Headlining his first major North American tour, Lil Wayne rolled into town Wednesday, boasting a roster of chart-topping performers including Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy, Pleasure P and Jeremih.
Cherry-red guitar in hand, and with a backing band of young, tenacious musicians, Lil Wayne was in full rock 'n' roll superstar mode headlining the four-hour America's Most Wanted show at the Marcus Amphitheater. Almost immediately after he took center stage, it was apparent that he is at a level few of today's hip-hop artists can imagine.
Whether it was the synchronized fog machines, the pyrotechnics during his performance of "Fireman" or the enormous screens broadcasting images that coincided with a particular song or lyric, everything about Lil Wayne's 100-minute set was larger than life.
Wasting no time, he announced his arrival in grand fashion. The beat to "A Milli," one of his biggest hits, blasted through the speakers to a deafening roar from the rabid crowd, while the rapper bounced around the stage like an 8-year-old at recess.
Throughout his performance, Lil Wayne mixed live instrumentation with backing tracks, playing out his guitar-hero fantasies to varying degrees of success. At times the crowd cheered in excitement as he meshed the beats from favorites like "3 Peat," "Mr. Carter" and "The Best Rapper Alive" with his band.
Yet there were moments where it seemed like the rapper's aspirations fell on deaf ears. Some rap fans, it seemed, weren't ready to fully embrace his rockin' alter ego.
Surprisingly for a hip-hop show, many of the opening performers took a cue from Lil Wayne and incorporated a band as part of their show, even if only for appearance's sake.
Young Jeezy whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a rock-inspired version of "Go Getta," the R. Kelly-assisted smash single. From performing his guest spots on some of rap's biggest songs to his final offering, "Soul Survivor," Jeezy hit a pitch-perfect note with nearly every selection.
Soulja Boy, playfully laughing and smiling while pulling his pants up, delivered the evening's most lackluster performance. He and four other gentlemen walked back and forth, bobbing their heads as they rapped, at times almost incoherently. His latest hits, "Kiss Me Through the Phone" and "Turn My Swag On," ended his show on a high point, since it allowed most of the audience to sing along.
Although upstart rapper Drake dropped off the bill, singers Jeremih and Pleasure P were added, and they performed their respective hit singles, "Birthday Sex" and "Boyfriend #2," in his place.