Rap's pint-size mega-star returned to Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday as part of his "I Am Still Music Tour." The rapper alternately known as Weezy (and about a hundred other nicknames) couldn't even think of an alternate name for his summer trek, so he just added "Still."
Wayne is still pretty much the same performer he was in 2009, too. That year, the New Orleans rapper born Dwayne Carter, 28, pulled off two Twin Cities arena concerts, including one at Target Center that had a third more attendees than Wednesday's meager 6,000 fans. Last year, though, he went to prison for nine months on weapons charges.
Prison didn't seem to change Weezy much. He gave the same speech at the start of his 90-minute set that he delivered at both 2009 shows (about how he loves God, and he's nothing without the crowd). He started off in a similar song order, too, including "A Milli" and "Got Money" (yes, he has a lot of songs about money).
Maybe the only effect prison had on Weezy was to make him more gabby once he got out. The dude talked a lot between songs -- mostly where-my-ladies-at banter, but he seemed to be having more fun than usual.
He did instill a few interesting twists in the set. "Lollipop" was coolly stripped down to an acoustic number and paired with "How to Love," a song from his upcoming album, "Tha Carter IV." He also brought out what looked like Bon Jovi's old catwalk to deliver "Steady Mobbin'" over the crowd's head, followed by "Mr. Carter" at a far end of the arena. Too bad that end was half-empty.
One fresh part of Wednesday's concert was the opening lineup of Rick Ross and Keri Hilson (never mind chirpy fourth act Lloyd).
A Miami rapper who touts himself in songs as a successful dope dealer, Ross proved he's a crowd-pleasing performer despite his burly, tough persona. His 30-minute set had all the energy of Wayne's, with teenage girls taking a break from their texting just long enough to sing along to "Hustlin'" and "Aston Martin Music." Ross himself didn't exactly exude energy. A lot of his time on stage was spent standing there listening to prerecorded, Auto-Tune backing vocals, especially in "Welcome to My Hood." But he sounded fully invested when he told the crowd, "I feel like it took me 10 years to be right here, right now."
Hilson brought sex appeal to the show, both with her hits "Knock You Down" and "Energy" as well as her Charo-meets-stripper-pole dance moves. Lil Wayne humorously imitated those moves later -- one of his more original moments.