Headlining the Back to School Jam, also billed as “America’s Most Wanted Tour,” Lil Wayne, a.k.a. Weezy F. Baby, put on a show Thursday night at Fiddler’s Green that alternated between moments of energetic brilliance and sections that dragged on far too long.
The 26-year-old rap star had a near-sold-out crowd on its feet dancing and singing along for most of the set.
Lil Wayne, who has announced he’ll release a rock record titled “Rebirth” later this year, divided his set into three distinct parts, the first a rock-type segment that might have been at home on a heavy-metal tour.
During “Got Money,” Lil Wayne’s guitarist shredded a solo while pyro explosions rocked the front rows. The band also included a drummer, bassist, keyboardist and DJ.
The pyro displays continued during “Fireman,” when the flames shooting up on stage threw out heat felt back by the soundboard.
Rap/hip-hop has, against the odds, developed its own history, and Lil Wayne certainly seems aware of it, as he proved during a tribute to earlier rappers, including The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, doing one verse of a song by each.
During “Best Rapper Alive,” Lil Wayne strapped on an electric guitar and joined his band in playing Run DMC’s version of “Walk This Way.”
But as good as the first part of his set was, it started to drag midway when Lil Wayne brought out several of the rappers from his Young Money label, including Gudda Gudda, Tyga, Jae Millz and Nicki Minaj, the latter of whom sounded like how Aqua’s lead singer might sound if she turned “Barbie Girl” into a rap song. Gone were the shredding lead solos and tight bass and drums — replaced by a thunderous but monotonous dance beat from the DJ.
Lil Wayne found a groove again during the last part of his set, particularly on “Lollipop” and “Mrs. Officer,” although the sound was significantly different. Whereas the first part of the set sounded metal, the latter sounded more relaxed and in the vein of traditional hip-hop.
The bill also included Young Jeezy, who got the crowd going with “Soul Survivor.”
