Lil Wayne wants to be a rock star in a really big way.
Never mind that the man born 26 years ago in New Orleans as Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. is already the most popular and prolific hip-hop star in the land. And never mind that he scored the best-selling album of 2008 in any genre with "Tha Carter III," which sold nearly 3 million copies and earned him a field-leading eight Grammy Awards, including one for Album of the Year.
Because Weezy, as he is fondly known by fans, clearly has his eyes set on a more rocky path, in both senses of the word. Accordingly, his eye-popping concert Tuesday night at SDSU's Cox Arena featured enough explosions and bursts of flame to rival Metallica's sold-out show at Cox in December.
There was so much pyrotechnic razzle-dazzle at times, on stage and on the multiple LED and video screens behind and above it, that the titles of at least two of the songs Wayne energetically performed -- 1999's "Da Block Is Hot" and 2005's "Fireman" -- almost seemed redundant.
Moreover, rather than simply relying on a record-spinning DJ or two to produce his live musical accompaniment, as has long been de rigueur for most rappers on stage, he also featured a hard-rocking four-piece band that was ably anchored by Elephant 6/Gnarls Barkley bassist Heather McIntosh.
And, rather than have the band almost completely hidden from view, as Kanye West opted to do on his 2008 "Glow in the Dark" tour, Wayne had his four band members and DJ each perform on separate metal platforms that could rise as high as 20 feet above the stage.
This enabled all five to drop down or rise up, sometimes several times during the same song. It was a novel approach that was alternately inviting and distracting, initially clever but less interesting and effective as the show progressed.
The same might be said of Wayne, who was by turns riveting and indulgent, electrifying and erratic, on the second-to-last date of his modestly titled "I Am Music" tour. His performance followed a lively turn by the rap-rock band Gym Class Heroes, two songs by East County's Dago Braves and an energetic but inconsequential 14-minute set by the unbilled El Cajon Tex, the Dago Braves' protege.
Wayne, who only a year ago was headlining the 1,000-capacity House of Blues nightclub in downtown San Diego, exuded charisma from the moment he popped out --. literally --. from beneath the stage.
At his best, the diminutive rapper easily held the rapt attention of the enthusiastic audience of 6,800 at Cox, which holds twice as many when full. He opened strongly with "Mr. Carter" and "Money On My Mind." He concluded with the rousing "A Milli," on which he rapped behind a cannonlike flamethrower before showing a clip from the Martin Lawrence sitcom "Martin," after which Wayne sang the chorus of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."
The problems came in between, especially when Wayne left the stage several times to change clothes. It was a momentum-killing move, especially since the lulls were taken up by, in order, a dance sequence, an array of at best so-so acts signed to Wayne's Young Money record label, and a DJ set.
Wayne happily shared the stage for vocal duets with Keri Hilson and Drake,
who both crooned with unconvincing results. He twice "played" an electric guitar, but it was inaudible. And he debuted "Prom Queen," a sub-marginal song from his upcoming first "rock" album, which was so lame as to suggest that Lil Wayne might do well to count his blessings as a rapper -- and simply leave it at that.
source : street
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