R&B’s “Mr. Steal Yo Girl,” otherwise known as Trey Songz, didn’t have to steal any young women at his back-to-school free performance. Still, Trey Songz managed to satisfy the mostly female audience with a stellar performance that rivaled a paid show.
Amazon Student and Pandora co-sponsored the Aug. 15 event at the Fox Theater in Oakland. About 1,000 Bay Area college students were invited to enjoy the free show for those who used Amazon to rent or buy textbooks during the month of August.
SF State biology major Brittany Wilson had already seen Trey Songz perform live during the tour of his last album “Chapter V” last year. Sunday’s concert was a chance for her to come back for seconds.
“He was electric,” said Wilson. “The concert was amazing. He did it just like at the last show I saw him at.”
Several SF State students in attendance said they found out about the event through flyers handed out on campus, and Twitter and Pandora ads that played between songs.
This was the first year Amazon launched its free Back to College concert series for students. Trey Songz performed another concert in the series Sept. 12 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia before coming to the Bay Area.
“This was a way to kick off the back to school season, do something fun and let people know what we have to offer students,” said Amazon Public Relations Manager Brittany Turner.
Although students from several other universities in the area came to see the show, the audience only filled about half of the entire Fox Theater, making the event feel like an invitation to a lavish MTV sweet 16 birthday party with a special guest performer. Goody bags weren’t provided, but Amazon did give away Kindle Fire HD tablets to 20 lucky students at the top of the show.
“The goal is not to pack this place wall to wall; the goal is to get students to have a great experience and have it be exclusive,” said Tommy Page, vice president of artists and brand partnerships.
According to Page, Pandora selected Trey Songz as the artist for the concert series after data from its music streaming app revealed that the artist had a large following in the Bay Area and Philadelphia.
During the hour-long set, an energetic Trey Songz beamed with a smile as he sang some of his sexy hits such as “Panty Droppa,” “Say Ah” and “I Need A Girl.”
Throughout the night, Trey Songz had the ladies in attendance shrieking with excitement as he sang one affectionate love song after another. At one point, Trey Songz made the entire theater erupt with screams when he teased them with his provocative hip-gyrations.
“I was waiting in line outside for about two hours, so by the time Trey Songz came out I was pretty tired, but it was a great free show and it was definitely worth it,” said Meron Foster, a senior majoring in international relations.
Trey Songz closed the show with “Bottoms Up” as if to offer a toast to the women in the audience and let them know the night was all about them.
As the song ended, Trey Songz took off his shirt causing the entire theater to explode with cheers. He then wiped the sweat off his body and tossed his shirt into the crowd for one lucky audience member to enjoy who perhaps thought the night was actually all about her.
