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After over two hours of student DJ sets at the Westcott Theater, rapper DaBaby arrived onstage for a performance that event organizers said lasted roughly 25 minutes. DaBaby said he loved Syracuse and wished the crowd a “Happy 4/20” before taking selfies on audience members’ phones.

The show was sold out, and the room was packed when DaBaby finally arrived with cheering fans shining their cell phone lights on the stage. He performed popular hits including “Masterpiece” and “Levitating.”

“I’m working!” DaBaby said when offered marijuana by an audience member in honor of the day. “I smoke when I leave.”

On Saturday, Syracuse University student-run entertainment agencies Hush Hush Entertainment and Madman Entertainment hosted DaBaby at the Westcott Theater. The concert faced logistical issues and last-minute changes, but students still enjoyed the show and DaBaby’s energy onstage.

Although originally set to be held in a parking lot by Walnut Park, the location changed last minute to the Westcott Theater. When tickets first went on sale, the concert was supposed to feature rapper NLE Choppa, but after he backed out, the agencies booked DaBaby.

The ticket link advertised that the event started at 2 p.m. He performed from roughly 4:20-4:35 p.m. before leaving the building. His DJ did a short set before his show, and the entire event was over by 5 p.m.

Ryan Kessler owns Madman Entertainment, one of the companies that organized the event. He said that it was lucky that his agency had been able to book DaBaby at all and find a new venue at the last second.

“He’s a great name. The fact that we were able to get him in the first place was awesome,” Kessler said.

Ashley Girouard was the opening DJ at the event – only the third event she has DJed for after starting to DJ four months ago. Jackson Schneider DJed after Girouard, along with his “big brother” in SU’s chapter of Zeta Beta Tau, Braden Miller. Miller has been DJing for 10 years, and Schneider has been DJing for about one year.

“We’re opening for a big rapper who I’ve known about since before I started to DJ,” Miller said. “It’s unreal to be here.”

“I’ve always been passionate about music,” Schneider added. “There’s nothing better than being on a stage in front of everybody showing people what you love.”

Lauren Marino and Katie Ludwig, current seniors who both transferred to SU last year, said the DaBaby concert was their first time at the Westcott Theater, but they plan to attend more local shows.

They both felt that they hadn’t seen much live music off campus and wanted to explore the opportunities, so after seeing Bruce Springsteen last week in the Dome, they bought tickets for this concert.

“I definitely want to take advantage of more of these things because we’re graduating so soon,” Marino said.

Gavin Hanna attended the show to support his friends who organized it. He was disappointed the show’s location moved to the theater but said he had a great time.

“I think Syracuse University should support more events like this outside of University Union to try to build students’ resumes,” Hanna said.

Freshmen Emilie Dine and Sammy Erwich brought a baby doll to the show for DaBaby. They handed the doll to DaBaby from the audience and he held it up for everyone to see.

They said their favorite part of the show was DaBaby’s energy and enthusiasm, as he talked to the audience throughout the show.

“He was interacting with the crowd and I thought it was just so much fun,” Erwich said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that DaBaby’s set ran for 15 minutes. Events organizers said the set ran for approximately 25 minutes. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on April 21, 2024 at 9:49 pm