Friday night Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa blazed a trail of great fun and vibes at the sold-out Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL for the Chicago stop of their current joint, High School Reunion Tour. That is the followup to their very successful The High Road Tour from nearly seven years ago. The title for the tour is a nice play on words and very appropriate for what can be described as the, “Cheech & Chong” of their time in Snoop & Wiz.
It was no surprise that there was a lot of weed smoke being blazed throughout the night, though it was a little bit of a surprise that it wasn’t as much as you would normally think of from such a crowd. Which saw some really great opening acts in Too $hort, Warren G, DJ Drama and Berner.
DJ Drama, who was also on Snoop & Wiz’s first joint, The High Road Tour. Once again kept the crowd live and rocking in between sets. Playing a little bit of today’s current hits, but leaning towards more of the classic Hip-Hop we grew up on and love so much. To satisfy a crowd that was pretty diverse, but also more lean on probably people closer to the older 30s plus side, like myself. Drama definitely showed and proved to many like he did on the first tour that he can actually DJ and isn’t just your regular mixtape, DJ, who just shouts over tracks all the time.
Coming from the line of weed aficionados also from California. Berner, opened the show. With a rather short set that I actually myself missed due to being in line for food. The only opener I really wasn’t up on or knew much of his music, if even any. I actually wasn’t really mad or didn’t really care about having missed his performance.
Up next to the stage was the living legend and one of G-Funk’s pioneers, Warren G. Who came running to the stage in an all black “Regulators” t-shirt with matching black pants. As he brought that fun, “G’d up sound” while performing his hit retrospective single, This D.J. Letting fans know right away he was ready to have a fun and good time. Performing some of his great laidback feel-good music a lot of us grew up on and love so much. Like his hit single, I Want It All, featuring Tha Dogg Pound, from his very stellar, yet still somewhat underappreciated third solo album of the same name. Plus the somewhat not as well known Nate Dogg collaboration, Do You See. Taken from Warren’s classic debut solo album, Regulate… G Funk Era. Warren would also bring out The Twinz to perform their standout collaboration, Recognize. Letting Warren take a break as, The Twinz, also performed a few solo cuts from their very underappreciated debut album, Conversation. Warren would also show love to the late great, Nate Dogg, of their crew, 213. Asking the crowd to show love to Nate, as he performed Nate and his hit, Nobody Does It Better. Among a cover medley of Nate Dogg featured hits ranging from 21 Questions to See the Same Ho*s, and Gangsta Nation. Warren G would then of course close out his set with his forever timeless and classic certified hit Grammy Award-nominated single, Regulate, featuring Nate Dogg. Which everyone so loudly and proudly rapped and sang along to. Everyone rapped and sang along to Warren’s other records, but of course it was Regulate that got the most love with it still being his biggest hit record nearly 30 years later.
Another legendary and iconic Westcoast Hip-Hop pioneer, Too $hort, would take the stage next. Starting off with his biggest hit to date, Blow the Whistle. You know Short Dogg laced in all black Givenchy t-shirt and jeans had to let everyone know right away what his favorite word, “Btch!” Already in his fourth decade rapping. Short’s very explict and even at times controversial lyrics spans generations. So you know he had everyone rapping along with everything from Shake That Monkey to Get In Where You Fit In and Freaky Tales. The Westcoast Hip-Hop pioneer even at one time asking, “Is there any players in the house?” Before going into one of his biggest and most well known singles even till this day, I’m a Player. Short would say at one point too about how it isn’t just men who want things from women, but women themselves also wanting to do certain things with their men. Before he went into, Don’t Fight the Feelin’. Short would say how much he appreciates the Chicago area and all of Illinois has supported him throughout his legendary career since he first started and even till this day. Before closing out with another one of his biggest and most recognized hit records, Life Is …Too $hort.
After a brief break Wiz Khalifa would then come out for his set. Getting the energy going right away as he kicked off with his hit single, Black and Yellow. That the crowd so emphatically rapped and sang along to. As Wiz then went through many of his other hits such as Roll Up, Bake Sale, No Sleep, Taylor Gang and On My Level. Knowing it being the Chicago area, you know the Taylor Gang rep had to show a lot more love to the GOAT of basketball as he went into a cover of the Mike WiLL Made-It single, 23, that he is featured on. During his performance of Taylor Gang, Wiz, also brought out his son. Who was among a group of younger kids catapulting blow up rolled up joints to the crowd. A nice little thing to see during that portion of the performance too was him and his son without shirts on spraying each other with water at times and even doing their own little hand shake. Wiz also performed his most recent newest single, Peace and Love. That he released back in March.
A good portion of the crowd as you would expect was probably most excited for Snoop Dogg. Who after a brief completely blank screening of the stage and video monitor playing the performances. Came out as a sea of smoke everywhere on stage and a Cadillac also emerged on to the stage with Snoop coming out of it, as a dramatic movie like sounding backdrop played. The Doggfather then getting everyone in the crowd screaming and rapping along. As he kicked off his set with a medley of the two biggest Dr. Dre guested hits he has been a part of, The Next Episode and Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang. In between asking the crowd if they had love for the late great Westcoast great Eazy-E. Before doing a cover of Boyz-n-the-Hood. Visuals of palm trees and houses with streets like in California were on the back dropped screens above. Snoop would then bring out, The Lady of Rage, for, The G Funk Intro, from his certified classic debut album, Doggystyle. As Rage left, Warren G, then coming back out, as Snoop and him performed, Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None). Snoop would have part of the music video playing as he performed, Murder Was the Case. Giving love to all his lady fans, the Westcoast legend and icon, would then go into his more female centered records like, Beautiful and Sexual Eruption. As well as a cover of Akon’s, I Wanna F*^k You, that Snoop is featured on. With strippers coming and doing their moves on stripper poles that were set up on stage. Snoop would ask if anybody had love for the late great, The Notorious B.I.G. as he showed love to Biggie by having Hypnotize play. Right before also showing love to his falling friend and fellow Westcoast great, 2Pac with a performance of their certified street hit collaboration, 2 Of Americaz Most Wanted. Snoop would then appear to close out with his forever timeless and classic hit single, Ginger and Juice. Leaving the stage after that.
Of course not even a few short minutes after that a video of an animated movie with Snoop and Wiz would play on-screen. With a hilarious talking joint. As they were both getting high and would then emerge on stage together in a Cadillac for an encore performance with Wiz performing, We Dem Boyz. Snoop back on his Death Row Records Snoop Doggy Dogg ish. As he performed, Who Am I? (What’s My Name?). That had the whole crowd very convincingly singing and rapping along to every word of the very memorable sing-along hook of, “Snoop Doggy Dogg.” Snoop and Wiz no longer in the Caddy would tell everyone to get up and jump around as they then did a very energetic cover of House of Pain’s forever timeless anthem, Jump Around. A video of Pharrell coming on-screen as he did a hilarious talk about the crowd following certain instructions for Snoop. Right before Snoop then performed his & Pharrell’s hit single, Drop It Like It’s Hot. That everyone in the crowd so easily rapped and sang along to the very memorable and catchy lyrics. Things would get to a very somewhat sad, but also reflective moment as Snoop and Wiz asked everyone to dim any lighters and/or cell phones they had throughout the packed amphitheatre. As Wiz performed his smash-hit record from Furious 7 with See You Again. A montage on screen names of many of the great entertainers we have lost throughout the year’s. Such as Paul Walker, Kobe Bryant, Nate Dogg, MF DOOM, A$AP Yams, Chinx Drugz, Capital Steez, and Chicago’s very own, King Von. Plus many others like PnB Rock, Takeoff, Pop Smoke, Nipsey, DMX, another one of Chicago’s very own, Juice WRLD and finally Mac Miller. The strippers that were out for Snoop’s performance of Drop It Like It’s Hot, would then re-emerge. Dancing right next to the Caddy, as Snoop and Wiz at the front of the stage went out with the perfect feel-good sendoff in their collaboration, Young, Wild & Free. As all of the crowd so seamlessly rapped and sang along with them. To the end the night on a high note.