DJ Pauly D gets SU crowd fist-pumping

Rockie Fresh and MTV star DJ Pauly D’s dance party distracted students from the snowfall outside Thursday night at Goldstein Auditorium in Schine Student Center.

The event, sponsored by student programming board University Union, began an hour and 15 minutes behind schedule, as Rockie Fresh faced inclement weather on his way to Syracuse.

Photo: Allison Milligan

Most widely known for his role as a cast member on MTV's "Jersey Shore," Pauly D's set at SU contained a number of references to his time on the show.

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The first eager group of students in line were friends Molly Quinn, a music industry senior; April Woltersdorf, a music education junior; and Hannah Smith, an illustration junior.

The trio had tickets to see DJ Pauly D the first day they went on sale. It wasn’t until Wednesday, though, that they decided they would get to the show early.

“Without using any swear words, we’re really big fans,” said Quinn.

The three friends — all of who are members of the on-campus acapella group The Mandarins — wore neon yellow, home-crafted shirts at the show.

Quinn’s and Woltersdorf’s shirts said “Oh yeah, Pauly D in ‘Cuse, yeah.” Smith drew a side profile of DJ Pauly D’s face on her shirt, but cut out the shape of his hair, thus forming a stencil for the black tank top she was wearing underneath. The cotton ‘blow-out’ hairstyle easily resembled Pauly’s own.

Despite the delay, the crowd had its fists pumping from the start. Chicago native Rockie Fresh, 21, had a relatively short set. He performed some of his original rap music. Last night was his first time performing at Syracuse University.

The crowd was clearly there to see one DJ, and one DJ only: Paul DelVecchio, also known as DJ Pauly D, is most widely known for his participation in the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. The 32 year-old is also a well-known disc jockey.

Pauly greeted the upbeat crowd with, “Can I get an ‘Aww Yeah?’” The crowd seemed to enjoy his references to catch phrases and moves that he is known for doing during his summers at the Jersey Shore.

The well-groomed, "gymmed-and-tanned" performer looked complete with his bedazzled laptop, which was entirely covered in rhinestones colored to resemble a glistening Italian flag.

His set mingled the old with the new — from 50 Cent’s “It’s Your Birthday,” to Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” — the crowd was content with any beat he set.

Quinn said she really likes the energy that Pauly has with his audience. When comparing him with other headlining acts that have come to SU like Calvin Harris, she feels that Pauly is more personable.

Woltersdorf agreed. “He loves music so much,” she said. “It’s not just a job.”

More than 700 tickets were sold to Thursday night’s show. UU wasn’t able to confirm how many people were in attendance.