"FUCK YOU", rang out in choral unison at Richmond's Landmark Theater Friday night. With Weezy F. Baby leading the almost riot like crowd in an obvious mark of disdain at two thousand openers mumbling over the same T-Pain track, two hosts that muttered the two words "Weezy" and "Ladies" over fifteen hundred times with little to no effect, and a DJ who, I presume, grabbed two twelve hundreds for the first time the day of the show, the night seemed bound for the history books. And a special fourteen day witch hunt led by Bill O'Reilly. However, after the DJ found out how to work his Playskool "My First Turntable" Wayne did make history. His performance pushed him onto the top of my list of the best live performers that I have ever witnessed. Obviously upset and emotionally drained after his trying day in a Yuma, Arizona court, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. left his heart, voice, and soul on the stage in Virginia. After suffering through four hours and forty-eight minutes of "Dem Franchize Boyz" cover bands, Birdman Jr. laid down the best live performance that I have ever seen.
I have heard rumblings that Lil Wayne's performance left Richmond concert goers unsatisfied, however, the people that sat through the long delay were treated to a great show, and real Wayne fans definitely got their money's worth. Wayne flew in after a court hearing in Arizona, there was nothing that he could do himself to get to Richmond faster. If you left the show early, you missed something special, otherwise praise his grand performance and accept the long delay as a necessary occurrence. If any animosity should be voiced, it should be towards the concert promoters and hosts for their complete and utter failure at properly managing this situation. Telling the audience members (like myself) that Wayne was in the building, while he was three thousand feet in the air, is plain rude, inconsiderate, and belittling. Give credit, where credit is due, and blame where blame is due.
I am no stranger to the arena of live hip-hop, I would even go so far to call myself a "connoisseur" of real live rap shows. I have had the pleasure of seeing countless hip-hop wordsmiths, rip microphones leaving thousands of spectators gasping for air, unmoving, and almost unable to comprehend that mastery of the English language that was just put on display, yet I have seen no one as good live as Lil' Wayne. From a vicious freestyle, to a shirtless devouring of "Best Rapper Alive" to a wailing guitar solo on "My Leather's So Soft" Wayne did not fail to amaze me. Lil Wayne garnered much respect for performing at all in Richmond, but solidified himself as a God for what he did on stage. You better catch Wayne while you can, because Weezy is worth it, because after that intoxicating performance, "I Feel Like Dying".
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