Flo Rida out, Busta in at Eaglepalooza

Hands will no longer be "In the Ayer" cheering for Flo Rida's appearance on Friday, Nov. 21 at Eaglepalooza's main event.

Instead, Busta Rhymes will take the stage as the primary performer for an anticipated crowd of 9,000.

Flo Rida is expected Saturday morning in Africa for an MTV award show. There was not enough time between the events to allow him to perform in Fort Myers.

Katie Spencer, director of Eaglepalooza, said that there were "no hard feelings" and that Flo Rida's entire team was extremely apologetic.

Radio station 105.5 The Beat helped the university out after the cancellation.

"We are very fortunate to have such loyal dedication from 105.5. They played a big role in helping us schedule Busta Rhymes," Spencer said. "He is a very well known performer, and I think his performance is going to enhance the experience for everyone."

FGCU's own S-Sayy begins the musical line-up Friday night. Following him is dancing-singing combo Lloyd, who has topped the charts with hits like "Get it Shawty," "Southside" and "You." Lloyd will take the stage to rev up the crowd before Busta Rhymes.

Aaron Weston, a sophomore majoring in finance, wasn't too disappointed about the last-minute change of the feature performer.

"Even though I was really looking forward to watching Flo Rida, I am still going Friday to watch Busta Rhymes," Weston said. "I have never seen him perform and am looking forward to it."

Eaglepalooza is a week full of games, prizes, food and entertainment. Campus Recreation coordinates and plans the event in an effort to show students how important recreational activities are for a healthy lifestyle. The event is becoming so popular that it is expected to almost double in size this year, as last year's feature concert attracted 5,000.

The Co-Ed Flag Football championship game will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the recreation fields. The night will include halftime freebies, live music and free food.

It will be all fun in the sun at the Waterfront Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. There will be a wakeboard competition, water games, free food and live music. The evening ends with the men's basketball home opener in Alico Arena at 7 p.m.

The most anticipated event of Eaglepalooza is the concert Nov. 21 at the recreation fields with headline performances by Busta Rhymes, Lloyd and S-Jayy.

"Friday's concert is going to be great. It is nice that the school puts this together for students," Weston said. "I am looking forward to it."

Admission for Friday's concert and events begins at 6 p.m. with the Men's Flag Football Championship Game at the recreation fields. When the game is over, backyard activities and field games will be brought out, including hula-hoops, musical chairs, backgammon, limbo, cricket, corn hole, ladder golf, volleyball and table tennis. Laser tag, rock climbing, boxing/jousting and a dunk tank will also be out on the field.

Free shirts, raffles and gift certificates from Eaglepalooza sponsors and vendors will also be distributed. Pita Pit, Bad Ass Coffee, Costco and Benchwarmers are some vendors that will be present on the fields.

Station 105.5 The Beat, Best Buy and College Club are Eaglepalooza Platinum sponsors. FGCU students, faculty and staff get into the concert for free with proper FGCU identification. Two guests are allowed, with valid ID, for $10 each.

Eaglepalooza has already begun preliminary activities before the main even. Friday night kicked off the events with Chuck-A-Puck at Germain Arena, where the FGCU hockey team defeated the South Florida Bulls 16-1.

Sophomore Courtney Pope attended Eaglepalooza last year and anticipates that this year will be even better.

"As more students attend FGCU, the better these kinds of events will turn out," Pope said. "I am excited for Friday's concert - the crowd is going to be great."

Monday featured a kick off party outside of the fitness center. The events included a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, a martial arts demo, a fitness class, a live DJ, free food and other attractions.

An inner tube water polo game was set up on Tuesday, also including live music and free food.

For more information on Eaglepalooza schedules and concert information, visit http://www.fgcu.edu/CampusRec/Eaglepalooza.html.