Wiz Khalifa shines in the Under the Influence of Music Tour finale

Under the Influence of Music
August 24, 2014
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater- Los Angeles, CA

The Under the Influence of Music Tour wrapped up in Irvine, CA on Sunday night. The summer hip-hop tour, headlined by Wiz Khalifa featured some of the genre’s heaviest acts. While many would think going head-to-head with the nearby MTV Video Music Awards would be a challenge, it was one that Khalifa blew out of the water as notated by the near sold-out Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

Khalifa, who is touring in support of his new studio record, Blacc Hollywood captivated the audience in a night that early on looked like it wasn’t into the show. Following the events at the Mountain View show on Friday evening that left one dead, the Chula Vista date was cancelled, but fortunately for those who had tickets to Irvine, the show went on as planned, marred by several hiccups through-out the evening.

Rising up from beneath the stage, Khalifa immediately went into Work Hard, Play Hard, that echoed through-out the amphitheater. The Sleaze and the older track, Mezmorized kept the crowd going as the night went on.

Promises showcased Khalifa’s melodies, while the now legendary track, Black and Yellow had the crowd out of their seats as the confetti cannons that were positioned at each side of the stage showered the crowd. It was obvious that the night belonged to Khalifa as his production provided excellent sound and stage lighting that made up for the rest of the evening.

When it came time for Young Jeezy to hit the stage, the five massive letters that spelled out J-E-E-Z-Y that served as a backdrop for every artist were quickly removed along with the rest of the stage set-up. There was no announcement made regarding the reason for the cancellation. To make up for the unannounced down time, DJ Drama once again spun tunes over the speakers and tried to keep the crowd entertained. Rather than a brief DJ set, a mix of those involved on the tour spent nearly 30-minutes engaging with female fans in the audience, throwing out swag and showcasing their dancing talent.

Ty Dolla $ign, IAMSU, Rich Homie Quan, Sage the Gemini and Mack Wilds warmed up the evening with brief performances that was reminiscent of a slow-build. While they did their job interacting with the audience and warming it up for Khalifa, all looked a bit out of place performing in front of a large audience.

Review by: Robert Fayette

Wiz Khalifa