He made it back to the hood—for thousands of fans as the night two headliner at ComplexCon.
He made it back to the hood, and he sold it.
Snoop riveted fans with an enthusiastic hour and a half-long performance that had him shimmying, teaming up with hip hop all-stars, and more. Moving onstage after 2Chainz entertained, with “F**kin’ Problems” stoking the flames of the arena’s night of entertainment. What’s more, it was his first large-scale performance in his home city since approximately 1986.
Whether you were there or not, we think you can agree that the following moments were highlights of the night.
When Snoop Brought Back the Classics
Photo and video by Keeley Smith.
Were you hoping for a little “Gin and Juice”? “Still Dre”? Maybe some “P-I-M-P”? Luckily, Snoop brought beat after beat of his top hits and more, opening up with “Who Am I” in a white track suit and swerving his hips before calling on everyone to raise their hands. Plus a few jams in homage to those Compton boys—namely, a tribute to Easy-E and the Notorious B.I.G. All we can say is Snoop’s set list = FIRE.
When Snoop Exchanged Notes and Rhymes with OT Genasis
Photo by Keeley Smith.
Do people forget that OT Genasis, that rapper “in love with the ‘CoCo,’” is from Long Beach? We do sometimes. But Snoop Dogg’s here to remind us that Genasis is indeed a Long Beacher—and one with a strong stage persona at that. While he didn’t provide a rendition of “Coco,” his “Push It” featured heavily for the brief time he was onstage, and he assisted Snoop with an energetic swagger.
When Snoop Swerved and Shimmied
Photo by Asia Morris.
Snoop had all the feels. He rocked. He rhymed. He swerved. He jived.
Well, maybe he didn’t jive. But he definitely grooved to his hits with the occasional goofy shimmy and self-satisfaction that comes from his years as one of Long Beach’s biggest legends. He was all smiles, and there’s probably nothing better than seeing a performer utterly enjoying himself.
When Snoop Called Pharrell Onstage
Posted by Long Beach Post on Monday, November 7, 2016
ComplexCon organizer Pharrell dashed onstage in the middle of Snoop’s set, to perform “Drop it Like It’s Hot” and “Beautiful,” to the immediate approval of the packed arena. Fans screamed and held their hands up on command. The two of them together—onstage—was an occurrence of late and a sight for sore eyes. It brought us back to 2003.
When Snoop Made a Touching Tribute to the LBC
Photo by Asia Morris.
Snoop closed out the night with some touching words for all of those in Long Beach. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t do something,” he said, citing his accomplishments as proof that anyone can achieve their dreams, no matter where they’re from.
He professed his love for Long Beach in serious, elegant tones. Then a slow beat picked up, and he asked the audience to sing along.
“This is why I want us to sing this,” he said. “…. so what we get drunk… so what we smoke weed..,” leading the arena through a rendition of “Young, Wild and Free.”
Only Snoop. The perfect mix of the profound and the amusing. We’ll be cherishing that concert for years to come.