Rapper Snoop Dogg performs on the Main Stage at Bluesfest on Tuesday night.
Tardiness and and House of Payne’s “Jump Around” seemed to be the three constants at Bluesfest on Tuesday night. The first two didn’t deter the massive crowd from waiting for the festival’s most highly anticipated acts, Lauryn Hill and Snoop Dogg. The latter was included in just about every set.
The main lineup on Tuesday was pretty much groomed for Ottawa hip hop fans, as joining the two legendary performers was the young A$AP Rocky. The 23-year-old rapper from Harlem performed on the main stage before Snoop Dogg, and was accompanied by his DJ and hype man. Rocky’s songs are slower than most of his peers as it’s all about the flow rather than speed, hyping his young crowd up.
With little bodies to compete with, it was up to Rocky to occupy the large stage. While he bounced from one end to the other with energy only someone in their twenties could have, it wasn’t enough. The vastness of the main stage seemed to envelope him. His young fans didn’t mind as all eyes were on him, and became even more excited when the rapper invited some fans to join him on stage for the last couple of songs. They went wild as Rocky performed “Peso.” His set only lasted an hour, probably knowing that most people would want to leave for Lauryn Hill at the Claridge stage.
Those who came early to get a good spot had to wait a little longer as Hill started about 40 minutes later than scheduled. In the meantime, a DJ and a drummer entertained her waiting fans. It was crushing when they played tracks with Hill’s voice only to be disappointed when she didn’t come out. When she finally made it to the stage, Hill seemed distracted. She rushed through a number of songs (including “Killing Me Softly” and “Everything is Everything”), clutching onto a towel the whole time. Her voice was also muffled and difficult to hear her over the band. It didn’t seem to matter to most of the crowd who appeared to be happy to be in the presence of the former Fugees member. Others however (myself included), opted to leave a little early and wait it out at the main stage for Snoop Dogg.
Snoop’s performance was pushed back a half hour from his 9:30 start time to accommodate Hill’s tardiness. During the down time, a couple of fights broke out in the crowd and a few people passed out. Tensions and the temperature appeared to be running high as everyone tried to maneuver their way to the front. There were approximately 25,000 people in attendance, leaving little personal space for anyone.
Fortunately, Snoop was the consummate performer as his persona filled the stage the moment he stepped on it. He did just about every top 40 song of his, including favourites such as “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Gin and Juice,” and even Katy Perry’s “California Girls” (in which he made an appearance). His show could hardly be called a family-friendly affair as the air smelled of marijuana (with Snoop smoking his own joint on stage), and his back-up dancers gave the west coast rapper lap dances.
The hip hop then continued into Wednesday, though it was obvious it was losing steam quickly. Big Boi, one half the Atlanta-based rap group OutKast, performed for only a fraction of the crowd Hill and Snoop commanded the night before. He blazed through songs from both old OutKast records (including “Ms. Jackson,” “The Way You Move,” and “Bombs Over Baghdad”) and his own solo effort. From the performance, it was obvious what Big Boi brings to OutKast as he spat out lyrics in quick succession.
From the two days, it was obvious that it was all about Snoop Dogg. His audience ate up every second of performance. He owned the stage, the crowd, and the night.