaged with the crowd. Even though I don’t know many T-Pain songs, I still had a lot of fun.”
Throughout Owl-Star week, The Department of Student Activities and Division of Student Affairs hosted many events like the Homecoming Paint ‘n’ Sip, Bonfire Bonanza, Downtown Kennesaw Night and the Homecoming Concert.
“The DJs kept the crowd hype and I liked the DJ song battle they had. Although T-Pain came out a little late, he was very entertaining when he finally came out and performed,” Current student Mytynique Dison said. “I even enjoyed the songs he performed that I didn’t know. I also liked how the speakers had a lot of bass and nice acoustics.”
Students were able to reserve complimentary tickets that automatically loaded onto their Talon Cards for the homecoming concert. The lines were long to gain entry to the Convocation Center as students waited to go through security and get their tickets scanned. A limited amount of tickets were available for student admission to the concert. They were distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The excitement of the students for the concert was contagious as they entered The Convocation Center. A photo booth was placed at the entry for students to capture memories with each other and the concession stand was open. The upper-level seats were set up to accommodate the number of students attending.
This wasn’t the first year that the homecoming concert has had a big name. Earthgang performed last year’s concert, Megan Thee Stallion in 2019, Lupe Fiasco in 2016 and Wiz Khalifa in 2014.