It was the 27th day of August, and the final stop of the High School Reunion Tour. As expected, everyone was dressed to the nines and ready to set off a party that we would be talking about for some time to come.
Concertgoers of all ages were there. The guys in Raiders, Steelers, and Lakers jerseys; some were sportin’ Adidas track suits; all wearing the brand-new, pumped-up kicks. Admittedly, not all the dudes looked like athletes, but they brought the attitude of positive vibes, which seemed to be the theme for the night. The ladies… that was different: lots of adult onesies and teeny-weeny everything.
With a Warped Tour atmosphere, the High School Reunion Tour hit FivePoint Amphitheatre, wrapped up on its final stop. Headlining the event was of course, Snoop Dogg. Support was provided by Berner, Warren G, Too $hort, Wiz Khalifa, and DJ Drama. Snoop’s crew came in blazin’ and ready to have fun.
From Jump Street, FivePoint was like a hip hop and rap revival. The crowd was ready to soak in some old-school jams along with the latest in the hip-hop legacy of the genre. With the sun still peeking over his shoulder, DJ Drama got the crowd warmed up.
Up quick and ready to mingle were Berner, followed by the legend that is Warren G. He performed a good mix of his classic rhymes, “Regulate” and “This D.J.”
Reaching out to the OGs, Warren G acknowledged the origins of hip hop, how he was there for those early days, and that he was so happy to see many fans there that night that have been supporting him since the beginning.
The strong performance from Warren G riled up the crowd for Too $hort. He hit the stage hard, and when I say hard, I mean HARD. He was on fire from the first note of the first song. He had the crowd dancing and singing to “Blow the Whistle” and one his oldest and rarely performed tracks, “Freaky Tales.”
By now, the sun was starting to dip itself into the Pacific and a cooler breeze was in the air. Not too cool; it was still a very warm summer night. Next on stage was Wiz Khalifa and this was the first time I would see Wiz on stage.
Despite being an opener, that guy owned the stage like a headliner; it was next level kinda impressive.
Wiz started the crowd off with “Black and Yellow” and hit them hard with “Roll Up,” “23,” “Or Nah,” “Swole Life,” “No Sleep,” “Peace and Love,” “You,” “Taylor Gang,” “Bake Sale,” through “So High,” and “On My Level.”
With a very short break between sets, the stage crew transformed the stage into a South Central playground with a green colored 6-4 front and center. To the left and the right of the stage were stripper poles and immediately the crowd knew it was time for Snoop Dogg.
In a blink of an eye – puffy and smoky eyes of course – out came the Doggfather, and with a monkey too!
The crowd lost its mind as Snoop sauntered out, looking dapper in his crushed velvet suit with his name on it so we all knew what to say when he asked, “What’s My Name?!”
Snoop walked out to “The Next Episode,” followed up by “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” Along with the sounds were the sights of Eazy-E and NWA on the big screen. It was such a throwback; with the tunes in full effect, Snoop putting on his dance moves, and the images of a time long past, it took everyone at FivePoint back to the days of “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “Lodi Dodi,” and “Gin and Juice.”
Fans were in a constant state of frenzy to “Tha Shiznit,” “Hypnotize,” “Ain’t No Fun,” “We Dem Boyz,” and appropriately, everyone lost their minds to “Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)!”
What a surreal moment that was.
Other highlights included “Murder Was the Case,” California Gurls,” “Jump Around,” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Snoop was joined by Khalifa as he brought down the house with “Young, Wild & Free.” A highlight of the night was when Snoop belted out “See You Again.” “Dolomite” snip-its were even part of the show.
While Snoop was doing his thang, the big screen paid tribute to lost rappers over the past few years, many of which are Snoop’s homies, and all part of our lives in one way or another.
Let’s not forget the girls who were incredible on the poles, it was impressive. Strength and agility were definitely on display.
The show was more like a backyard BBQ, where all your friends showed up and you played great music and talked about the good times, the friends who have left us, and the friends who are with us as we have the time of our lives.
Wow is all I have to say about this night – a night to remember for sure! It really was like a high school reunion!
