Snoop Dogg Live At The Galaxy Theatre In OC Concert Recap

As reported by David Hall at the Orange County Register

At Thursday night’s (January 21) gig, however, a rare intimate show at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, the Long Beach rapper tested the patience and loyalty of his fans, in true hip-hop fashion, by failing to appear until five minutes till midnight –- nearly an hour after his scheduled set time.

Determined to win back the jeering audience, Snoop began by unleashing a pair of guest verses from gangsta rap favorites “The Next Episode” (off Dr. Dre’s 2001) and “P.I.M.P” (from 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Trying).

Without his usual band (the Galaxy stage could never accommodate such an extensive entourage), Snoop compensated by invoking the voices of old-school fans for some spirited sing-along support on “Gin & Juice,” reaching a wall-shaking climax as the rapper barreled straight into 2Pac’s street-life anthem “Hail Mary.”

Mid-set, as Snoop conducted another sing-along, this time to the chorus of Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,” I made a striking connection that I should have realized several Snoop shows prior: the bulk of his set lists are comprised of relatively few of his original songs. He may change the order of some tracks, but he generally plays the same guest verses and popular tunes, resulting in painfully similar commercial medleys.

As the annoyingly familiar chorus of “Sexual Seduction” droned on and on, I began to re-evaluate my reaction to the negative assessment of my peers. Just as I was about to concede the disappointing conclusion that Snoop has indeed fallen off, I was roused by the infectious beat of House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” a surefire crowd-winner in Snoop’s musical arsenal.

He commanded the audience to jump — and jump they did, surging relentlessly as he rounded out the set with the ever-popular “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” then a new, single-worthy track called “I Wanna Rock” and finally that household classic, “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”

As Snoop sashayed off stage in a cloud of blunt smoke, his sly grin reminded me why I could never admit that he “fell off”: I’d lost myself in the revelry of his smooth style and funk-laden beats, proving that nearly two decades after his debut on Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg is still one of the slickest MCs in SoCal.

more fan shot footage below.



Snoop Dogg at the Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana CA, Jan. 21, 2010

Set list:

Intro
Next Episode
The Shiznit
P.I.M.P.
Gangsta Luv
Gin & Juice
I Wanna F*** You
That’s That S***

Medley
Hail Mary (2Pac cover)
America’s Most Wanted
Snoop’s Upside Your Head
Sexual Seduction
Jump Around (House of Pain cover)
Drop It Like It’s Hot
I Wanna Rock
Who Am I (What’s My Name)?

Also read OC Weekly's Snoop Dogg concert review here:
OC Weekly - Snoop Dogg at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana

(video courtesy of immmjay)