Snoop Dogg lights up the joint in Fargo

Kelly Junker

Contributing Writer

Snoop Dogg's sellout concert Tuesday night at the Fargo Civic proved there is a market for hip-hop on the east side.

Of North Dakota, that is.

About 3,000 young adults turned out to see their Long Beach hero's Puff Puff Pass tour. Unfortunately, the Fargo fans had higher expectations of Snoop than Snoop had of performing in Fargo.

After a warmup by local artists J Sauce, Sativa, DJ Sol and Casey, Snoop hit the stage at 9:30 p.m. with no introduction, which is odd for an artist of his caliber.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fargo," Snoop told the crowd after opening with "Murder was the Case." Snoop said he would primarily feature tracks from his 1993 CD Doggystyle, which ironically was very popular among people who also watched "Saved by the Bell" religiously.

Snoop had the crowd hanging on his every word, captivating them when he announced that he would pay tribute to the late Tupac Shakur with "Ain't Nothin' but a Gangsta Party." "This is dedicated to Fargo 'cuz I love y'all," the rap icon said. "Say we love you, we miss you. Say, everybody in the house love 2 Pac." 

It was very amusing to hear the crowd spitting out lyrics simultaneously with Snoop, especially those about murder, guns and bullets. The biggest fear most people had growing up in the Upper Midwest was whether or not someone would steal their lunch money.

In his short 50-minute set, Snoop performed his songs very abruptly, as if they were medleys. After about three minutes of songs such as "Serial Killa" and "Pump Pump," he would just stop and move on to the next one. About 10 people comprised Snoop's stage entourage, with a noticeable absence of fly girls that would have nicely complemented popular favorites like "Lodi Dodi."

There were very few theatrics. It was all about the music, premixed onto a CD and played for the crowd while Snoop set words to it. There was even an absence of rumbling bass, as you could easily have a conversation with the person standing next to you. Had he known that he would be so warmly received, Snoop might have unloaded a few more semi trailers.

What there wasn't an absence of was marijuana, whether from Snoop Inc. onstage, or the unmistakable aroma resonating from the open floor auditorium. 

Before the final curtain, Snoop said, "I want y'all to put your fingers in the air and say peace, 'cuz that's what the world needs now is peace." Oddly, the same guy who is calling for peace also sang about a 1-8-7 on a police officer, as Fargo's finest blanketed the arena.

It was great to see Snoop Dogg perform in a region dominated by mullet music. He was very appreciative of the response and held the audience in the palm of his hand. It is just unfortunate that his songs were short, his performance lasted less than an hour and he failed to prove his ability to entertain as well as many other performers of his status.