Lil Wayne at Fiddler's Green
Cash rules everything around Lil Wayne, and it's also made Weezy F. Baby a tremendous bore. It was clear as he strutted onstage last night at Fiddler’s Green that, in the year since his last performance in Colorado, his star status has grown so much that he’s lost much of the genuineness that made him great in the first place.
With strips of overbearing LED screens stacked to the sky and a full band behind him, Wayne dribbled out shortcut versions of “Got Money,” “Mr. Carter,” and “Fireman,” the spotlight weighing heavy on his signature golden jaws. Wayne seemed happy to be in the moment, but a lack of focus on his usually enjoyable raps sucked the air out of the evening, presenting an hour-plus set of flashiness and lackluster entertainment.
A guest appearance by Birdman for “We Takin’ Over” was a welcome—albeit predictable—surprise. But the never-ending train of one-line cameos from the Cash Money Records roster was exhausting, as Wayne introduced Lil Chuckie, T-Streetz, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Tyga, and Nicki Minaj each for a turn on the mic. Mack Maine was also on stage for a majority of the evening, helping Wayne out through the Carter III-heavy set with songs like “Comfortable,” “Mrs. Officer,” and “Lollipop,” along with “Always Strapped,” “Kush,” and “Pop Models.”
The pyrotechnics, booty-slapping line of dancers, double stripper-pole action, pretend guitar-playing, and an expected video tribute to Tupac, Biggie, and MJ, though it should have been amusing, hung over Wayne’s performance like a fat, green cloud of boredom. The only redeeming portion of the set came when Wayne cut the bullshit and actually rapped, allowing the twists and folds of his words to release from his sleepy growl, but those moments were few and far between. Last year was an impressive showcase of Wayne’s irresistible swagger and jaw-dropping power on the mic. This year, that Wayne was nowhere in sight.
