Wiz Khalifa Leads Fans Under The Influence of Music

On Friday, a diverse crowd filled with young people adorned in hippie and rock star style filled the seats at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Taylor Gang’s very own Wiz Khalifa brought his smoky Under The Influence of Music tour for a third year in a row. With a show lineup filled with artists who have been heating up the radio airwaves and Billboard charts all summer, this year was no different to give the hottest acts a platform to showcase their skills. As Khalifa and Young Jeezy co-headlined the tour, the lineup also included DJ Drama, Mack Wilds, Rich Homie Quan, Ty Dolla Sign, IAMSU!, and Sage the Gemini. Since Khalifa released his fifth studio album Blacc Hollywood earlier that week, fans anticipated being under the influence of a wide range of music.

DJ Drama served as the resident DJ and host for the event. Music listeners are familiar with hearing Drama’s voice from his Gangsta Grillz and Quality Street Music mixtapes, therefore he was the perfect hype man for the show. As fans trickled into their seats wearing dollar sign jewelry and tree leis, DJ Drama enticed the crowd before introducing R&B’s newest heartthrob Mack Wilds.

The Grammy-nominated singer who is widely known for his acting roles on shows such as HBO’s The Wire and the CW’s 90210, is ready to show the world he is a man of many talents, including music. Wilds opened the show with songs from his debut album, New York: A Love Story including “Wild Things,” “My Crib” and “Henny.” He closed out his set with his breakout hit, “Own It” as he earned the hearts of more female fans in the audience.

Once Wilds left the stage, the DJ announced that Rich Homie Quan wouldn’t be able to perform since he injured himself earlier that day. As many fans stood awestruck upon hearing the news, the DJ started playing the rapper’s songs to show how the fans still support him in his absence. To their surprise, Rich Homie Quan ran out on stage wearing a sling on his left arm. He mentioned how he didn’t want to let the Bay Area down and still performed a few of his hit songs from “I Know” to “Type of Way” to his latest party anthem, “Lifestyle.”

Next to take the stage was one of Taylor Gang’s newest artists, Ty Dolla Sign. Since dropping his Beach House EP earlier this year, he has made a reputable name for himself as he performed songs from the mixtape and rocked out a guitar solo to his “Wood & Leather” track.  Although he is a southern California native, he made sure to show the Bay Area some love as he brought out Oakland rapper Vell to perform his anthem properly tiled, “Oakland.” At the end of Dolla Sign’s performance, he had the audience singing along to the song he claims changed his life, “Paranoid.” 

To bring some Bay Area flair to the show, next to own the stage were rappers IAMSU! and Sage the Gemini. The two are members of California’s The HBK Gang and they brought out fellow members P-Lo and Kool John on stage to perform some selections. IAMSU! surprised the crowd when he brought out Bay Area legend E-40 to perform his hit song, “Function.”

Audiences always appreciate when artists from their hometown put on for their city, and E-40 always creates a party when he’s on stage in the Bay Area. IAMSU! also jumped out into the crowd while performing, allowing fans to capture selfies with him so they could quickly post the moments to their Instagram pages. Sage the Gemini kept the party going as he performed songs from his debut album, Remember Me, including “Red Nose” and “Gas Pedal.”

Next to take the stage was hip-hop veteran Young Jeezy. With his new album Seen It All dropping on September 2^nd, he gave the audience a taste of why they fell in love with Jeezy’s music all over the years. Jeezy had an amazing set with strobe lights and his name spelled out on stage in huge block letters. He took the crowd back in time with a song catalog ranging from his Thug Motivation days up to his recent collaborations. He continued to speak to the crowd about living their dreams, making a stellar transition between his hits such as “Soul Survivor” and “Go Getter.” He couldn’t leave the stage without performing some of his latest party songs such as “Act Right” and “R.I.P.”

Finally it was time for the show’s headliner, Wiz Khalifa. As cheers and smoke filled the outdoor venue, the Taylor Gang rapper ascended from the bottom of the stage to open up with his ambitious anthem, “Work Hard, Play Hard.” He continued to mix his set with songs from his latest Blacc Hollywood album and his previous material. IAMSU! joined him back on stage to perform “Bout Me” and Ty Dolla Sign came back for his collaboration on “You and Your Friends.” As Khalifa owned the stage as a rock star would from karate kick moves to carrying his gold microphone stand, one song that stood out was his infectious hit, “Black and Yellow.” A cannon of black and yellow streamers exploded out to the audience as they sang along to every lyric. Throughout his set, he gave the audience inspirational messages to live life to the fullest stating, “That’s why I call this show the ‘experience’ and not a ‘tour,’ cause I want to experience these moments with all of you.”

When he performed “Young, Wild, and Free,” it was an iconic moment and perfect song to describe how every fan was feeling that night. Since the venue was outdoors and patrons can choose to sit in regular seats or on the lawn, sometimes the lawn patrons have difficulty seeing the acts perform, other than watching them on the jumbotron. To shake things up a bit, Khalifa surprised the audience by performing on a pedestal platform that was right in front of the lawn area, giving those fans a better view before returning back to the main stage. He then closed out the set with his songs “We Dem Boyz” and “Medicated.”

As fans exited the venue on the cool summer night, people were shocked when they heard the sound of gunshots ring out. Unfortunately when the concert ended, there was an altercation between two gentlemen backstage, as one man shot 38-year-old Eric Johnson. He was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Due to the unforeseen acts, Khalifa cancelled his show that was scheduled for Saturday night in Chula Vista, Calif. The tour ended on Sunday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif. As authorities are still investigating the shooting, Young Jeezy and five other individuals have been arrested due to possession of illegal firearms. Since Jeezy’s arrest, he wasn’t able to perform during the tour’s Sunday show. Authorities are still looking for witnesses and the suspected shooter from Friday night’s incident. My prayers are with the victim’s family and friends during this tragic act and I hope Wiz Khalifa will continue to bring his tours to the Bay Area.