REVIEW: Snoop Dogg lights up Edmonton
There were some surprising things about Snoop Dogg’s concert at Rogers Place on Wednesday night.
The cool thing was how much old stuff he played, songs from the ‘90s, songs people grew up to. They gave the show an air of nostalgia. The vibe in the crowd was chill – and surprisingly there didn’t seem to be any more people smoking weed at this show than at your average Metallica or Ozzy Osbourne concert.
Long after the opening acts that included Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Warren G, the headliner took the stage just before 10 pm. Everyone waited patiently as the bass began to vibrate and shake the building to its core. Wisps of smoke curled around the room and were illuminated from the lights that rained down from above. It was standard concert production, nothing special, no pyro, no special effects, just some big screens peppered with images of diamonds, cash, smoke, and of course marijuana leaves. To either side of the stage were props such as a ghetto-bike, and there were back up dancers writhing on stripper poles.
Snoop finally emerged onto the stage – wearing an Oiler’s jersey! Hey, when in Oil Country do as the ‘Bertans do. That got a big response from the crowd. Then he raised his golden microphone to his lips, and eased into the first song.
Snoop didn’t talk much, and it wasn’t missed. There’s nothing he could’ve possibly added to the atmosphere in the arena. Everyone was lost in the music.
The seats were packed, back to back, everyone stood to cheer him on. There was a real sense of community among the crowd as they swayed and bumped in unison, becoming one with the beat. All the oldies played, like Gin and Juice and of course that iconic song The Next Episode, which I am almost certain everyone had as their ringtone at one point or another. You could see the patrons being transported back to their younger years. With their hands in the air, waving ‘em like they just didn’t care – you could see their nostalgia. Snoop even played his own version of songs such as Katy Perry’s California Girls and Akon’s I Wanna F*** You – and sure enough, everyone sang along. The crowd was diverse, transcended race and age, all demographics brought together through Snoop’s distinctive music which cut through the lingering smoke – that had that all-too-familiar smell.
