Greg Talmage was OK. Ingram Hill did their thing. Mark Wertz came and went. Chamillionaire got the crowd to bounce as high as the moon. But nobody – I repeat, nobody – did it quite like Wyclef. The University played host to greatness Saturday, as Wyclef Jean headlined Students on Target’s Groovin’ on the Grounds. I’ve seen my fair share of shows in the past. I’ve seen The Who rock the same stage as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gnarls Barkley and The Raconteurs. I’ve seen Radiohead play for 2 1/2 hours straight. I’ve even seen Galactic and Rebirth Brass Band keep the party going until 6 a.m. But I’ve never seen a show quite like Wyclef’s this past Saturday. The Haitian-born, Brooklyn musician began by showing his artistic side, asking the crowd to wonder what would happen “If I Was President.” He then doused himself with a full bottle of water and screamed, “I’m awake now,” before launching into “Sweetest Girl (Dolla Dolla Bill).” I’ve seen stunts at shows before, with pyrotechnics blasting every which way. But I’ve never seen anyone straight-up climb the side of the stage. During Lil’ Wayne’s verse of “Sweetest Girl,” Wyclef climbed to about 30 feet, scared the crap out of his bodyguards and made everyone in the crowd scream, “There’s no way this is really happening!” Yes, that really happened. The crisp, newly-cleaned air sent a chilling breeze over the crowd, forcing Jean to don a purple LSU hoodie as he took us back with a medley of club-bangers. He made the crowd “Jump Around,” House of Pain-style. He was down with “O.P.P.” Yeah, he knew us. He asked us if he could “Rock This.” We replied “Yes You Can!” He then took a second and asked if we would “Let Me Clear my Throat.” For any refugees out there who missed the show, he kept it real. Albeit it was way too young a crowd for “Fu-Gee-La” and “Ready or Not,” he grabbed a little boy out of the crowd and brought him center stage during Lauryn Hill’s verse. He tried to ask him to get the crowd to put their hands up, but didn’t make it to the end of the sentence before the little boy tore it up, on the beat, as the crowd went nuts. It took me about three minutes to go from presentable in my white tee to soaked with sweat. He introduced most of the crowd to his new album, “Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant” by singling out a random guy from the crowd and asking him to come up and sing his part as Jean impersonated T.I. Before the song started, Clef put a pair of $3,000 shades on the guy’s face, and by the end of the song, Clef said, “Don’t worry, you can keep the shades.” That just happened, too. He then introduced us to what happens in Haiti, Trinidad and the Caribbean during Carnival. With cool bass lines and hot bongo beats, Wyclef implored the crowd to wave their flags. If not flags, then take off your shirts. Half the crowd instantly went shirtless. “By the time this show is over,” Wyclef announced, “You should all be butt naked.” He then got on his bodyguard’s shoulders and walked straight into the crowd. People rushed over to get a glimpse up close, including myself. From the crowd he screamed, “FUCK GEORGE BUSH,” to the dismay of the proper fraternity types behind us who stood the entire show and didn’t move while sipping their all-too-obviously concealed Jack-and-cokes. He soothed their types over about a minute later when he screamed “FUCK BIN LADEN!” After making it back to the stage, he delivered his endorsement, “If you really want to see the change you want, you should make your voice heard and vote for Barack Obama. “OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!” After ending the carnival, he walked off for a moment, immediately inspiring the “one more song” request. As he came back out, the lighters – and a few cell phones – went up as he closed the show: “Oh won’t you help me to sing these songs of freedom? Because all I ever have, redemption songs.” If you decided that Groovin’ on the Grounds was a waste of time and didn’t go, you’ve never missed out like you did this past Saturday. To anyone that was there, though, soak it in. For one crisp, cool night, we were unified under the words of a true hero. Wyclef Jean made me believe. I don’t quite know exactly what I believe in, but it won’t stop me from believing.
—-Contact Eric Freeman Jr. at [email protected]