The Snoop Dogg, Major Lazer and Flosstradamus Big Day Out sideshow was an opportunity for Brisbane punters to get up close and sweaty with some true giants of their fields.
Pioneering titans of the trap sound, Flosstradamus started proceedings with a set that was filled with rolling waves of bass so heavy it demanded your attention. Blending grimey EDM beats with a mixed bag of hip hop samples, both old and new, their set ignited a slowly building crowd proving that J2K and DJ Autobot are a new force to be reckoned with.
After such an exciting start to the night, anticipation was building as Diplo — flanked by fellow Lazers, Walshy Fire, Jillionaire and the Lazeretts — took to the stage dishing out whistles and Lazer money to the crowd. Diplo’s mission for the night? To work the crowd into a sweaty mass of heaving bodies all feeding off and participating in the highly sexualized show that is a Major Lazer live performance. Effortlessly blending signature tracks such as ‘Jah No Partial’ with joints from Diplo’s own portfolio and interludes from the likes of The Prodigy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Damien Marley and Skrillex, Diplo and his crew twerked, grinded, fired streamer canons, waved giant flags and zorbed across the crowd, leaving the audience in a sweaty, heaving mess.
With the bar set so high and the crowd worked up into a fine lather, Snoop Dogg had his work cut out for him. But in the laconic, laidback style that Snoop’s renowned for, he slowly entered the stage with his posse in tow, gracing the crowd with his signature grin and proceeded to dish out the rhymes as the crowd went nuts for the Dogg Father. Snoop didn't just stick to his bag of classic tracks, throwing in a 50 Cent cover and a House Of Pain interlude that led into 'Drop It Like It's Hot'. Snoop and his crew seemed a little flat after witnessing Major Lazer, but the crowd still appreciated what Snoop had to offer. In classic hip hop style Snoop blazed a fatty on stage, paid homage to his fallen comrades 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G and played his old school classics like 'What’s My Name'. Snoop Dogg rarely donned his reggae alias Snoop Lion with only minimal nods to his recent dabbling in reggae and dancehall.
The night ended with Snoop inviting the ladies in the crowd backstage, which saw a large majority of the women in attendance scale the barrier and follow him outback. Leaving the rest of us to depart the Areana wondering just what type of shenanigans were in store for those that disappeared backstage.
