Frigid temperatures were the least of fans’ worries last Sunday evening. On Mar. 11 at 8:00 PM, singer and songwriter Ne-Yo performed at the Pritchard Gym at Stony Brook University. The long lines outside the Sports Complex might have had some passers-by confused, if they were out of the loop, but the magnitude of the event was evident. Fans waited more than two hours just to catch a glimpse of Ne-Yo and sing along with him.
‘I’m freezing!’ one fan waiting in line proclaimed as her friend suggested they leave. But once the doors opened, everyone had forgotten about their toes and fingers being numb. Fans from off campus and on campus were anxious to see Ne-Yo.
Once Ne-Yo was on stage, the crowd went crazy as he opened up with ‘Sign Me Up,’ one of my personal favorites from his ‘In My Own Words’ album. He performed with nearly all of his songs from the album and even gave fans a treat by performing his new single ‘Because of You.’
A couple of lucky ladies got a hold of Ne-Yo’s sweat towels – I don’t know how appealing that exactly sounds, but I guess if you are a Ne-Yo fanatic it is a dream come true. For those who don’t know too much about Ne-Yo, let me give you the inside scoop on him.’ And for those of you that think you know all there is to know about Ne-Yo, maybe – just maybe – you don’t know everything.
Born in Arkansas into a family of musicians, Shaffer C. Smith (Ne-Yo) was raised by a single mother. Ne-Yo’s mother relocated them to Las Vegas, NV, where he began pursuing his passion for music. According to his DefJam Record label, Ne-Yo has been writing since a very young age. He has written songs for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Mario, Beyonc’eacute;, and he has even been asked to produce with Will.i.am on Michael Jackson’s upcoming album. Ne-Yo was a nominee at the 49th Grammy awards and is only 24 years old.
Ne-Yo has taken the music industry by storm. His songs are not only romantic and soulful, but he also has upbeat tunes that you can move to. His songs are filled with passion and an intensity that puts you into a zone. The best thing about Ne-Yo is that he writes and produces his own work, which illustrates his creativity as an artist. Ne-Yo’s performance at SBU definitely reflected all these attributes up close and personal.
After the show, one SBU student, Ursula Kowalik, said that she ‘enjoyed the show, but it could have been longer.” Raphael Cheron, a senior at SBU, said the same thing.
Cheron added, ‘For the amount of time we waited for him to come on, he could have at least performed a bonus.’ Although there were many other complaints about the amount of time the performance lasted, fans overall, including myself, still enjoyed the show.
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