Snoop & Nelly - Star City Showcase

I'm not going to pretend that I'm a huge Snoop Dogg fan or a Nelly stan. But over the years they have released a lot of great music and I was excited to see them live for the first time on Friday night. The Snoop/Nelly showcase served as a warm up/pre-party for Supafest. All the acts - apart from Keri Hilson and Ciara - turned up to show their support and the mood was pretty electric. Although that could have had something to do with the open bar and small army of pole dancers positioned around the room. Nelly took the stage first and brought the crowd to their feet by dusting off all his big hits. The former band-aid wearer sang my fave "Ride Wit Me" and his iconic smash "Hot In Herre" as well as performing his famous collaborations like "Party People" (if only Fergie could have been there!), "Dilemma" and "Body On Me". He closed the set with his 2010 smash "Just A Dream" and I found myself making a mental note to track down a greatest hits compilation - surely he has one?

During the intermission I did some mingling and pinned Jessica Mauboy down long enough to politely tell her that she needs to release "Maze" as her next single. She told me it was her fave and the fans love it but Sony is going with a new song she co-wrote with Dianne Warren called "Inescapable". I'm expecting a power ballad but you never know. Anyway, she's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see her support Chris Brown. I also ran into Dane Rumble and he talked about his American trip. He is so hot in person, it's ridiculous! By the time Snoop took the stage I was pretty much gone but he sang a couple of songs including "Drop It Like It's Hot" before T-Pain, Game and Busta Rhymes joined him on stage. Sparks flew. Particularly when Busta and T-Pain threw it down for a rap-off. I felt like I had seen a mini-Supafest but up close and personal in an intimate venue. I expected it to be a fun night but this was one of the best concerts I've seen all year. Even if you're not a fan, it's hard to deny the extent to which these guys have helped to shape popular music over the past 15 years. Respect.