A security guard near the soundboard informed fans that Wayne’s set time was pushed to 9:30 p.m., but he wasn’t sure why there was a delay. According to him, Dallas' curfew for events is 11 p.m., and if Wayne didn’t get off the stage by then, he would be charged $1,000 by the minute. Whether this was true or not, Wayne’s purported hour-and-a-half set was getting shorter.
When doors opened at 7 p.m., the line for Lil Wayne’s Welcome to Tha Carter Tour on this “Weezy Wednesday” in Dallas snaked around North Houston Street as people started filing into the House of Blues. The crowd was a mixture of Gen Z, millennials and older rap heads who have been Wayne fans during his days with hip-hop group Hot Boys. There was no opener besides a DJ who played a lot of Drake (naturally, as Drizzy is Wayne’s protégé) while wisely playing Dallas hip-hop songs from the late MO3, BigXThaPlug, Big Tuck, Young Nino and Hot Boy Star, and Treal Lee and Prince Rick.
If you’re a Wayne fan, you can surmise that the "Best Rapper Alive," who's reached rock-star levels of fame, shows up when he’s ready. The sold-out crowd has filled the room to capacity at this point, some even wearing the tour merch of vintage Wayne photos throughout his Tha Carter albums era with a message on the back of their T-shirts that read, “General admission, not for resale.” Ironic considering that verified resell tickets were going for $500 and more.
As if anyone was questioning it, Lil Wayne showed Dallas why he's consistently named one of the best rappers in the world.
Mike Brooks/Courtesy of House of Blues
“Sorry for the wait,” he said shortly thereafter, cleverly dropping the name of his 2011 mixtape Sorry 4 the Wait while showing his appreciation for fans who patiently waited for him. What immediately jumped out about Wayne's performance of songs from Tha Carter series was his gratitude for being in the game for so long. It showed at the end of every song, as he said “Thank you” to the audience, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed throughout his intimate performance.
“Number 1 is, I know we all ain’t shit without the love from above,” Weezy said, running through his standard three things we should know about him. “Number 2 is, I know I ain’t shit without you. Number 3, is a very important one. If you don’t remember shit about tonight, please remember number 3: ‘I ain’t shit without you.’ Ya dig?”
Wayne recognizes he’s older now. At 40, he has outdone himself in every era of hip-hop since he debuted at the age of 12. He’s also had a hit record, recitable verse or mixtape deep cut you grew up listening to, creating a special connection to your earliest memories of when you heard it for the first time. He made sure to shout out both “day-one fans” and the “word-for-word fans,” who didn’t miss a line on songs such as “Blunt Blowin,” “La La” and “3 Peat.”
“Those words mean a lot to me. I appreciate y’all,” he said of the crowd’s screams.
The Welcome to Tha Carter Tour comes at a time when Wayne is still very much in the conversation for the greatest rappers of all time. When Billboard and VIBE released their joint list of 50 best rappers in February, it sparked so much debate online that Wayne even had to chime in about his own placement at No. 7.
Wayne appeared grateful at his Welcome to Tha Carter Tour on Wednesday night.
Mike Brooks/Courtesy of House of Blues
Weezy showed Dallas why he should own the first spot on any rap list. For someone who's been at the top of the mountain for so long and influenced generations of rap artists, it’s impressive that Wayne still looks like he’s having fun. His nearly 40-song setlist is curated to be enjoyed live and perfect for playlisting to relive it again. The songs were a journey through the Tha Carter series, one-off singles from his lesser-known albums and mixtapes.
Fans got to see Wayne march back and forth during the hook of “Blunt Blowin,” nod in agreement with 2 Chainz’ proclamation that all his homies are “rich as fuck,” and show off his dance moves during “The Motto,” which has become a highlight of the tour. As many times as he has performed these songs live, his pure enjoyment and swagger were irresistible.
Rarely was Wayne phoning it in, but you could tell he was having some difficulty performing “Comfortable.” When Wayne sang Babyface’s part, it came off a little cringey without Auto-Tune. Early Tha Carter tracks such as “BM J.R.” and “Hustler Musik” didn’t have the same emotional reaction as “Drop the World” or “How to Love” — though the latter is his worst song ever, yet this Dallas crowd was really into it. Songs such as “Cannon” and “Go DJ,” that should’ve gotten bigger pops, didn’t get them here. Instead, it felt like this crowd mostly wanted to hear the arena bangers over the songs that made him a household name.
Just as Wayne was approaching the second half of the show, he paused to introduce the next wave of Young Money artists who each got to perform two songs. Wayne’s ear for talent has been proven by Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga, who became their own success stories. These acts were unpolished with the potential to compete with the current generation of rappers.
Out of Dallas was Lil Twist, a longtime student of Wayne’s, who performed with Yaj Kader and Allan Cubas. Jay Jones got the best crowd reception after they applauded him for rapping a capella. When Wayne returned, it was all gas no brakes. He unleashed Mixtape Weezy with “Shoes,” “Surf Swag,” “Ride 4 My N***as,” and “YM Wasted.” “I’m Me,” a leaked track from Tha Carter III Sessions, was random enough to be unexpected, but it sounded great. Wayne could easily do a B-sides concert with his mixtape songs alone.
The rapper went a little past 11 p.m. He didn’t seem to care about any curfews or potential fines. After wrapping up the guest features of his set, which included a crisp take of his post-Grammys performance of “God Did,” he readied “Steady Mobbin” before taking the crowd home with “A Milli,” the single off his best-selling album Tha Carter III, which turns 15 later this year.
“I apologize for the wait,” Wayne said. “But I appreciate everyone who stayed.”
