On Friday, September 25, Lil Wayne brought his “20 Years of Carter Classics” tour to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for a sold-out crowd of roughly 18,000 people. It was his first Nashville appearance in three years, following a much smaller show at Marathon Music Works. This time, he had an entire arena waiting for him. And waiting. And waiting. In true Lil Wayne fashion, the clock is more of a suggestion than a schedule.
The original schedule had Kid Maestro hitting the stage at 7:30 p.m., 2 Chainz at 8:30, and Wayne at 9:30. That plan quickly became irrelevant. Two Chainz finished around 10 p.m., and Lil Wayne didn’t actually appear until 11:35, performing until he said his final goodnight at exactly 12:59 a.m. Thankfully, Nashville had DJs. Was the wait worth it? Ask the person who had to work Saturday morning.
Kid Maestro got the night moving with a rowdy DJ set that included a Dolly Parton tribute, “Joleane.” DJ Sudd then cranked up the room for 2 Chainz, who mixed hits such as “No Lie,” “I’m Different,” “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” “Watch Out,” and “It’s a Vibe” with plenty of crowd interaction. He also announced his forthcoming album, P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once), due December 4, and premiered “Reign,” the project’s first single.
Chainz even turned the arena into a birthday party, asking concertgoers to shine their phone lights on the birthday celebrants before closing with “Birthday Song.” It was part concert, part birthday hotline. Then came the waiting.
