Even though the rain poured down and the winds howled through DeKalb Saturday night, Kanye West shook a crowd of 5,000 fans and kept them warm and toasty in the Convocation Center’s last show of the semester.

West performed a 90-minute, 18-song set on his “Touch the Sky” Tour and kept fans on their feet and singing along all night long.

“It feels good to be home,” West said from the stage in between songs.

The Chicago native donned a white suit and

sunglasses for most of the night, but had a few wardrobe changes as well.

“He’s got his own kind of style and he does his own thing,” said 17-year-old Oswego resident Eddie Deltoro, who came to see the show with his friend, Jeff Williams. “He doesn’t try to copy anyone.”

While thundering beats shook the Convo, subtle sounds from violins and a harp completed each song.

“He brings a lot of energy to his performance,” Williams said. “He’s really good live.”

NIU students, local teens and even a few families turned out for the show.

“It’s the strongest show this semester,” said Kevin Selover, marketing manager for the Convocation Center.

Acts earlier this year, such as B.B. King, 3 Doors Down and 311, didn’t bring in the numbers like the Convo was hoping for, Selover said.

While fans reacted mainly to the radio hits such as “Jesus Walks,” “Drive Slow,” and “Gold Digger,” they responded to other songs such as “Heard ‘Em Say” and “Hey Mama”. They also helped with

backing vocals.

Former “American Idol” winner Fantasia opened the show with a nine song, 40-minute set that included violent screaming and seizure-like dance moves.

Fantasia was more inclined to tell the audience to “watch this” and then do nothing while her back-up singers sang the word “Illinois” over and over again and pronounced the “S” every time.

Fellow Chicagoan Common, slated originally to share the bill, canceled last month due to a scheduling conflict. Additionally, Keysha Cole, also on the bill as an opening act, did not perform as planned Saturday.

While shows at the Convo are done this semester, Selover was quick to point out shows have been booked for the spring.

“We’ve got some big shows in store for next semester,” Selover said. “One of those shows is a guaranteed sellout.”

With the Campus Activity Board and the Convo joining forces, the two can now book shows together and aim for larger name acts.

“We used to compete with CAB, but now we’re working together and bringing some big shows to the Convo,” Selover said.