By Bené Viera

Over 500 people stood outside in the rain to see Fabolous perform. But Fabolous -the original headliner for the official homecoming concert- was a no-show. His replacement Twista never arrived either. Yet fans rocked with Wiz Khalifa word for word, bar for bar.

When Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity heard Fabolous allegedly missed his flight, they pulled strings to get the closest rapper in proximity who could arrive in Bloomington without having to get on a plane. Chicago’s own, Twista, was reportedly stuck in traffic and couldn’t make it in time. Both cancellations were a shock to both the crowd and SAM president Jeff Safferman.

“We tried everything in our power to get Twista to put on a good show because we care about the students at Bloomington,” Safferman said.

Earlier that day a Facebook message circulated announcing the change in lineup from Fabolous to Twista, but some students did not find out until they were in the grass waiting for Fabolous to rock the mic. Disappointed fans expressed their frustrations when the word spread that Fab wasn’t coming.

“I’m so mad; and I think its lame they didn’t tell anyone,” freshman Carlos Azevedo said. “I want my money back.”

Azvedo wasn’t the only one annoyed. Junior Justin Watkins said Fabolous was his favorite rapper, and that was the only reason he came.

“I’m kind of pissed off; and I would not come back to anything this fraternity throws,” Watkins said.

Wiz Khalifa rapped hit song “Say Yeah,” along with “Blowin Me Up,” “Do Something Crazy,” “Champagne Cocaine Girl,” and “Teach You to Fly.” Much of the crowd were fans of Khalifa and enthusiastically recited the lyrics. Freshman Keaton Gachaw said he expected Wiz to put it down.

“I’m here to see Wiz Khalifa so Fabolous not coming didn’t affect me,” Gachaw said.

Fans chanted Khalifa’s name after his performance was done. Within minutes he jumped back on the stage, and  performed three more songs as the crowd screamed louder. And during those moments it seemed as if everyone forgot Fabolous was supposed to be there.

SAM  finally made an official announcement that Fabolous nor Twista would be performing. The fraternity’s representative apologized and informed the attendees there would be a list circulating for those interested in receiving a portion of their money back.

According to Safferman, the fraternity lost a lot of money behind the show, but were still going to donate a portion of proceeds to the Alzheimer’s Association as they had promised. He also said the concert was still a success in spite of what happened.

“Most people were here to see Wiz Khalifa perform,” Safferman said.  “I feel like most people forgot Fab or Twista were going to come because Wiz Khalifa tore it up out there.”

For Khalifa there was no doubt he was going to perform at IU for the third time. He said college students are his biggest demographic; and his crowd at IU gets bigger each time. “There was no way I wasn’t going to come,” he said.

“A successful show is when at least two people can sing the words to your songs,” Khalifa said.

As for the crowd there were mixed reviews. Some wanted their money back while others were perfectly fine with only seeing Wiz. But Wiz’s energy, and the way he amps up his crowd is undeniable.