It was behind the wheel of a 1964 Cadillac DeVille that Snoop Dogg entered the stage a little before 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. Sealed lips, flanked by four dancers – two on the ground, two on poles – and dressed in a maple leaf tracksuit, the veteran rapper wasted no time before hitting a string of hits.
More than 30 years of career, barely fewer studio albums, countless collaborations and just as many memorable choruses. Snoop Dogg’s bag of songs is one of the deepest of any rapper still active. Interspersed with a drawn-out performance of Tha Dogg Pound, he unleashed his most cherished tracks and some surprises for over 90 minutes.
After Halifax and Quebec, the Canadian tour of Snoop Dogg and his friends from Los Angeles – made a stop in Montreal, before continuing its journey to eight other cities. G-Funk fans made sure to fill the Bell Center for the occasion. The floor was filled with chairs. They were of very little use.
Starting the show with The Next Episode and Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang was a good way to ensure that. After a succession of short extracts from slightly less dizzying hits and a surprise appearance from The Lady of Rage, who returned later, Snoop recited Lodi Dodi superbly. The words clear, the flow clear; his homage to Slick Rick remains impeccable. I Wanna Love You, written with Akon, Beautiful, designed with Pharrell, and Sexual Eruption then had the crowd dancing and singing along.
After a cover of Jump Around and Still D.R.E, the Doggfather gave way to Tha Dogg Pound, who has just launched the album W.A.W.G. Made up of Daz Dillinger and Kurupt, the duo complements each other as well as ever. Despite the excess smoke, their voices are those of their old recordings. These and their more recent pieces, however, seemed less known to the crowd which lost its enthusiasm.
Snoop returned triumphant, a jersey of former Canadian Chris Nilan on his back, sang Drop It Like It’s Hot and the party resumed. Daz and Kurupt stayed close for Ain’t No Fun and Serial Killa. The change in tone came with California Gurls, which the Long Beach MC composed with Katy Perry. This was followed by P.I.M.P., another song with Dogg Pound, this time new, Hypnotize, in honor of Biggie and 2 of Americaz Most Wanted, in memory of 2Pac.
As he noted, it was at the end of the run that Snoop finally asked the audience What’s My Name? They responded in unison: “Snoooop Doggyyyyy Dooooogg.” The anthem with 1.4 billion streams on Spotify Young, Wild
The encore, Gin and Juice, was not long in coming and the crowd left happy that this other artist with canine connotations had not canceled his concert like the one the day before.
DJ Quik, a brilliant MC and producer who can never be recognized enough, opened the show at 7:25 p.m. His performance was nothing to write home about, but if you’re looking for thumping bass and a smooth flow to color your summer, dive into his vast discography which is also over 30 years old.
“Regulator” Warren G followed with greater aplomb. A founding member of 213, Snoop’s first group, the rapper still masters his bouncy flow. The duo The Twinz then a karaoke of earworms from the late Nate Dogg supported him for a moment before he served his timeless hit, Regulate, as a farewell.