Jason DeRulo and special guest Auto-tune pack in Grand Valley Fieldhouse

Jason DeRulo attracted 5,550 students into the field house on October 6 and was the first performer to sell out a Spotlight Production at Grand Valley State. But then 9:30 came around with no DeRulo on stage when he was scheduled to come out an hour before. The crowd grew anxious and claps, crowd surfing and a couple boos kicked off the concert.

         With the crowd already standoffish, DeRulo opened up with his first hit single “Whatcha Say" and showed the agitated crowd  he could actually sing. That shouldn’t be such a surprise since former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi signed him to Warner Bros. Records. DeRulo opened the first leg of Lady GaGa’s Monster Ball Tour, so he already had a high bar set for him. Before he could even sing one note, that bar seemed as far away as the moon. But once he showed off his voice and Michael Jackson dance moves, he quickly  won the audience back.

Four songs in and DeRulo sang acoustic versions of his most popular songs “In My Head” and “Ridin’ Solo,” which drew the most applause that night. Throughout the concert, he impersonated Michael Jackson by Moon Walking and even covering “Billy Jean.” By midway through the concert, most people had forgotten they waited an extra hour for the singer.

Right when the audience finally became his friend, DeRulo brought out the item that defaces today’s world of pop music. The dreadful auto-tune microphone that probably has Michael Jackson rolling in his grave.

The concert was a prime case that proves a good voice isn’t the only thing that is key for a successful show, but also the performance needs to be just as great. Auto-tune in music is like cigarettes in society. No matter what context you use it in—in live performances or on an album—it’s not cool, doesn’t sound good and is a failure no matter who uses it. Legends can’t even pull it off.

But the auto-tune microphone wasn’t even the biggest problem.

The best part of a concert is that connection the audience gets with the performer. Some musicians talk in between each song and communicate with the audience. Some even go through the crowd, sign autographs and take pictures with them. The only communication DeRulo made was when he pulled a fan on stage to sing to her. And forget talking in between songs. He used the time to change his outfit after every song on the setlist —more outfit changes than Lady GaGa on her Monster Ball Tour. That’s really saying something if a guy needs more changes than Lady Meat Dress herself.

What was very unprofessional during one of those outfit changes was when his backup singer introduced DeRulo’s band. In almost every concert, the singer takes the time to introduce his band to his audience. Not DeRulo. His ninth white T-shirt change was far more important than introducing his band.

To end the show, DeRulo sang his biggest songs, “In My Head” and “Ridin’ Solo.” Yes, he sang the two songs twice. Just in case you didn’t like the acoustic versions of the hit songs where he actually used his authentic voice, he turned to his best friend, the auto-tune microphone, because that is the perfect way to end any sold-out performance—technology that makes you sound like a robot.

Jason DeRulo has only been on the map for a year, but the 21-year-old has a lot to learn. If he wants to go further in the industry, he needs to ditch the auto-tune microphone and take advantage of his voice and dancing skills, something that is rare in today’s pop music.