Ke$ha rocks out at Bigelow Bash

Ke$ha’s performance stayed true to the singer’s persona: It was sweaty, sexy and covered in… Ke$ha’s performance stayed true to the singer’s persona: It was sweaty, sexy and covered in glitter.

“I personally don’t think my boobs have enough glitter on them,” she said just before her dancers poured some more on her.

With canisters slung over their backs, Ke$ha and two of her back-up dancers also launched streams of glitter into the crowd during Sunday’s performance.

“Make out with your neighbor!” she instructed between songs, though few heeded her command.

About 1,000 people danced and cheered on Bigelow Boulevard yesterday afternoon, craning to see Ke$ha perform. Pitt Program Council brought the pop star to headline Bigelow Bash.

Although the show was not scheduled to start until 3 p.m., people began lining the street right after noon, some standing near the stage, others by the William Pitt Union and the Cathedral of Learning.

By the time 2:59 rolled around, they were tired of waiting.

“Ke$ha! Ke$ha! Ke$ha!” the crowd chanted, eager for the concert to start.

She didn’t take long to appear. Casually walking on stage right at 3 p.m., the singer — clad in fishnet stockings and a beat-up American flag shirt — opened the performance with “Sleazy.”

As her mostly Auto-Tuned voice blasted from neon-blue lips, students sang and chanted along.

A handful of back-up dancers joined Ke$ha on the stage, which was lined with decapitated doll heads. The garish decorations weren’t the only unusual aspect of the show.

In the middle of the song “Cannibal,” Ke$ha took a bite of a faux heart and finished the song with a red liquid resembling blood spewing from her mouth onto her chest.

The outrageous costumes and antics weren’t limited to the stage. Back-up dancers launched a plethora of glitter and goodies like Ke$ha bills and condoms into the crowd. During the encore, Ke$ha herself launched into the crowd, surfing on the hands of Pitt students.

This level of involvement impressed junior Amanda Alemezohu.

“It was nice to see an artist actually get involved with the crowd. Usually they stand up there and are like, ‘No I can’t touch you, I gotta sing.’ But no, she got involved with the crowd. She was here to be here.”

Between songs, instead of sipping on water, the pop star chose to drink from a bottle of Budweiser. One fan sat atop her friend’s shoulders holding a sign that read “WILL SING FOR BEER.”

The glitter craze seemed to dominate the performance and the crowd.

“I got glitter under my clothes,” junior Adelia Mohan said. “You know you had a good time when you have glitter under your clothes.”

The four-man Battle of the Bands winner Legs Like Tree Trunks started the festivities at 1 p.m.

Ke$ha’s opening performer, Beardo, followed at 2 p.m.

The crowd cheered when the bearded rockstar threw off his yellow Budweiser trucker hat, exposing his multicolored mullet. The one-man act meshes electronic beats with pop and rock influences.

“Let’s talk about popping pills and girls!” Beardo said.

Beardo, who said he’s a native Pennsylvanian, called himself a trailer-park hero — a title that fits in well with Ke$ha’s “Get Sleazy” tour theme.

“Performing with Ke$ha is amazing. We’ve been on tour for three months. We’re going to Australia, we’re going to Japan. And she’s a really good friend and she’s awesome,” Beardo said after his performance.

After Ke$ha performed her final song, “We R Who We R,” for the encore, Beardo, dressed in a dirty Santa Claus suit and green sunglasses, took her place on stage and sang “Fight for Your Right (To Party.)”

But although she didn’t sing the last song, Ke$ha still had the last word.

“Thank you. I love you. Get laid,” Ke$ha said.