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Concert reviews Music

Under The Influence of Music Tour

WIZ KHALIFA, A$AP ROCKY, B.O.B and more as part of the UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC TOUR at the Molson Amphitheatre, Saturday, August 10. Rating: NNN


When A$AP Rocky appeared onstage at OVO Fest on Monday for performances of Fuckin’ Problems and Wild For The Night – fresh off his private jet after appearing at an event in New York less than three hours prior – he could barely get the words out legibly due to his obvious giddiness and enthusiasm. Which was fine for OVO. OVO is about Drake, and how many stars can blow your mind. More of a party, really, than a regular concert.

But I think, now, that’s just Rocky’s style. After an amped performance by Georgia rapper B.o.B – who actually ran into the stands and did a lap around the 200 section before crowd-surfing back onstage (very, very cool) – Rocky emerged to his debut album’s title track, Long Live a$AP, with that same breathless enthusiasm. But breathless, when you’re working with 16-bar poems, isn’t necessarily always a great thing. “Y’all in store for one of the wildest shows you’ll ever see?” asked Rocky. Well, it was wild, in a raw and unpolished way. It is charming and fun, and if you’re a Rocky fan, and an A$AP mob fan, you’ll smile for the duration. But 50 minutes is enough.

There were some good moments, like a performance of album standout One Train with tourmate Joey Bada$S who’s featured on the song. And for sure, we heard, at the end, the famous-three Rocky songs: Peso, Goldie and Fuckin’ Problems. But we heard all those (and most of the set) when he opened for Rihanna in March, too. And for him to become a headlining, touring act, he needs to learn the nuances of a proper set list. Some slower, more thoughtful songs like Phoenix or Suddenly would have been welcome changes of pace. And the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the A$AP mob might be more effective if held for the finale, or reserved for those members who actually contribute musically, like A$AP Ferg, who Rocky employed effectively at points throughout and even gave up his finale to: the hilarious, destined-to-be-club-banger Shabba, second single on Ferg’s upcoming debut.

So, Rocky would do well to study the stage presence and professionalism of top-billed Wiz Khalifa. I guess I forget how famous Wiz is. His lyricism is not exceptional and his songs are poppy, fun and clever, but not indelible. It is unlikely that a Wiz album will be on anyone’s all-time list. He’s like a more innocent, more lovable, less ridiculous Snoop Dogg, when that dog was in his day.

But day-ummm, is Wiz Khalifa a showman.

Of all the game’s top rappers – Kanye West, Jay Z, Drake, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, etc. – none has the onstage charisma of Wiz, whose incredibly lithe frame slithers about the stage, swans around with the mic stand, arches under the spotlight and positively bounces around on those stilts of his. Wayne comes close in je-ne-sais-quoi charisma, but falls shy. Wiz could be on Broadway, but for those body-coverting tats. His is not, like, the Beyoncé Knowles-type, hours-and-weeks-and-years-of-practice showmanship. But it’s the spirit of Bowie or Barbra or Gaga in an emcee. Strutting and posturing with intensity, he’s unselfconscious in his diva-ness, so very refreshing for the macho boys club of a rap tour such as this one. What he shares with Lil Wayne is the intense energy flow of appreciative love with the audience. And it’s all the more astounding when one considers just how exceptionally high the marijuana advocate is at all times.

Aside from a couple of icky plugs for his forthcoming shoe line with Converse, it was all good. The songs might be secondary to the man, but they played well: Work Hard, Play Hard, Up, a performance of Taylor Gang with Chevy Woods. The Weeknd surprised his hometown for the second time in a week by emerging for a duet of their tune Remember You. Wiz spends more time than most staying put at the mic stand and takes time and care with each song, so as to make it at least as legible as on the record and even more emotive. During On My Level, the guitarist shimmied up beside Wiz and while the former soloed, the latter played a convincing air guitar on his mic stand, both head-banging with gusto.

Predictably, both Wiz’s Taylor Gang and Rocky’s A$AP mob as well as the day’s earlier performers emerged for a giant dance-about before Wiz pushed that 11 p.m. curfew to the max, bringing his set to the 1.5 hour mark. But that’s the thing about Wiz, he makes the work-hard look play-hard. Effortless.

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