Lil Wayne affirmed living legend status on Friday (June 6) night when he took New York’s Madison Square Garden stage for the first time as a solo headlining act.
The show doubled as a victory lap for Wayne, who dropped Tha Carter VI hours earlier, and kicked off his Tha Carter VI Tour in grand fashion.
While there was plenty to critique of Wayne’s latest offering, he was surrounded by a blanket of love as the 13,000-plus fans serenaded their hero and gave Weezy his flowers throughout the night.
The New Orleans icon kicked off the show around 10:15 p.m. ET and ripped through about 36 cuts from his decorated catalog, mixing in a handful of C6 track debuts with his timeless anthems for the 70-minute set running the gauntlet of his greatest hits.
For the most part, it was Wayne holding his guitar while backed by a DJ and live band, but he had a couple of surprises in store when New York legend LL COOL J and Young Money’s Cory Gunz briefly made cameos.
There was plenty of gratitude filling the World’s Most Famous Arena with Wayne running through his signature “I ain’t s—t without you,” and he took time to thank his fans for sticking with him on this arduous journey over the last three decades, as well as his collaborators for contributing to Tha Carter VI.
Fans seemed to recognize the importance of a night like this — how many more installments of Tha Carter or arena tours are there in the future for Wayne? But perhaps like Baby Boomers and Generation X getting to see their favorite rock bands turn old and grey on tour, maybe rap icons will be able to age gracefully and continue taking the stage even as grandparents.
Weezy appeared to be soaking in the moment as well, with plenty of family and close friends cheering him on from inside MSG. Tha Carter VI Tour will take a hiatus for a few weeks before resuming later in June.
Here are our six best moments from Friday night’s show.
Wayne has long been an eccentric hip-hop fashion icon, and he added to his lore on Friday night when he took the stage in a signed Britney Spears T-shirt. Weezy previously paid homage to Spears when he released “Like No One Else” — a freestyle over the pop star’s “Gimme More” hit — during his torrid mixtape run in ’07.
Those inside MSG were privy to the live debut of several C6 tracks, and perhaps what’s most impressive for Wayne from Friday night is that he had all of the lyrics to the new cuts down pat. From “Banned From NO” to “Welcome to Tha Carter” and “Sharks,” Wayne didn’t miss a beat.
The first guest appearance of the night came in the form of Young Money’s Cory Gunz, who displayed his rapid-fire mini-uzi-like flow to flawlessly complete Tha Carter IV standout “6 Foot 7 Foot” while staring right back at Wayne. The Young Money Militia was in full force as part of the MSG invasion.
Wayne carries such an extensive catalog that 36 tracks doesn’t even make a dent in his Hall of Fame career output. He could’ve easily gone for another 36. Certain tracks just have a timelessness to them and Weezy fans enjoyed him taking them down nostalgia road for Tha Carter staples like “Hustler Musik,” “A Milli,” “Tha Mobb,” “Let the Beat Build” and “Fireman.”
Tunechi took a moment to bask in the moment and reflect on releasing Tha Carter VI hours before the concert. He showed his appreciation to the crowd and saluted his artistic peers who added to the project.
“I put out Tha Carter VI,” Wayne told the audience. “I must say thank you to every single soul supporting that motherf—king album, supporting me from day one. Damn. I also must thank every single person involved with that album. Everybody came through — I appreciate all of y’all, man.”
The best surprise of the night came when LL COOL J rocked MSG for one of those hip-hop moments that may never be duplicated with LL and Weezy on the same stage. Tha Carter VI’s “Bells” saw Weezy interpolate LL COOL J’s “Rock the Bells,” so it was only right for the New York-bred rap star to make a guest appearance and perform his 1985 hit.
Rocking his signature white Kangol bucket hat, the 57-year-old is still a high-level performer with an abundance of energy that could run circles around artists half his age. “I pay homage, n—a,” Wayne said.
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