In little over an hour on stage Friday night at X Games, an energized and fiercely focused Lil Wayne powered through 28 truncated songs. By the time the rap legend left the stage to a booming \u201cWeezy!\u201d chant from the sold-out crowd of 5,000 on the mountainside at Buttermilk, he\u2019d covered tracks from a decade-and-a-half of his catalog and showcased much of his new \u201cTha Carter V.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New Orleans-bred rapper played with a five-man band of live drums, guitar, bass and keys in an addition to DJ T.Lewis (Wayne proudly introduced the crew several times as \u201cmy band, my one-man band and the man-behind-the band and the fam\u201d). They added drum fills, bass grooves and flourishes of guitar wails in new arrangements behind T.Lewis’s smooth production and Wayne\u2019s intricate rhymes. (His seamless integration of the live instrumentation makes you think that, maybe, his much-derided detour into rock experiments on \u201cRebirth\u201d a decade ago were worth it to get to these kinds of exhilarating live shows.)<\/p>\n
After a chaotic stretch of years in both his personal and professional life \u2013 including a jail stint and a split from his career-long home at Cash Money Records \u2013 you might expect less. But this Lil Wayne \u2013 propelled by the release of the long-delayed, long-awaited \u201cTha Cater V\u201d in the fall \u2013 was dialed-in and made a case that he still may be, as T.Lewis proclaimed at the end of the show, \u201cthe best rapper alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lil Wayne paced the stage as he spun out flawless verses, he worked \u201cX Games\u201d into the lyrics of \u201cGot Money,\u201d he led quick call-and-response bits and sing-alongs on fan favorites like \u201cMrs. Officer,\u201d “A Milli” and “I’m Me.” He pulled out nuggets from features and collaborations like \u201cNo Problem\u201d with Chance the Rapper and 2 Chainz and \u201cThe Motto\u201d with Drake, while peppering the night with throwbacks for longtime fans \u2013 a giddy rip through \u201cGo DJ\u201d from the original \u201cTha Carter\u201d was among the set\u2019s high points.<\/p>\n
As he took the stage just after 10 p.m., Lil Wayne let out a laugh and yelled \u201cIt\u2019s f-ing cold!\u201d But after that he didn\u2019t complain about the sub-freezing temperature, didn\u2019t say a thing about the thin air at altitude, didn\u2019t break to hit an oxygen tank as local audiences have come to expect from touring musicians. Instead, he reveled in the cold and the rowdy X Games crowd. The rare moments when he paused were to repeat his mantra of \u201cI ain\u2019t s\u2013t without you\u201d and to spout gratitude for the fan support of his new record.<\/p>\n
He performed much of the new album, including a rapid-fire successive run through \u201cLet It all Work Out,\u201d Dedicate,\u201d Let It Fly,\u201d Open Safe\u201d and \u201cMona Lisa.\u201d He closed the night with the ecstatic \u201cUproar.\u201d<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t all fireworks. Wayne slowed down the propulsive set for the R&B jam \u201cWhat About Me\u201d and a reverent rendition of the mournful \u201cDon\u2019t Cry,\u201d his newly released collaboration with the late XXXTentacion.<\/p>\n
Lil Wayne plays again in Aspen on Saturday night downtown at Belly Up. The X Games venue will host sold-out shows on Saturday from\u00a0Louis the Child (5 p.m.)<\/a>\u00a0and The Chainsmokers (9:30 p.m.).<\/p>\n