CONCERT REVIEW: I Am Still Music Tour @ Susquehanna Bank Center 7/29

Lil Wayne performed for damn near two hours. Never have I seen someone in PJs so indefatigable.

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CONCERT REVIEW: I Am Still Music Tour @ Susquehanna Bank Center 7/29

POSTED: Monday, August 1, 2011, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Music Concert Review

Lil Wayne makes a statement

The show kicked off with Lloyd, who took me by surprise. On his new album, King of Hearts, Lloyd reached new heights vocally, as if he had something to prove. I wasn’t expecting him to best the album onstage, but he did. His voice was not only better live; he sang every melisma full out. Lloyd has got to be one of the most underrated vocalists in mainstream R&B. What’s it going take for this cat to get his due?

Far-East Movement took the stage at the perfect time, as more fans were filing onto the lawn. FM brings an extreme, high-energy party that gives their album title, Free Wired, renewed meaning. There’s so much color to their electro hip-hop mêlée, that it’s hard to notice that their clothes are monochrome. More on that tomorrow.

Keri Hilson gave a great show but left me with questions on her set list. She’s got a lot of songs, like “Breaking Point” and “Bahm Bahm,” that show off her pipes. She also has a bunch of songs and remixes that marry R&B vocal runs with the chase of hip-hop delivery, like her epic take on Soulja Boy’s “Swag On.” The Jeremihs, the Trey Songzes, the Chris Browns and the Ushers of the R&B are exploring that, but not too many women outside of Miss Keri. Those songs weren’t in the set. If there were something that only Keri can bring to the table, why would she leave it out of the live show? She danced all throughout and sounded great, but at the end I was slightly disappointed.

Before Rick Ross’ set, I kept thinking, Meek’s here too right? When Rozay walked out in a blue throwback Mike Schmidt jersey, I knew it was only a matter of time. Rick Ross glided through his hits before bringing out DJ Khaled and Meek Mill. Maybach Music did it big, and the crowd loved it.

Lil Wayne performed for damn near two hours. Never have I seen someone in PJs so indefatigable. He left the stage for bit to let Young Money protégé Shanell do a couple of songs, but other than that interlude, pumped out track after track. Speaking of Young Money, almost everyone except Drizzy was there, including Nicki Minaj who tore the roof off with “Did It on ’Em.”

LW performed two new songs from his upcoming Tha Carter IV, including an a capella version of “Nightmares of the Bottom.” It was the show’s penultimate number, before “6 Foot, 7 Foot,” with Corey Gunz on deck.

The I Am Still Music Tour is clearly Lil Wayne’s statement. I have no doubt that he sees himself as a future legend. Not only does he believe in his music that much, but he has no problem playing for two hours, skipping stones across his entire catalog and headlining a nationwide 40-city tour as if he hadn’t toured two months earlier. Two hours of music without spoiling the new album. He left behind some important reminders: One, there’s more to come. Two, at this point, basically everyone is willing to listen. In light of this, is anything stopping Wayne from the legendary status he seeks?

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