-Jason Derulo performed for a sold-out crowd at the Grand Valley State University Fieldhouse Wednesday. It was the first time that GVSU student entertainment organization Spotlight Productions scheduled a sell-out performance.

There were 4,500 tickets sold for $10 and $20 in just less than a week prior to the event. Spotlight does not currently have their total revenue figures, but they are pleased with the reaction to the top-40 artist they booked.

“I was working backstage mainly, but you could hear the students’ reaction,” said Rommel Rayes, Spotlight finance committee member. “There was lots of screaming.”

Female group Trinity opened the show with three high-octane songs, followed by Derulo’s set featuring songs from his self-titled debut album. He played two versions- a radio version and more vocal-based version- of some popular songs such as “Whatcha Say” and “Ridin’ Solo,” while also featuring lesser-known titles such as “Love Hangover.”

Derulo covered the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” as well, while his dancers grooved to a remix including Britney Spears’ “I’m A Slave 4 U” during a costume change.

While the show overall went smoothly, there was some uncertainty early on as it took Derulo an extended amount of time before he made his appearance on stage.

“We (Spotlight Productions) felt the show went really well,” said Margo Ellis, Spotlight music chair and event manager for Wednesday night’s show. “There was some confusion as to why he wasn’t on stage on time.”

Ellis said the cause of delay was unknown, but it was likely a communication issue between the band and production managements. Otherwise the show was a smashing success.

“We’ve brought big names before,” Ellis said. “But Derulo is a top-40 and we sold out this year, which is something we’ve never done before.”

Ellis said Spotlight Productions hopes to bring more big names similar to Derulo to GVSU in the future.

To see footage of Derulo performing “Whatcha Say” on campus, visit his website at www.jasonderulo.com

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