Atlanta rapper B.o.B entertained students at the annual SUB concert Friday evening in the Compton Family Ice Arena.
This year's event marked the first time the concert was held in Compton. In past years, Stepan Center housed the concert.
"I have been to the SUB concert the past two years and I definitely liked having it held in Compton better than the Stepan Center," junior Briana Cortez said.
Senior Celso Diaz said Compton was an exceptional venue to host the concert on an annual basis.
"It allows more students to attend the SUB concert and is a much nicer venue than Stepan," Diaz said.
B.o.B proved to be quite the performer, as he constantly engaged the crowd throughout his setlist.
"I thought the show was really well-done," junior Shannon Lewry said. "B.o.B is a great performer and I love how he interacted with the crowd. ... I loved when he stood up on the speakers in front of the crowd. He singled out one of my friends and sang to her, so that was definitely a highlight."
Cortez agreed B.o.B's crowd interaction was one of the concert's highlights.
"I loved when he started singing "Beautiful Girls [Nothin' on You]" with the ladies in the crowd," Cortez said. "My friends and I were up front so it was fun to sing along with him."
Despite being relatively unknown, the opening act, electronic artists Dzeko and Torres, succeeded in getting the crowd hyped for the energetic night.
"I had no idea who the opening DJs were, but they did a great job," Lewry said. "Their music was great, but it lasted a little too long, especially compared to B.o.B's set."
Cortez also said the set should have been shorter.
"They got the crowd kind of pumped, but I feel like it could have been better," Cortez said. "I think that their act was a little too long."
Students agreed that B.o.B's set was far too short for a headlining act, especially when the opening act's set was the same length.
"The low point of the concert for me was when B.o.B left and allowed his friend to rap one of his own songs," Diaz said. "Everyone in the audience seemed to stop paying attention and it took away from the energy and excitement of the crowd."
Some students also struggled with crowd pushing and rowdiness.
"[The crowd] was a little difficult to deal with when everyone is trying to push to the front, but that is expected at a concert," Cortez said.
Overall, students agreed that the new venue and combination of hip-hop and electronic dance music provided for an enjoyable concert experience.
"As soon as B.o.B threw water at the crowd I knew it was going to be a great show," Cortez said. "The energy of the show swept me up. B.o.B really engaged the crowd and proved he was a great performer."
