Weezy ushers in 'Lil' 500

Screens of black and white static lit the stage as a leaked prison track recording announced that the offender was no longer in custody. A man in a t-shirt and dreads stood silhouetted in the top screen as dancers took the other platforms. The image vanished and suddenly Lil Wayne appeared front and center on the stage.
 
With blinding lights, pounding bass and an ecstatic crowd, Lil Wayne did Little 500 bigger than anyone else.

“This has been the sickest experience of my life,” freshman Sean Jordan said. “Nothing parallels it. It’s a star-studded cast of rappers, and to top it all off, it’s Little 5 week.”

Lil Wayne, along with Nicki Minaj, didn’t seem to disappoint anyone as they headlined the night.

As Lil Wayne held the mic to the audience, fans screamed as a wave of cell phone lights and hands danced in the air. After crowd favorite, “A Milli,” it seemed that Lil Wayne was just as impressed with IU as they were with him.

All the rapper could say after introducing his tour was “Wow, wow, thank you, Indiana.”
“Nothing to top off Little 5 like Lil Wayne,” Jordan said.

The Tuesday night show, presented by Union Board and the IU Auditorium, left little tickets to spare as it was the only student-presented stop on Wayne’s “I Am Still Music Tour.”

Freshman Duke Taglia said he bought six tickets seven minutes after they went on sale to made sure they got prime seats. Seated in row six, friend Elizabeth Mirabella refused to stop dancing.

“You cannot not have fun in this atmosphere,” Mirabella said. “This is crazy and everyone is so excited. Lil Wayne is at the top right now.”

Opening the night was Travis Barker and Mixmaster Mike. The duo had fans going crazy as they each took the place of the speakers in a giant boom box that sat on stage.

“They were definitely sick,” said freshman Erik Bisson, who was there with two other Sigma Nu members. “Travis Barker was like the perfect pre-game, rather pre-concert. They got everyone in the mood, everyone dancing and ready to bust a move.”

The drum and DJ kept fans pumped as the entire stadium started to chant “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoosiers” in anticipation of the next act — Rick Ross.

The self-acclaimed “Boss” was true to his words when he rapped, “I’m the biggest boss that you’ve seen thus far.”

When he ordered hands up during hit song, “All I Do Is Win,” not a single person disobeyed, and even when the music was cut, the whole auditorium continued the lyrics — “up, down, up, down.”

Freshmen Kali Ireland, Lilly Stephens and Jennifer Winston were pressed against the gate to get a better view of the rapper and were lucky enough to catch a towel that Ross threw from the stage.

“We had to fight a Beta boy for it,” Ireland said.

The girls said they wouldn’t have missed the concert for anything and the fact that it was Stephen’s birthday only made the night better. Stephens said the concert was the best night of her life and her friends agreed.

“If Lil Wayne made a stop especially for us, you knew it was going to be good,” Ireland said.