Yesterday, the Cornell Concert Commission announced that the “hip-hop, R&B, neo soul and generally funkadelic” Cee Lo Green would open for Kid Cudi’s sold-out Nov. 6 concert after the show’s initial opener, LMFAO, dropped out.
The news comes as a disappointment to the many bands seeking the exposure of opening for Cudi. CCC Executive Director Douglas Durant ’11 said Cee Lo “was near the top” of the CCC’s list, which included Big Boi and Chiddy Bang.
Ithaca natives The Gunpoets had hoped to open for Cudi, instructing their flock to email the CCC in support of the band.
“Opening for Cudi would be amazing,” said Apia DJ Double A Awa, who doubles as a salad mixer for Cornell Dining. Awa said playing Barton would open The Gunpoets to Cornell students, urging the CCC to support local musicians in their selection.
“We do look locally,” Durant said, but given that 90 to 95 percent of tickets for the Cudi show were sold to Cornellians, “our main purpose was to appeal to a broad section of students.”
Durant said, “Most people I threw the name out to had no idea who The Gunpoets were,” even though “their music is great.”
“For real? That’s crazy! How’d they pull that off?” Awa said upon being told Cee Lo would open for Cudi since “[Cee Lo’s] a headliner, not an opening act.”
Born Timothy DeCarlo Calloway, Cee Lo has collaborated with Common, Outkast and, most extensively, Gnarls Barkley. Durant said he would play a 40-minute set without a band.
Cee Lo’s hit single “Fuck You!” has taken college campuses by storm, although Durant said the artist is “still trying to cultivate an image for himself.”
Like Cudi, Cee Lo is set to release an album shortly after the show, The Lady Killer, on Nov. 8. In a pre-release review, The Guardian said the album demonstrates Cee Lo’s “wonderful engine-powered voicebox.”
Cornellians still interested in seeing The Gunpoets can see their performance at Castaways on Black Friday, Nov. 26.
Correction: The original article stated that the Gunpoets would appear in concert on Nov. 14 at the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. In fact, that appearance has not been finalized yet. The Sun regrets the error.
Original Author: Jeff Stein