Priscilla Palmieri has never had the chance to see superstar rapper Ludacris live in concert — until now.

‘It’s great to have someone with his talent perform at SU,’ said Palmieri, a sophomore art educationmajor. ‘He’s just an amazing rapper.’

Ludacris will pair up with co-headliner Rick Ross for University Union’s first Rock the Dome concert, an event UU Concerts director Ken Consor hopes will become as big a part of campus culture as Juice Jam or Block Party.

‘It’s a similar size show to Block Party, and there’s definitely an element of curiosity for this concert,’ Consor said. ‘I can’t say whether or not there will be any surprises.’

Both Ross and Ludacris fared well on University Union’s Block Party survey, one of the most important factors in bringing the duo of hip-hop stardom to the Carrier Dome.

‘We look at artist availability, if we can fill an act’s performance needs, price and if the artist has played here recently,’ Consor said. ‘But the survey showed that students wanted to see both performers. Students have really been interested in having hip-hop acts perform here, and Rick Ross and Ludacris are two of the best out there.’

Consor said that although this was the debut concert for Rock the Dome, there wasn’t too much added pressure to selecting the visiting artists.

‘We want it to live up to the artists we’ve brought here before,’ he said.

Palmieri said she hopes Ludacris will be able to bring some humor to his set.

‘I really hope he randomly pulls out some of his old stuff like ‘You’z a Hoe,” she said. ‘He’s hilarious and that’s why people love him so much, on top of being an actor.’

Ludacris is famous for raunchy rap singles like ‘Money Maker’ and ‘My Chick Bad.’ He comes to Syracuse on the heels of his latest mixtape, ‘1.21 Gigawatts: Back to the First Time,’ which was released in November.

Ross, a rapper hailing from Florida, released his most recent mixtape, ‘Rich Forever,’ in January. He’s known for hustle-and-flow singles, including ‘Hustlin” and ‘Aston Martin Music.’

Tickets for the show, priced at $15, are still available at the Carrier Dome Box Office, and Consor said they may still be available until the show begins.

‘I’ve been following all of the social media, and the one thing I noticed besides the buzz is that students think the concert is sold out,’ Consor said, ‘But it definitely isn’t, and it’s just a misinformed rumor. Students who still want to go have a chance.’

Depending on the show’s turnout, Consor hopes this will be the first of many Rock the Dome concerts to take the stage at the Dome.

‘Assuming all goes well, hopefully we’ll get the chance to do this again,’ he said. ‘Students can see for themselves if it will live up to the hype.’

Palmieri also has her fingers crossed for exciting and entertaining sets from both performers.

‘It should be really good,’ she said. ‘Luda is just perfect for this concert.’

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on February 1, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman