Buzz Beach Ball bounced into Kansas City like its colorful namesake last night at Providence Amphitheater. Led by a stellar lineup of artists like Spoon, Foster the People, and Snoop Dogg, the two day festival proved to be one the strongest Kansas City events in years.
Spoon is pound-for-pound one of the most reliable bands in music. Britt Daniel and Co. took the stage and destroyed everything in their path with an incredible range of songs from old and new. The incredible power behind these songs and this dude’s voice is enough to make even the most casual listener a diehard fan. When they broke into “I Turn My Camera On” the show kicked into the next gear. Then Spoon played “I Ain’t The One” and the day turned into night and the dramatic song felt like a scene out of a movie.
After Spoon, I was lucky enough to catch a phenomenal young band called Hippo Campus. The rapidly rising and incredibly talented St. Paul band blitzed through catchy indie-pop tunes that are impossible not to dance to. They played with a type of rhythm you don’t see from such a young group. The band not only featured some of the crispest guitar riffs of the day, but their bass lines are second to none. Their song “Suicide Saturday” brought the house down as the crowd jumped and danced with bliss in their eyes. The amazing instrumental breakdown in “The Way It Goes” before picking back up into a rapturous and joyous explosion of sound was a perfect cap to their top-notch show. These guys are going to be a huge deal, if they’re not already. I suggest getting on board now and see them in a small venue before they headline your town.
Foster the People really disappointed me at Lollapalooza. Maybe it was my desire to hear “Pumped Up Kicks” on repeat and they saved it for last, or maybe it was lead singer Mark Foster’s new greaser get-up, but I hated that show. Last night at Buzz Beach Ball, this was not that. This was a fantastic show. I guess I had to truly open myself up to appreciate and experience the concert for what it was, which was a radio show. Every song I’ve heard from top indie radio stations and car commercials played out onstage and I have to admit, I had fun dancing along to all of them. Not to mention, “Pumped Up Kicks” sounded fantastic. That’s a great song.
Next up though was the headliner of the night, the reason I was there, the man of the hour. Snoop D-O-Double G.
First, let me just say how lucky we are to have Snoop in our lives. This man is a living legend in the purest form. He is responsible for countless hits, countless careers, and countless smoke sessions with the homies. And for that we are all eternally grateful.
Seeing Snoop on stage, in Kansas City, decked out in all Chiefs gear, rapping his parts to all the classics, “Gin and Juice,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Who Am I?” and about 200 other hits, was something supremely special. I had a goofy smile on my face the entire show. I mean, how could I not?? This is SNOOP A LOOP! I couldn’t stop myself from quoting Old School, “we’re going streaking through the quad!” Plus it’s been a while since I’ve twisted my fingers to make the West-Side “W” but I was doing a whole lot of that last night.
All of Snoop’s songs sounded fantastic and he rapped them effortlessly. He’s obviously one of the coolest humans alive, and his onstage persona is just as icy. He’s got to be an American icon by the way he is able to play songs that everyone and their nephew knows. For the most uninformed rock fan, or the people who came to Buzz to see anyone but Snoop, they were all singing along to “Young Wild and Free.” It was awe-inspiring.
I walked home from Buzz with true euphoria in my heart. It was an impeccable night featuring a stellar lineup. The night was a perfect reminder that Kansas City knows how to party, we don’t need to be on a coast, but for the night, we were all from the WEST SIIIIIIIIIIDE!!
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