Machine Gun Kelly, Lloyd, and Far East Movement had the unfortunate task of opening the show while most of the audience was still trickling in. Keri Hilson had the hits (“Love Comes Around,’’ “Real Woman’’) to get people in their seats. Rick Ross stormed through his hits, from his breakout single “Hustlin’ ’’ up until cuts from last year’s “Teflon Don.’’
Before beginning his set, Wayne made a definitive mission statement: “I. Ain’t. [Expletive]. Without. You.’’
His performance reflected that deep appreciation; he stuck to a crowd-pleasing mix of his commercial hits and mix-tape cuts and avoiding most of the bad flashbacks from his lambasted “Rebirth’’ rock album.
Backed by a full band, he stormed through thrashing versions of “Got Money’’ and “A Milli,’’ then eased into freestyles from his “No Ceilings’’ mix tapes with an effortless focus that betrayed their lyrical complexity.
But, as he reminded the crowd early on, Wayne is a businessman, and his set’s momentum ground to a halt in the name of doing business. Bringing out Shannel, the newest R&B act on his Young Money label, achieved nothing except blank stares from most of the audience, and when Wayne returned, some of the crowd’s early energy had faded.
The second half of his set was uneven; he won back the crowd when performing on a catwalk lowered from the roof, then lost them again with “Lollipop,’’ “Ms. Officer,’’ and “I’m Single,’’ tracks that haven’t aged well, despite not being very old.
But the show was about pleasing fans, not pushing new boundaries. Weezy and his fans could do no wrong in each other’s eyes, and both parties left satisfied.
