Mike Posner dug through his past experiences to write songs like ‘Still Not Over You,’ which he played Wednesday night at the Schine Underground for a sold-out audience.

‘Remember babe, I wrote you all those love poems in seventh grade. I hope you threw those out when we went our separate ways, cause I don’t want to see them up for sale on eBay. Don’t put them on eBay,’ Posner sang in the song.

‘The idea for ‘Still Not Over You’ came from my seventh grade girlfriend who I broke up with. She saved all these love letters I wrote to her and sometimes she jokes about blackmailing me with them,’ Posner said.

Posner performed in the Underground as a part of University Union’s Bandersnatch series, a concert series that brings up and coming artists to Syracuse University. Although this was Posner’s first performance at SU, it was a special day for Posner for another reason; his second mixtape, ‘One Foot Out the Door,’ leaked early on iTunes and is now available for free.

Rapper Chucklehead opened for Posner. He was well received by the fans, though most of the people there did not seem to know who he was and were anxious for Posner to take the stage. When he finally did, he played a mixture of new and old songs for the crowd, who he actively encouraged to get involved with the show. Opening with ‘Drug Dealer Girl,’ Posner grabbed the audience’s attention and had them dancing and singing along.

He sang his own version of Jeremih’s ‘Birthday Sex,’ replacing the title words with ‘first date sex.’ Each time Posner sang the verse ‘first date sex’ the crowd had their hands in the air with one finger up singing along to the song. Posner did a remix of Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ that the audience loved as well.

He also sang ‘Cooler Than Me,’ and ‘Smoke ‘N’ Drive,’ which was accompanied by some computer difficulties, causing him to sing the song acapella. After asking the audience if anyone wanted to help him sing the song without the assistance of any background music, he sang the song solo.

Posner played for about an hour to the SU crowd cheering him on, making them want more when he announced his last song.

‘Seeing him live in concert made me like him even more,’ said Amy Nightingale, a senior management and finance major. Nightingale has been a fan of Posner for about four months.

‘I’m amazed by his talent and I can’t wait to listen to his new album,’ Nightingale said.

The Michigan native hip-hop artist missed classes at Duke University where he is currently a senior to be able to perform at SU Wednesday night. He told the crowd that he had to write an extra essay to make the show, but it’s all worth it.

Posner said his best writing and working environment consists of the same hotel slippers he takes with him everywhere, incense, candles, carpeting and pretty girls. He said his lifestyle has certainly changed in the last six months.

‘I’m really only at Duke for classes during the week, so to an extent I’m treated like a celebrity but I’m not really there a lot,’ Posner said. ‘The people at Duke have grown with me through the journey, they knew me when I was a normal guy on the street. They’re a large part of the reason I am where I am today.’

Posner sang a sneak preview of a song that will be on his first studio album due out in 2010.

‘I don’t do this for just anyone,’ Posner said to the audience. When he asked if they liked the new song the room began to cheer.

‘I’m not cake walking it,’ Posner said. ‘I do my work, Duke’s not really a joke school, I’m really proud of myself for smashing my first CD with the schedule I have.’

rltoback@syr.edu

Published on October 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm