Mr. Worldwide made his return to Syracuse Wednesday night, bringing a Miami-sized party to the shores of Onondaga Lake as Pitbull took over the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview.
The night started off at full throttle. Fans of all ages rushed in dressed in their Pitbull lookalike getups with bald caps and mustaches drawn on. A perfect sunset complimented with just the right amount of breeze off the lake set the tone early for for the late night summer concert.
Kicking off the night was Lil Jon who immediately got the fans engaged from the start with his larger than life personality. His ability to mash up his own songs like “Turn Down For What,” and “Shots,” with songs like “Party Up,” by DMX, and Gwen Stafani’s “Holla Back Girl” was stellar. His set quickly turned into a massive DJ party, moving quickly through some of hip hop’s favorites, making the night feel like a continuous celebration of the early 2000’s.
Lil Jon kept the music moving, regularly calling on Syracuse to get louder. At one point during the set, he surprised the crowd with his own rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” letting the crowd fill in the words as he danced and put his own pop spin to it. Songs such as “Snap Yo Fingers,” offered a trip back to the height of the crunk era while “Yeah!,” the Usher hit featuring Lil Jon himself, provided one of the most explosive moments of his set.
By the end of his performance, Lil Jon had accomplished exactly what an opening act is supposed to do; turn an entire audience into a party ready crowd. As the set came to a close, the stage was cleared and more fans filled into the seats. The energy inside the amphitheater never had a chance to fade. The fans remained on their feet as the anticipation continued to build by the minute. When the lights finally dropped, the roar from the crowd made it clear Syracuse was ready for the night’s headliner.
Pitbull emerged to a thunderous welcome, stepping onto the stage with the confidence and energy that have defined his performances for more than two decades. Dressed in his signature sharp suit and sunglasses, Mr. Worldwide wasted no time turning the venue into a full blown dance party, opening up with his hit “Don’t Stop The Party.” Backed by stage full of dancers, The Most Bad Ones made every dance move with precision, complementing Pitbull’s nonstop energy and adding another layer of excitement to the electric production…