Let’s start with the byline, which probably looks unfamiliar: Hi, I’m IndyStar’s new pop culture reporter. If you’re into music, movies, TV shows, books, celebrities and all the art and culture Indianapolis has to offer, we’re about to get to know each other really well.
In that vein, let me explain why I chose Lil Wayne for my first review. As most critics, branded T-shirts and Wayne’s DJ T. Lewis will tell you, Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive. And he’s the backbone to some of the definitive party music of the 21st Century. There are few things in this life that thrill me like a great artist and a great party, so this was a no-brainer. I headed out to Ruoff for the same reason fans packed arenas to watch Michael Jordan play when he rocked a Washington Wizards jersey.
I wanted to see a superstar be a superstar, and around two-thirds of the way through Lil Wayne’s frantic, gleefully jumbled set at Ruoff Music Center, I thought he had that in the bag.
The crowd was eating out of the palm of his hand, hanging on every word spit with that signature rasp. He did his little dancey dance, marching around the stage in a way that begs comparison to the Seven Dwarfs Hi Ho-ing off to work (that’s Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneeezy and Weezy, to you). He ended every song with a big, lazy grin and an earnest “thank you.” It’s tough not to root for the guy.
A top-heavy set that frontloaded the hits only built on the goodwill — never mind that he only got part of the way through most of those hits before they came to a screeching halt. By the time he had the crowd screaming to him that a certain group of women weren’t loyal, I didn’t think there was anything he could do to turn the tide against him.
And just like that, the energy evaporated. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Carter left the building, and he sent his Young Money proteges in his place. Signees to Wayne’s storied record label grabbed the spotlight as the big boss disappeared, promoting their newest singles as enthusiasm dimmed. By the time Wayne returned with a new outfit — an all-white, Backstreet Boys-esque ensemble — some of the energy he started with built back up, but it never quite reached peak levels again.
Lil Wayne’s Ruoff stop on his Tha Carter VI tour — which runs until early October and includes stops in 36 North American cities — was a yo-yo of a thing, with thrilling highs and head-scratching lows. Fresh off his album of the same name and a year removed from his Indianapolis NBA All-Star Weekend appearance, Weezy F. Baby (one of Lil Wayne’s many monikers) showed glimpses of the greatness that has etched him on rap’s Mount Rushmore, but these moments were often all too fleeting.
At his best, Wayne makes it all look easy. There’s an effortlessness and a spontaneity to his delivery, as though even lyrics he’s recited for 30 years are occurring to him in real time. With heavy hitters like “Fireman,” “Mr. Carter” and “Uproar” early in the set, Lil Wayne tapped into that magic, bopping around with almost childlike joy in his yellow Balenciaga sweatsuit and toying with the inflection of his voice.
But the wheels wobbled, with spurts of energy coming to dead stops as Wayne bounced from song to song. That Lil Wayne is in the awkward middle-ground of a legacy act still touring new music didn’t help the flow. Crowd pleasers like “Mrs. Officer” and “Love Me” were mixed in with a quick guitar ballad dedicated to Wayne’s unnamed crush who may or may not have been in attendance. The crowd filled in the blanks for his more iconic punchlines with fervor (“Smooches!” “I couldn’t blame Tammy!”). Calls to echo Wayne’s shoutouts to the critically panned Carter VI weren’t as well received.
In this “phones recording the whole show” epidemic we find ourselves trapped in, it’s tough to tell whether the audience is actually enjoying the experience. I used the well-dressed gentlemen next to me, who recited Wayne’s every word back to him during the front half of the set, as my litmus test. The first time Wayne brought his son, burgeoning rapper Lil Novi, out to perform their Carter VI collaboration “Mula Komin In,” the guys sat down. As Young Money cleared the bench and Lucefina, Lil Twist Lil Novi and Jay Jones filled the stage one by one, the guys turned to social media for a break.
By the time Domiio (who?) started on his to-be-released debut single, one of the guys dapped his buddies up and left. Another one feigned sleep. “It’s over for Lil Wayne,” he announced upon waking up. With most of my section back in their seats or beelining for the concessions, it certainly felt that way.
Still, rock star privilege means the rules don’t apply, and Lil Wayne is absolutely a rock star. You can start your set a little late. You can clutch the pricey white Fender and eke out a few squealing solos, even when your skill on the six-string is notoriously mediocre. You can bring your teenage son onstage and make the entire amphitheater watch as he tries to stunt like his daddy. But the dip in energy was a critical hit, and honestly, I felt Wayne never fully recovered.
A flashback to Wayne’s legendary mixtape run with “Swag Surf” and “Watch My Shoes,” among others, got the ball rolling again. Guest spots from opener Tyga (who rolled out a no-frills set chock-full of 2010s party smashes — though I could’ve done with a little less from the Chris Brown catalog) and Gudda Gudda for Young Money posse cut “BedRock” carried the newfound momentum. As Ruoff’s 11 p.m. noise curfew crept closer, it seemed like Lil Wayne might get the show back on track.
But like most of the night, the flame died out before it really roared. A verse or so into “A Milli” and Mr. Carter called it. Thank you. Big grin. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” played him off, and the house lights went up. The moments were frustratingly scarce, but what a thrill that they were there at all. Maybe that’s the key to a career that spans decades: Leave them wanting more.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at [email protected]. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
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