By Daniel Paiz

4/20 is always a popular pseudo-holiday of sorts, and a day that brings out all kinds of concert lineups. Initially I was very excited about CZARFACE finally making their way to Colorado, but seeing Ice Cube for the first time was an added bonus. Big Boi of OutKast was originally on this bill, but Too Short filling in that slot was another way to shorten my list of must-see artists.

4/20 on the Rocks with CZARFACE, Too Short, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube was a very laid-back show.

Supporting Acts

CZARFACE

The real reason I went to this show was to see these guys. Esoteric, 7L, and Inspectah Deck (of the recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Wu-Tang Clan) graced the stage and started taking names. Several tunes across their catalog rattled out across the speakers, and it felt like most in attendance were new to this trio. Thankfully the crowd had a handful of comic book drawn t-shirts of CZAR on the front, so some knew the crew.

The set was enjoyable but felt too short. That’s partially due to standing in the merch line and missing almost ten minutes of music! However, the CZAR Comics poster was worth it. Riggs the Cane Corso was an unexpected member of the group, but the big dog seemed very chill despite being the security personnel.

Stand-out tracks from this efficient set include Nightcrawler, Meddle with Metal, and some unexpected Wu-Tang tracks because Esoteric and 7L wanted to celebrate Deck’s new distinction. Truly hoping these guys actually tour and come to Denver one day.

Too Short

This guy has been making music a long time, and there’s a lot of songs to choose from for his set. There might have been a combination of reasons as to why the crowd wasn’t as into Short’s set as he expected. First, this was a 4/20 event, and this crowd was seriously smoking; ’twas impressive folks were able to leave the venue. Second, there’s going to be varying degrees of familiarity with this artist’s catalog. I probably know around a dozen Too Short tracks, but only four come to mind.

Short went through his well-known stuff, such as Blow the Whistle, Shake That Monkey, and Just Another Day. Each time he’d ask the crowd if he should go farther back into his catalog, they eagerly cheered for it. The crowd seemed to enjoy the older stuff more but didn’t necessarily know the words. Short also signed a woman near the front of the stage’s prosthetic leg, which also earned cheers and approval from the crowd.

Unfortunately, I did not hear Player’s Holiday, which seems like a track that would be perfect for Red Rocks. Either I missed it or it didn’t get played, but I don’t recall hearing it.

Snoop Dogg

This might sound odd, but Snoop put in a professional show. It was a visit to his entire catalog, and the first half of it felt somewhat procedural. That’s not to be taken in a negative light, but rather it felt like he was delivering a show via muscle memory. As his set approached its end, there felt like a deeper connection between artist and crowd.

There was a larger focus on crowd participation, there was bringing a kid up on stage to dance her heart out, there were a few anecdotes here and there. Snoop knows how to carry a program, and he left the stage better than prior to his set. While it was a 4/20 concert, there was a part of me that felt like the camaraderie was for all present.

Headliner

Ice Cube

Cube had a very similar set to Snoop in that it built upon itself as the night progressed. Initially it felt a bit too hype, and not so focused. Another rapper with a massive catalog, there was stuff from all over. Cube from the late 90s-early 2000s, Cube from the NWA days, and so on.

Interestingly enough, the farther the headliner went back into his catalog, the more animated and excited he became. Age bestows wisdom upon those who gain it, and Cube seems to have revisited those NWA days and pulled the right memories for him from that era. The crowd shared a parallel experience in that they too were enjoying the nostalgic trip. When there’s that unity of appreciation for what’s happening, it makes the night even better.

Pick a fairly popular song from his discography and you likely heard it Monday night. This 4/20 event was a success. After a night of four headnodic performances, the night concluded with tired masses shuffling towards the exits.