4/1/15

Concert Report #1 Unaware of the crowd attraction that musical concerts around this area bring, I was pleasantly surprised at the "hype" of the upcoming X GAMES in Aspen, Colorado.
As I searched through who would be performing, I noticed two major names in the
Hip­Hip genre that I was very interested in attending. We chose to make the hour and a half drive from Grand Junction to Aspen in order to experience Snoop Dogg's concert.
Since Snoop Dogg had musically influenced all three of us throughout our lives, the anticipation to experience his presence in an outdoor complex was overwhelming. Speed walking to the entrance of the concert because we were late, we could hear the enormous base of the speakers trying to compete with the screaming roar of the crowd. Hundreds of young individuals who were all bundled in snowboarding attire to protect their skin from the frigid weather. They were jumping, vibing, and dancing to the fluent beat of two M.C.s lyrics. The energy of the concert was seen through the faces of the fans who we're enjoying every minute of the music. The lighting effects coming from the stage were insane. They were synchronized with all of the music and
DJ's instruments while also changing from multiple colors shooting through the crowd.

The bass from the speakers blared through the crowd, creating an loud atmosphere.
The treble was loud enough for us listeners to understand the lyrics and allow the two performers to be heard from a ways away. My mind was in awe once we finally made it to only five rows back of the front.
With a clear view of the idolized superstar Snoop Dogg, it was evident why is stature is respected among the music entertainment business. He was spot on with his rap lyrics, his movement was smooth and remarkable, and he interacted the the fans in ways I had never seen. When he would pause his verse his co­performer would pick up the beat and continue to keep the crowd impressed with their gangster culture. Most of the songs had the same sort of beat and layout, but varied with different catchy piano and drum instrument accommodations. In one of Snoop Dogg’s rock song remix of “ I Love Rock and Roll” the different guitar and electric guitar sounds were apparent. I noticed the bass guitar mixed with the heavy drum background really made up the song. Also the keyboard was definitely inevitable in the rock song. Snoop Dogg was hyping the song more than singing it, allowing the automated voice from the original singer, Joan Jett, to play over the speakers. In Snoop Dogg’s song “What’s My Name” the beat is carried by the drums and a heavy bass sound from a bass guitar throughout the entire song. His famous song originally performed with Tupac and Dr. Dre, “California Love” also had a distinct drums

sound. I also heard a high pitch sound by an electric guitar. An auto tune voice was present in this song. Throughout the whole concert Snoop Dogg referred to his DJ to begin his next song. The DJ began by making a beat and mixing it together with other sounds. Once the DJ began mixing, The background band members began playing. They included a drummer, two electric guitars, and a keyboard. All of these instruments were present in every song. In some of the songs certain instruments were more prominent than others.
Thats what I liked most was his ability to have the crowd moving and grooving to different beats and sounds of the keyboard, drums, and guitars during the entire concert. The auto tune was also catchy and made an interesting sound that caught my attention. The concert left everyone I could see with an amazing experience, including myself, that would be remembered for a lifetime. The outdoor scene, the lights, the music and the performance all combined to produce an environment most people would not turn down. I believe many of the people there probably were not primarily HIP­HOP listeners, but they all interacted with the moment as if they were the biggest fans in the world. In my mind that was the most amazing thing about the event. The ability of
Snoop Dogg and his crew to positively impact a large group of people with different backgrounds and cultures as them through music and dancing enlightened my beliefs. I

would definitely go to another HIP­HOP concert due to my experience with this one, for I will never forget this memory!