Big Sean brought out some big guests during his second Hall of Fame concert ?namely, hip-hop superstars Drake and Nicki Minaj ? before a crowd of more than 12,000 fans Saturday night at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
It was the follow-up to his hugely emotional, triumphant performance at the Palace of Auburn Hills last December. The show didn't live up to its predecessor, but it showed Sean is a performer with a lot of heart, and that heart may be his signature.
The most lasting image from the concert wasn't a big time cameo, it was a moment Sean shared with his mom. He called her onto stage during "Memories" and the two embraced for a full minute on stage, maybe more. He talked in her ear and they laughed together like they were the only two people in the room, and he thanked her for encouraging him to pursue a rap career. He teared up after the performance, like he did at the December show, but this time he laughed it off. "Y'all not gonna see me cry no more," he said.
Sean's parents got a lot of love at the show; his dad came out early in the evening and joined his son on stage during "Fire." The entire show had a familial feel; other guests included Detroit rap clique Doughboyz Cashout, Detroit rapper Dusty McFly and Sean's Finally Famous cohorts Say It Ain't Tone and Earlly Mac.
But it was Sean's show and he carried it, fighting through a hoarse voice and several technical glitches that threatened to disrupt the flow of the concert. During opener "Nothing is Stopping You," either his microphone dropped out or he forgot the words, it wasn't clear which, and the video footage that was rolling during "Guap" went dead midway through the song, rendering his video screen behind him black. Drake's arrival, meanwhile, was stalled by a dead microphone, and Nicki Minaj's appearance came several minutes after it was teased and dismissed.
The Drake and Nicki cameos came at the end of the two-hour concert. Drake joined Sean on stage for "All Me," then rolled into his verse on Migos' "Versace" and finished with his own "Started from the Bottom," which Sean punctuated by stage diving into the crowd.
Drake's appearance sent fans, who were primed for a big special guest arrival all evening , into hysterics, and he returned the love by talking about summers spent in Windsor and trips to Detroit to pick up his father from the Greyhound station.
Nicki Minaj, who appeared for "Dance (A$$)" at the close of the show, coolly walked back and forth on stage, smiling and soaking up the audience's applause. She put in a minimum of effort vocally, rapping over a track (and barely rapping over that track, at that), but in the modern commerce of live hip-hop cameos, the appearance is everything. After performing their new song "MILF" together, Nicki -- in a long blonde wig and gigantic high heels -- talked about how genuine a guy Sean is, and the show wrapped on a high note.
The rest of the concert gave a hearty sampling of Sean's new "Hall of Fame" album, with most of the songs being performed. The driving "Fire," including Sean's charmingly sung outro, was a highlight, as was "Ashley," a heartfelt song about Sean's ex-girlfriend. "World Ablaze," on the other hand, came at the end of a long stretch of down tempo material, and Sean seemed drained while performing it. It was the lowest the energy in the crowd dipped the whole show.
"Burn," performed alongside DJ Mobeatz, was a high, and saw Sean jumping off the six-foot platform that housed his five-piece band. For most of the show the band was seen in silhouette against a bright red backdrop, and the placement of the lights made them look like characters from an 8-bit videogame. Visually the show did a lot with a little, with Sean rapping against a brightly lit video backdrop, also creating a cool silhouette effect for a large chunk of the show.
Sean spent a lot of time at his microphone talking about Detroit and its problems, as well as a good deal about personal inspiration and believing in oneself. Cynics might write off his words as corny, but Sean has proved himself to be a inspirational figure and a positive force in hip-hop. Not too many rappers would cry on stage, let alone do it twice. But Sean is doing things his way and carving his own path, and that might be what one day gets him into the hall of fame.
Source: http://www.detnews.com/article/20130901/ENT04/130901001/1030/rss43
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