Zedd walked behind his DJ booth stretched across the stage, stood there, lifted his hands toward the ceiling of the Carrier Dome and dropped the basswhile college students screamed and jumped in excitement.

Although he didn’t speak until about halfway through his set, his first words to the crowd were, “Syracuse, where you at?”

Grammy award-winner Zedd was the headliner of University Union’s annual Block Party at Syracuse University. Although it was evident most of the crowd came for Zedd, UU also brought female DJ Brazzabelle and rapper 2 Chainz to the Dome on Friday night for a variety of genres.

“I liked this one the best, this one was really fun. I loved the lineup, it was great,” said senior advertising major Emily Hook. “I’ve actually never been on the floor before and it literally made the whole thing.”

Brazzabelle first took the stage at 7:00 p.m, wearing a simple black getup with headphones.The stage was bare, except for her turntables. The crowd inside the Dome was small, but gradually swayed along to the beat of her set.

Mixing classic songs like Haddaway’s “What Is Love” and DJ Sammy’s “Heaven” got the crowd moving and singing along. Brazzabelle’s energy was high, and her hard bass sound gave a good preview of what was to come later in the night. The crowd reacted well to her, clapping along and putting their hands in the air, but she didn’t say a word the entire set.

More students packed the floor after Brazzabelle left, waiting for 2 Chainz. Coming on later than expected, he arrived asking students to put their “twos up” and started with his song “Fork.” The stage was filled with red lights, and 2 Chainz was decked out in bling.

“I’m definitely happy to be here in the Carrier Dome,” the rapper said. “Y’all f*cked my bracket up.”

2 Chainz played his top hits “I’m Different” and “Birthday Song,” but gave the fans a surprise when he introduced to them a new track and had A$AP Ferg join him on stage. He also played songs from G.O.O.D. Music such as “F**kin’ Problems.”

The Dome was almost full by the time 2 Chainz’s set was finished, and the crowd went wild each time he introduced a new song. They chanted back lyrics and clapped along. Each song ended with the sound of a crash or the noise of breaking glass.

Eric Belair, a senior communications major at Le Moyne College, said he only came to Block Party to see Zedd, but 2 Chainz surprised him. Although this was Belair’s first Block Party experience, he said he plans to come back next year.

“He was a lot better than I thought,” Belair said of 2 Chainz. “I didn’t know how he was going to be, but he killed it.”

After 2 Chainz left the stage, UU president Billy Ceskavich came out on stage to thank the crowd for a great year and a successful Block Party. Soon after, Zedd amped up the crowd.

His booth became a massive screen that changed with the music. Planets, shapes and a stream of pictures and colors crossed the digital screen each time a different sound played during his set.

Concertgoers standing at the barricade wore sunglasses because the dazzling lights were changing so fast from the booth, they were almost blinding. Zedd, almost invisible to the crowd on the floor because his booth was so tall, jumped up and down to the beat to get the crowd pumped up.

Students danced and fist pumped uncontrollably while Zedd remixed popular songs like Axwell’s “In My Mind,” Bastille’s “Pompeii,” Martin Garrix’s “Animals,” Capital Cities’ “Safe and Sound,” and Kanye West’s “Mercy.”

At each drop of the bass, blue, green and red lasers shot out at the crowd and smoke blew up out of the stage, giving a whole new kind of energy into the surreal atmosphere. The first full song that Zedd played was his own “Clarity.” The crowd sang each word back to him, and Zedd didn’t put his hand down the entire time.

“My favorite part in the middle besides the ending, was really epic, was when he used the holographic thing and the lasers,” said J.J. House, a freshman film major.

There was no stop of music throughout the night; each time there was a change in sound or song, the DJ booth would go dark and there would be a quiet pitch in music, but Zedd never stopped mixing.

Zedd’s set lasted for an hour and 45 minutes. He introduced his encore with a remix of Empire of the Sun’s “Alive” while a white pyramid light surrounded only him. He ended the night with his popular single, “Spectrum,” and stood on his booth, thanking the crowd.

“‘Clarity’ is my song,” said junior Brady Tannehill: “We’re mind blown how close we got this year.”

Published on April 26, 2014 at 3:17 pm

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere