WERS 88.9 fm - Performance Wrap-Up: Blazed & Confused Tour

August 14th, 2009

sm4 Slightly Stoopid, Snoop Dogg and Stephen Marley came together for this summer's Blazed and Confused Tour. Stephen Marley opened the show, and his stage presence was like a breath of fresh air on the Comcast Center stage. His vocals were smooth and flawless with a sound very reminiscent of his father, Robert Nesta Marley. His first song "Mind Control," captivated as he gripped the mic and shook his head singing, "the truth is there for us to see, corruption of your thoughts destruction of your soul." The song was the title track off his Grammy winning solo album Mind Control (March 2007), which peaked at #35 on the Billboard charts. He was backed by a full band with drums, guitar, bass, and two backup singers. Marley covered classics from his father Bob, such as "Buffalo Soldier" and "Could You Be Loved," which brought forth a strong reaction from the audience. sm6

The backup singers' high energy and lively dancing kept the show moving with never a dull moment. One of the backup singers, Erica Newell, who did an interview for Rockers on 88.9 WERS a few weeks prior, had an amazing solo and her voice took command over the stage. The audience was captivated by the entire performance. When Stephen played "Iron Bars," a special guest took the stage, his brother, Julian Marley. They ended the set with his fathers "Redemption Song," with the audience singing along the lyrics, "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our mind."

sd5 Snoop Dogg, the embodiment of '90s West Coast gangsta rap, took the stage after Stephen Marley. The background of the stage was a huge self portrait of Snoop Doggy Dogg himself with "Tales From The Crip," written across the top. Fog machines billowed out puffs of smoke and fake stalks of marijuana plants garnished the stage and covered the drum set. Snoop came out to the sound of his live band jamming and flashing blue lights. By this time, the amphitheater, stretching out to the lawn, was packed with fans when Snoop opened his set with "The Next Episode." His personalized, diamond plated mic drew a lot of attention and admiration from everyone. He did his shuffle on stage and amped up the audience with a spray of Champaign. Snoop was backed, not by a DJ but by a live band which provided a smooth transition with the performances that came before and after him. The drummer did a nice job of taking the place of a DJ and backed up his mid-song hype sessions. Overall, Snoops swag-tastic performance had the stage lit up with energy and had the stadium lit up with lighters.

ss3 Slightly Stoopid, an underground reggae band hailing from San Diego, California, took the stage following the other acts on the bill with a great performance. Their sound, a fusion of acoustic rock, reggae, hip-hop, and punk was a great way to close the show. The group, which features Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Ryan 'RyMo' Moran (Drums), C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard), ss9 DeLa (Saxophone), and Oguer 'OG' Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) were all present in Boston and their die hard fans (known as Stoopidheads or Ese Locos) went crazy when they came on and opened with "Collie Man," - one of their more well known tracks. Their creative rendition of UB40's classic track "I Would Do For You," was unique and definitely one of the best songs, providing an opportunity for Miles unique vocal melodies to shine. They ended the show with a huge jam session with Snoop Dogg, and Stephen and Julian Marley as the crowd went wild. Some attendees may have came just to see Snoop Dogg, others with interest in Marley, but regardless of who got you in your seat, odds are you enjoyed everyone on the bill.