 "Photo: Isaac Elster")
On the cold morning of Oct. 22, Wayne State hosted the Rock the Vote tour bus at Keast Commons with a crowd that, at one point, peaked at just over 50 people.
This band of young political enthusiasts came to campus with a simple mission: to ensure that students will vote on Nov. 4. The students, on the other hand, attended the event for different reasons, including the opportunity to see the performer Bow Wow and to investigate the racket coming from Keast Commons.
Those who came to see the famed Bow Wow were let down because he cancelled his performance. Hannah Fishman, development associate of Rock the Vote, could not provide detailed answers as to why the performer cancelled.
“He didn’t make it,” Fishman said. “It didn’t work out.”
Those who went to investigate the racket were entertained by the music selections of DJ Aaron James. After about an hour, students were ushered into the bus where they were asked to pledge that they will vote on Election Day.
On the outside, students were offered t-shirts and hats to commemorate the event, and at one point the rap duo Delta G took to the stage. The pair, hailing from Detroit, seemed to be well put together. They performed three songs. The songs were acceptable, considering that they were probably only meant to be an opening act.
They also rapped about the three things that most college students are looking forward to: graduating, getting high and finding a loved one that completes their existence. In the second part of their performance, a freestyle by Sam Wise reminded the crowd of the amount of money being spent on the Iraq War and how important it is to vote.
Many in attendance seemed to agree with sophomore Robert McCann-Moran on the quality of the event.
“This is one of the worst things I’ve ever been to,” McCann-Moran said. “There was no one here, the headliner didn’t even show up and we waited out in the cold just to sign something that says we will do something that we were going to do in the first place.
And the groups that they did have performing here were miserable, the DJ was unoriginal and the rappers seemed like they weren’t even awake yet. I feel like this was a waste of my time.”
In defense of the lack of energy in Delta G’s performance, Wise said that the stage was “too small,” drastically decreasing their ability to move and display their energy. Having inadequate space was truly an understandable reason for any misconceptions that may have arose, Wise said.
Nonetheless, they gave their best effort despite the size of the audience, Wise said.
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