That was a lot of fun. Snoop and Ice Cube put on high energy sets, Cube sounds passionate and intense (he's probably well rested). MC Ren not so much, dude sounds old as fuck. Regardless, the NWA tracks were fire, Gangsta Gangsta was a nice surprise. Snoop had some great theatrics and brought out the MOTHERFUCKIN LADY OF RAGE who delivered a couple of great verses. Mostly kept to Doggystyle shit. The old guard held it down.
TDE is where the most of the problems were. Most of the artists only got 2-4 songs, with only Schoolboy Q getting a normal set for an opener (not a fan, but he was surprisingly entertaining). Ab-Soul was a little bitch boy and ducked out after 3 songs because he didn't like the crowd response. Axl Rose tier move right there. Jay Rock and, in an unlisted surprise, Isaiah Rashad were awesome in their short sets. That being said, it was a damn shame that none of them collaborated together in any capacity. No Jay Rock on Money Trees, no Kendrick on Collard Greens. That was inexplicable, considering they were standing a matter of feet away. Regardless, a good set of openers.
But I've got to say, Kendrick's set was one of the biggest disappointments I've ever experienced at a concert. He sounded fine enough, but all he did was sleepwalk through the usual GKMC tracks, then he tacked on a couple from TPAB (by far and away the highlights) and left. I'm starting to think TPAB is the new Pop; he sold less than he assumed he would and now he's ashamed of the record. Even chickenshit U2 plays their awful new music and has some pride about it. TPAB is one of the best and most acclaimed records in years and Kendrick acts like it doesn't exist because GKMC is a bigger seller. I don't even know what to say at this point. Dude acts like he's some divisive prophet but won't risk challenging his crowd with his new art. Oh, and NO SECTION.80. GKMC was the beginning and end of his career, apparently.
I'll pay to see him at his own show because I can't miss the opportunity to even hear 4-5 from such a wonderful album, but I think putting TPAB on the back burner in order to please the crowd is really hypocritical of a man that asks if we'll remain fans "if the shit hits the fan."
Ugh, I'll get it over it. I was just heavily anticipating the performance of one of my favorite albums in years and got i and King Kunta. Along with that set, there were some strangely absent guest verses, poor sound quality throughout, a full hour wait for the first act and, sadly, no Dr. Dre. I heard people complaining about that on the train. It didn't bother me all that much, but it all seemed a bit hollow without him.
So what could have been one of my favorite shows of all time was actually a bit of a dud. A series of low quality samples instead of the real thing. But I enjoyed myself enough that I would go see pretty much everyone at their own show. I hope Kendrick and Snoop come back soon on their tours and that Jay Rock drops an album soon so I can see him again.