Words: John Zee – @johnzee23
Pictures: David Dalley
In all actuality, my review of the recent Snoop Dogg and BTNH show at Rogers Arena could easily be summed up in three simple words… Vancouver : Loves : Snoop. However I will elaborate on why I believe this to be true.
The Snoop Dogg, BTNH, Dogg Pound, Warren G, and Afroman tour brought together a high profile lineup of artists that can draw decent crowds on their own merits. Its evidently clear that Vancouver loves and appreciates whenever Uncle Snoop Dogg pays us a visit, but in return I honestly feel that Snoop genuinely loves the city of Vancouver just as much. Snoop’s history in our city stretches way back and it’s not uncommon to find him DJing and kicking it at smaller venues around the city after his main shows are done. Such as his impromptu DJ set at Fortune Sound this past Friday night.
Afroman was the first to go up, but I’ll be honest, other than being a mega stoner he seemed the like odd man out to me . This is the first time I’ve heard mention of Afroman since the 2015 incident in New Orleans. Fortunately, no concertgoers were harmed and Afroman with guitar in tow delivered a funky set to start the night.
Warren G was next and delivered that classic West Coast G-funk era vibes. Warren was in his zone and enjoying a few cold Modello’s on stage, so much so that he mentioned on the mic that this was his first time performing in Vancouver.. huh? That confused me because HHV covered his set at Fortune Sound back in 2010. However we’ll forgive Warren for forgetting that one because he gave us what we wanted to hear with classic joints like “Do You See”, “This D.J.” and of course “Regulate”, plus several classic 213 joints.
Daz & Kurupt were up next continuing with the classic West Coast sound and digging into old DPG joints like ‘Who Ride wit Us’ as well as feature tracks like Chronic 2001’s Xxplosive. A highlight of their set was a tribute to Nate Dogg, but unfortunately, the performance was plagued with sound issues. The high end of the EQ pierced through the mix, causing the audience to have to cover their ears at some points. Thankfully, this was rectified when they joined Snoop later in the show.
By this point a good amount of chronic haze was beginning to cloud the arena and before you knew it, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony took to the stage. 3 out of the 5 members of Bone were present minus Bizzy Bone and Flesh-n-Bone unfortunately, but when they entered to “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” it didn’t matter at all. The fans light the roof off that bitch and those high pitched synths and that low rumbling bass completely took over. BTNH quickly followed that up with the hits “1st of the month” and “Crossroads”, which struck a chord with the hearts of many attendees in the crowd who collectively took a moment together to remember some of their own fallen soldiers in their lives.
However the man of the hour was easily Calvin Broadus aka Mr. Snoop Dogg and once he graced the Rogers Arena stage draped in an extra large throwback Vancouver Canucks jersey, it was over jack. Literally burning through hard hitting jams such as “What’s My Name”, “I wanna Rock”, “P.I.M.P. (Remix)” and many more, it was a sight to see just how cool and laid back Snoop still manages to keep it after all these years.Tha Dogg Pound joined the big homie on stage to run through such Doggystyle classics as “Serial Killa”, “Ain’t No Fun”, “Gin & Juice”, “What Would You Do” and “Snoop Dogg Doggy Dogg World”. Then Snoop dialed it right back and spoke directly to the ladies in the house with songs such as “Beautiful”, “Sensual Seduction” and “I Wanna Fuck” ft. Akon, all the while two strippers and several other exotic dancers bounced around behind him and slide up and down poles on either side of the stage. There was even a big, frumpy dogg mascot with an inflatable blunt in the mix as well, I mean what else could you really ask for?
There’s plenty of other hits that Snoop delivered, but you get the point.. the man is an icon. Snoop is a real legend and without a shred of doubt, one of the best rappers and performers the world has ever seen. At this point, I’m willing to say that’s not even really arguable. I mean pick 5 of Snoop’s top songs ever and put them up against any rapper out there, dead or alive and they will rival and compete against them in almost every way (the way the beats sound, the memorable lyrics, the record sales, the longevity of the songs and so on). It’s been a pleasure growing up and watching Snoop transition from a 40oz drinking young crip from Compton, to hosting television shows with Martha Stewart. One thing has always remained the same about Snoop, he has consistently stayed true to himself and hasn’t comprised. He’s is the real deal and a one of a kind human being, and that should at very least be acknowledged and appreciated.
Thank you Snoop.. Keep on blazin’!
