Snoop Dogg put on a show to remember in the grand finale of his 'I Wanna Thank Me' tour when he came to Birmingham last night Sign up to our email newsletter for daily updates on what's happening in and around Birmingham We have more newsletters No matter who you are or where you come from, chances are you would have heard the name Snoop Dogg, such is the level of fame the
American Rapper has achieved. The 51-year-old rose to fame in 1992 on Dr. Dre's single 'Deep Cover' and has become an icon of the genre in the years since. The Dogg Father has gone on to release nineteen studio albums, but his latest tour is named after the seventieth album 'I Wanna Thank Me'. Despite the album being released back in 2019 the tour has been extremely delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so thousands of fans poured into Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Tuesday night full of anticipation for the long awaited show. And they would have to remain patient, as Snoop himself was the final act of the evening following a long line-up of supporting artists including
Irish rap duo Versatile and hip hop supergroup D12. Versatile felt like a strange inclusion, given how different their
music sounded to Snoop's retro hip hop vibe, but the pair did perform a special rendition of Gangsta's Paradise in honour of the late Coolio, which was a nice touch. Read more: Elton John in Birmingham review - 'an emotional farewell to a true legend of music' D12 were much closer to the Snoop's genre of music and put on the perfect preview show immediately before the main event, setting the mood for the eclectic fans filling the venue. It was a really diverse group of music lovers present, with older fans from Snoop's early days in the industry returning to watch their childhood idol perform classic tracks, to younger groups eager to catch a glimpse of the legend and soak in his biggest hits. Perhaps unsurprisingly, even when it came time for the man himself to come out on stage, he was delayed. The hushed panic grew in the crowd which had already had to endure an agonisingly long wait to see their hero, but after a 20 minute delay the superstar finally took to the stage and the show truly began. Snoop Dogg arrived late, but it was well worth the wait And what a show it was. It's easy to forgot how many great tracks Snoop has either produced or featured in over the years, but the setlist was packed with bangers. From features like
California Gurls, All I Do Is Win, Wiggle and Jump Around, to classics such as The Next Episode, Nuthin' But A "G" Thang, and Young, Wild & Free, the singalong anthems were endless. Snoop Dogg himself is a born performer and regularly got the crowd hyped up and involved them in chants. He opted for a minimal stage set too, simply having four pole dancers strut their stuff whilst Snoop casually swaggered around busting rhymes and smoking up. That was one aspect of his persona I was surprised he didn't try to censor in any way as the rapper, regularly associated with the 420 scene, openly smoked on stage throughout his performance. Hilariously he even took a self proclaimed 'smoke break' halfway through his hour and a half set, leaving his DJ to keep the crowd's energy going during this lull in proceedings. It was an awesome atmosphere in the arena, although I found it funny watching reactions from the crowd around me in the standing area to different tracks. Due to the range in the rapper's catalogue it was hard to appeal to all his various fans at once, but the Californian's charisma held it all together and kept the whole room entertained. Snoop ended the evening with a slower, piano rendition of Young, Wild & Free and managed to get the whole arena to sing along. The anthem was the perfect ending to a great evening and I could still hear fans singing the iconic the track as I joined the hordes that flooded to the train station afterwards. For the thousands who had eagerly awaited Snoop Doggy Dogg's return to Birmingham, the night of vibes, humour and huge tunes was surely worth the wait. The 20 minute delay certainly had me worried, but the legend's presence alone, combined with a plethora of banging records, created a special performance for Brummies to remember. READ NEXT: I went to see Loyle Carner at Birmingham's O2 Academy and it was full of life lessons Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds tickets for Birmingham gig on sale soon - how to get yours The Chemical Brothers bringing world-renowned live show to Birmingham New Street Odeon's fantastic gigs list from 1980 that reads like the best ever I went to see The K's at O2 Academy2 and even they were impressed by rowdy crowd