Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Treat Fans to a Stellar Show in Los Angeles

Last night (May 11), three men walked onto the Honda Stage at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, Calif., looking decidedly different than when they first entered the public eye. The first was Big Boy, the Los Angeles radio institution who shed 250 pounds and, more recently, his longtime gig at Power 106. Then there was Pharrell, whose beats (crafted with Chad Hugo as The Neptunes) once rattled stolen car audio systems and the souls of those who dared cross Pusha T or Mystikal or Jay Z or Noreaga. Last, of course, was Snoop Dogg. Long Beach’s favorite uncle sauntered on stage, beaming the same smile he flashes on Ellen or with heads of state. Because unlike so many other artists, no matter how much the window dressing changes, Snoop Dogg is a constant.

He and Pharrell were there to promote Bush, their new album out today on Columbia Records, Doggystyle and I Am Other. After teaming up for a series of hits (“Beautiful,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot”) in the mid-2000s, the Long Beach-Virginia Beach connection finally yielded a joint full-length LP. Yet while Snoop is and always has been a superlatively talented rapper, Bush eschews rapping for long stretches, instead focusing on a fusion of 1970s funk and soul and the crisp metallic pop that Pharrell has perfected in his solo work. Last night, Big Boy kicked off the proceedings by asking the impetus for the album, and Snoop’s answer wasn’t surprising: “I wanted to take [Pharrell’s] direction; I wanted to be in the passenger’s seat.”

The pair traded stories about the recording process (the Neptune said he was so scared he wanted to “hide under the board” when Stevie Wonder showed up to the studio) and lavished praise on Charlie Wilson (Snoop: “If Pharrell and I were making records back when The Gap Band was, we would’ve been right there”). All told, they spoke with the radio host for 10 minutes before a live band took the stage, ready to back what was billed as a brief performance. But instead of playing a smattering of new material, plugging the album and calling it a night, Pharrell and (mostly) Snoop trotted out hit after hit. Daz and Kurupt joined him on stage throughout the night, running through work from the early 1990s and acting as hype men on everything since. It was mainlined Long Beach—slick, fluid rapping, jokes at stagehands’ expense, and, during “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” even Crip walking. Bush might be a sonic departure, but Snoop injects the songs with the same inimitable charisma he’s had since he was rocking Mario Lemieux jerseys. The OG delivered once again. —Paul Thompson

Setlist:
“I Wanna Rock”
“Tha Shiznit”
“P.I.M.P. (Remix)”
“Peaches N Cream”
“California Roll”
“So Many Pros”
“Drop It Like It’s Hot”
“Ups & Downs”
“Bitches Ain’t Shit”
“Next Episode”
“Nothin’ But a G Thang”
“Bitch Please”
“Pump Pump”
“You and Your Friends”
“Gin & Juice”
“I Wanna Fuck You”
“California Girls”
“Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)”
“2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”
“Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)”

Filed Under: Bush, iHeartRadio, live review, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg

Categories: News