The Worst Concert Experience EVER

Every time I go to the concert I leave on this natural high thinking to myself that it was the BEST concert I had ever been to. Of all the bands and artists I've gone to see live, I couldn't pick out one favorite show as they all bring a unique experience.

Last night I went to see the I Am Still Music Tour featuring Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Travis Barker and Mix Master Mike. I can say without a doubt that this was the worst concert I've been to and I regret spending a large sum of money on. And before you go assuming that it was bad because it was a rap show, I must say that not all rap is crap and it wasn't the music that made this show so awful.

It started before we even got in. Door times pushed back an hour for some reason unknown to concert attendees. As is usual for spring in Alberta, we were stuck outside in freezing cold rain that was threatening to turn into snow. We wondered if we should go sit in the car until the new 8:00pm door time but decided we would end up standing outside longer at the end of the line and stayed put. We then learned the doors weren't opening until 8:30. An hour left in the rain without proper winter attire and a cold already pending was not an ideal situation for me. 

Sometime after 8 cheering was heard near the front and we all seemed to tighten up a little which meant we were close enough to be inside. But we still weren't getting in and  a few of the classy crew of characters that showed up for this event decided their time was better than everyone else's. Pushing and shoving, not always uncommon at concerts began and the event planner in me thought this would be the ideal situation for a disastrous crowd stampede to get inside. Thankfully that didn't happen and we made it in around 8:30.

It was another half hour before we were allowed to our seats. Rumor had it the crew hit bad weather travelling from Vancouver and the stage was still being put together. I'm wondering what the reasoning for keeping us outside was. Surely if they blocked us from the seats now they could have continued to do that for an additional hour! I was not impressed. 

Thankfully there's a Starbucks kiosk inside so I warmed up with a nice hot tea.

The show finally started an hour and a half behind schedule to an atrocious act known as Porclein Black. This chick was a terrifying mixture of stripper and strangled cat. Thankfully her set was cut short to one song due to the delay in show start. No complaints there.

Next up was half the reason I suffered through the cold to get inside: Travis Barker alongside Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike. Unfortunately their set was cut short too but they still showcased some Drum & Bass behind a boombox stage set up. Travis's drumming abilities will always amaze me and create a pit of envy that I could never bring my drumming stint up to his level. I was a little disappointed he didn't go to epic lengths to please the crowd as he did during the Blink 182 reunion tour in 2009 where his drum solo happened on a suspended, rotating platform. However, given the release of his first solo album, he has to go out and make a name for himself at the bottom of the barrel like all the rest. Soon my drumming idol will be flying high again.

Following those gnarly beats was Rick Ross. I don't even think I could have told you a single song he sang before the show and the only thing I could tell you about him afterwards was that he liked sex, drugs and money, typical rap stereotype. Again, thankfully THAT set was cut short as well.

Then it was time for the money. The Young Money crew that is. Lil Wayne in all his post-locked up glory graced the stage with his quick rhymes and throaty words. I almost forgot about being chilled to the bone and kept up past my bedtime. He nailed out a huge mixture of songs, eager not to disappoint the fans that waited so long to see him grace the stage. Just as the last time I saw him, pre-jail sentence, he rocked it. 

Pause for brief interlude.

Enter the atrocious Nicki Minaj. I don't get the hype over this girl. She may be more bizarre than Lady Gaga but without any sort of talent whatsoever. With an already shortened set, she wasted even more time by showcasing the retarded population of our province on stage in what was suppose to be her signature lap dance, but quickly turned into 'So You Think You Can Dance...Badly'. It was an embarrassment to watch and should have been ended much sooner than it was. Even more embarrassing was one of the camera man's discovering of one of Edmonton's classiest ladies in the audience showcasing her talent of clothing removal which was quickly becoming a live amateur porn. I was disgusting that this camera man continued to display such crude behaviour repeatedly on the big screens. If I really wanted to spend my good money watching a remix of 'Girls Gone Wild', I would have saved myself the trip to Edmonton and wait in the freezing cold to go to my local strip club. I paid good money to be entertained by live music. 

Thankfully Weezy returned to the stage for a bundle more songs, ranging from his newest single 6 Foot 7, to some of my favorites from his classic album Tha Carter III, and even the edgier Prom Queen which he busted out his guitar for. I could have done for the rest of the Young Money crew that was featured intermittently, there was just far too much auto-tune and not enough real music.

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All in all, while I enjoyed Travis' and Wayne's sets, I am disappointed with the way this event was exacuted and would have been ok skipping that show. What I did take back from this experience was alot to discuss with my classmates in my Event Risk Management class  and a nasty sinus cold.