There was not much evidence that Snoop Lion, aka Snoop Dogg, aka Snoopzilla, was serious about going reggae (as part of his 2012 conversion to Rastafarianism) when he performed at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino on Saturday, Jan. 11.
His first local performance since Coachella 2012 (when he played with Dr. Dre) was supposed to start at 8 p.m.; however, the show didn’t start until 8:45. Thankfully, what followed was well worth the wait: Snoop showed the enthusiastic crowd that he was still on top of his game.
After a lengthy intro performed by his full band and DJ, Snoop finally took the stage. He soon launched into “California Gurls,” performing his parts in the Katy Perry song. After getting the crowd dancing and grooving to “I’m Fly” and “Ups and Downs,” he transitioned into the classic material for which he’s best known.
The crowd gave him a loud reception when he went into “The Next Episode” from Dr. Dre’s 2001. “Gin and Juice,” one of Snoop’s biggest hits, easily received the crowd participation demanded by Snoop. Of course, no Snoop performance is complete without “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None),” which had his costumed mascot “Nasty Dogg” dancing around and stroking a long, furry appendage. (When Snoop finished the song, he told Nasty Dogg to “put it away.”)
The show’s biggest highlight was his tribute to Notorious B.I.G. with a cover of “Hypnotize,” followed by a tribute to 2Pac with “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” Considering Snoop’s involvement in the East Coast-West Coast feuds in the ‘90s that resulted in the murders of both Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, it was a touching tribute.
After a cover of House of Pain’s “Jump Around” (which, of course, Snoop ended on the line “I’m smacking the ho”), it was time for “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” I swore that I heard him say “pocket like it’s hot” from his recent Hot Pockets commercial once or twice.
Following the classic “Who Am I (What’s My Name?),” Snoop said it was time for one last song before he took off. After performing “Young, Wild and Free,” Snoop ended the show by saying, “I can’t go out like that” and screamed: “SMOKE WEED, MOTHAFUCKAS!” He then made his exit, waving to the crowd as Bob Marley’s “Jammin’” played.
After more than two decades in the rapidly changing rap game, Snoop still puts on an energetic and highly entertaining show that fans both young and old can love. Nothing from his recent reggae album Reincarnated showed up in the set list—although every other part of his career was represented—and he wasn’t decked out in Rastafarian garb like he was during some performances last year. It seems Snoop can’t escape his hip-hop roots, no matter how hard he tries: While he expermients with other genres of music, those roots always seem to find him again.