Smooth. Mr. Dogg is one smooth fella – and I refer to him as “Mr.” to show the proper level of respect for this hip-hop and pop-culture icon. I had the good fortune of seeing Snoop perform at this year’s Penthouse Desire Superparty. The party was held on Saturday, February 2nd, the day before the Super Bowl, at the Venue of Scottsdale in “Old Town” Scottsdale, AZ. This was my first visit to the Venue, being from Boston, and only in town for the big game itself. Here’s the layout: it's set up in a New Orleans “French Quarter” style, with a long main dance floor flanked by faux-store or saloon fronts, complete with balconies overlooking the dance floor. The stage was at the far end of the street/dance-floor and the saloon fronts served as bars.
Snoop was the main attraction, well, at least, the featured performer of the party, and took the stage somewhere around midnight. I arrived at the party around 9:30, to an old-skool spinning, new-school splicin’ DJ, who was doing a fine job keeping the crowd lively. Granted, the good folks of Penthouse gave him some help. The party was open bar, all night long. And with the limited number of tickets available, it was never a long wait to get a drink. In addition to the DJ and open bar, two sets of girls kept the predominantly male crowd’s blood flowing. One set wore skimpy black outfits, earning their money by mingling with the crowd; flirting with older, flabby, pasty-faced men, occasionally taking a trip to the bar for them. The second set of ladies donned micro-mini, pleated skirts and brassières adorned with vertical stripes (a clever homage to football referees), along with six-inch platform boots. These referee ladies, or “go-go dancers” as I was told, danced in pairs on the stage and along the balconies, giving the crowg long looks of skin and curves.
After a couple hours with the DJ and dancers (and open bar), “rhythm+hue” artist David Garibaldi took the stage. He moved fast and painted faster, and within 30 or 40 minutes had painted portraits of Britney Spears, Beyonce, Mick Jagger, and Snoop on 6x8-foot canvases. He worked to the music and gradually moved the crowd’s attention from the “referees” to the stage, preparing us for the godfather of rap. The hip-hop star accepted by the main stream media. The man who made it cool to be high in public. The star of Entertainment Television’s “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood.” Snoop Doggy Dogg!
Snoop took the stage with two vocalists/rappers and his uncle June Bug, an old, funky dude with a popped-out shoulder. Snoop didn’t need 15 dudes running around and hyping the crowd; he controlled the stage, and the show, in his own laid-back, but still tough-enough-to-kick-yo-ass style. He was in top form and had the crowd moving from the beginning. Dancin’ in his own herky-jerky fashion, runnin’ through his hit list, he was clearly having fun. Nothing was forced, he never sent out the obligatory “wave your hands in air, c’mon, please wave ‘em” call desperate rappers use to get a lackadaisical crowd into it. At one point, he jokingly called out a guy for his goofy dance moves in the crowd – it was great. Uncle June Bug also took his turn interacting with the crowd, making eyes at the ladies in the front row, and showing off his (smoother than butter) moves. It was no abbreviated set - Snoop was on for at least an hour and a half. And it really just flew by. The lighting set up was respectable, but other than that there was nothing special in terms of production. Just good-old, smooth hip-hop, a well-stocked open bar, and a bevy of Penthouse Pets. The basics, really.
