While his “Doggumentary’’ album is due out in March, Snoop featured material from it only on videos shown on the arena’s mid-rink scoreboard before the rapper materialized to sing his hits. The general admission crowd of a few thousand closed in on the stage so the oversize venue didn’t feel empty, even for local opener Aziz.
Snoop kept his show simple, jamming with just his DJ and a few back-up MCs from his Doggy Style records label. Wearing a UMass Lowell hockey jersey and clutching a jewel-encrusted microphone, Snoop got the party started with “I Wanna Rock,’’ a boast from 2009’s “Malice in Wonderland’’ CD.
With a relaxed lyrical flow than can flash both warmth and menace, Snoop moved with a mellow but deliberate plan. The early goings played up Snoop’s partying persona as he dipped into “Kush,’’ a pot anthem from the forthcoming Dr. Dre record, and his own ode to a drink of choice, “Gin and Juice.’’ He chiseled his bits from Dre’s “Next Episode’’ and 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.’’ into solid free-standing raps. Then Snoop went after the ladies with a couple of his more explicit come-ons, conjured on record with R. Kelly and Akon.
Snoop’s sleek and seductive turns through “Sexual Eruption’’ (or “Sensual Seduction’’ if you buy your music at Wal-Mart) proved he can still compete in the Kanye-era of hip-hop. But his tributes to Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., and a cameo by fellow West Coast rapper Warren G. for a work-up of “Regulate’’ suggested that Snoop isn’t about to abandon his roots simply to stay current.
Snoop cranked up his finale by first busting out the House of Pain’s “Jump Around,’’ then his own club anthem “Drop It Like It’s Hot.’’ Snoop exited on the bounce of his own audio signature “Who Am I (What’s My Name).’’
More than once, Snoop checked the audience’s pulse, getting roars of approval when asking if they were having a good time. Yet it’s hard to imagine that anyone was having as good a time as the guy on stage.
Scott McLennan can be reached at smclennan1010@gmail.com.
