Concert Review: Young Money America's Most Wanted at BankAtlantic Center

Lil Wayne

​My friend and I wandered into the BAC's backstage area, hoping to find Lil Wayne. I had my video camera and was able to interview DJ Khaled and T-Streets before being escorted out of the area by a very large security guard. "Just go put your camera away and come back," he said.

I spoke with one of Young Money's new female artists, Shanell on the way out. "I wrote the lyrics and the melody to Prom Queen," she said, "Its an honor to write a song for Lil Wayne. For him to trust me, I must be pretty good at what I do. Wayne's show has a hip-hop and rap section. Then he plays his more 'catered for the ladies' R & B, his rock section, he has me come up and sing Lollipop and Prom Queen, and then the rest of the Young Money artists perform. Theres dancers, performers, a light show, pyrotechnics, its a big show." 

I went back to the car and put my video camera away, but mission accomplished, sort of.

When I returned, I had missed Soulja Boy's performance, but Young Jeezy was onstage kicking some serious ass. Jeezy had a live band with a horn section, guitar, bass, keyboards, and a sick drummer that was playing like an African-American Keith Moon. I thought that he was going to throw his drum sticks into the audience after every song. 

"Put your cell phones in the air," exclaimed Jeezy as the crowd went ape shit, "this is Dade and Broward county." Just out of old school rock concert-goer habit, I held up my lighter, but a security guard quickly pointed a flashlight in my face and told me to put it away. Man, the times are changin'.

I walked over to the procession stand to purchase a hot dog ($5.50) and some fries ($5.00). "It smells like marijuana in there," said a very young man to his friend. I looked around and realized that the audience's demographic was 13-15 years old. I felt like a hall monitor at a Junior High as I stumbled through the aisles eating my hot dog. Flashback: 1986, West Palm Beach Auditorium. Iron Maiden and Yngwie. I was 13 years old, and it was my first concert. Jeezy had finished his set and the lights in the arena came back on. "Jeezy is such a gangsta," said the young woman sitting next to me. She introduced herself as Danielle and continued, "I love Lil Wayne. I want to go home with him. My boyfriend wouldn't care if I had sex with Wayne."

The lights went off, as fireworks and some serious pyrotechnics exploded. Suddenly, Weezy F. Baby stood onstage. He looked at us and screamed into the microphone, "If you came to have a great motherfucking time say, 'Hell yeah nigga!" We chanted the phrase in unison as Lil Wayne began with his hit song, A Milli. Mack Maine walked out and filled in for T-Pain on "Got Money." I felt chills in the back of my neck as the stage lights reflected from Wayne's diamond teeth. "This a way, that a way...."

Dancers came out, stripper poles popped up, Lil Wayne took off his hat and tossed it into the crowd. A near riot ensued as the arena transformed into a space ship. "We are not the same, I am a martian," said Lil Wayne. We responded, "Phone home! Phone home!"  He jumped around the stage  David  Lee  Roth style, playing guitar solos in rock star fashion.   

I couldn't take the intensity any longer. I ran to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror for a few seconds. The bathroom acoustics were incredible as I stood alone. A man with a broom walked up to me and said, "I am little Wayne," showing me his name tag for verification. "Wayne." I got back to my seat just as Lil Wayne walked off stage.  "Any smokers in here?" asked the DJ, "I ain't talkin about tobacco." The crowd cheered as Lil Wayne came back out and performed the song, Kush. "I smoke that kush, like a ball go swoosh." Birdman walked out and sang, "We takin over!" They played some more songs, and introduced these two awesome little rappers, Lil Twist (16) and Lil Chuckee (13).

The concert began to feel like a motivational, evangelical, spiritual experience. "Do you  believe in God?" asked Weezy.  The crowd screamed  like  they  did for The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. "Because  I believe in God."  He continued,  "Close your eyes and just think." I closed my eyes as Wayne said, "Think about the lives that we have lost." I thought about my Dad as he continued, "For the past few years, Miami 305 has been my home. I am home, bitch!" 

A green cloud of smoke hovered over the crowd. Every breathe filled my nostrils with the sweet smell. Five huge TV screens surrounded the stage, giving the audience close-ups of Lil Wanye. He rapped about Adam Sandler, Stuart Scott, and went into "Ms. Officer." "I don't fantasize...I master-mind," he said between songs, "Let me introduce the Young Money All-Stars." The stage became filled with people as the band jammed away. I wrote, "Young Money is like a Miami sports team and Lil Wayne is like Magic Johnson," on a small piece of paper.

"Make some noise for Michael!" The large TV screens showed various pictures of Michael Jackson as Young Money and the crowd sang along to "Thriller." This was the end of the show. A tribute to MJ. Amazing.