50 Cent – Spark Arena: December 14, 2023

50 Cent erupted into Spark Arena last night with unwavering stamina and irresistible charisma, delivering a tightly choreographed 90-minute spectacle of entertainment that brought an arena of fans to their feet for the entirety of his time on stage.

There are a handful of live gigs in my time reviewing music that have stood out for different reasons; whether it’s for their energy, crowd control, spectacle, display of talent, or simply just leaving me in complete awe of the band’s presence.

But last night’s near-flawless spectacle of rap and r&b royalty by the combined brilliance of opening act Jeremih and DJ Caution, followed by the highly choreographed, pyrotechnic explosiveness of 50 Cent, set a new standard for what I’ll consider an unforgettable live music experience.

If you think that’s anywhere close to an exaggeration, just imagine the line for Spark Arena an hour after doors opened still stretching and snaking its way across the park, handfuls of police littering almost pointlessly in an attempt to maintain pre-concert order, an entire stadium quite literally shaking as a sea of fans waved their hands to near exhaustion, and the tightest 90 minutes of choreographed-complementary-pyrotechnics I’ve seen on stage in recent memory.

Last night’s gig rivalled most international heavy metal and rock shows I’ve been fortunate enough to be front and centre for, and this isn’t even touching on the pacing and delivery of the show itself. Entering the arena to a ferociously engaging DJ Caution announcing the opening r&b performer, Jeremih, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d already missed half of the gig based on the energy pouring from the already hyped and completely packed arena.

Pole dancing, lap dancing, a back-and-forth conversational set between himself and the DJ that gave a taste for the upcoming main act, and all the time engaging the audience in a way that felt absolutely irresistible, perfectly justifying the sea of attendees almost pouring and melting together as they screamed along in semi-intoxicated joy to every song and every lyric.

I’m a sucker for a good opening act and, while this was undoubtedly a high calibre of performance from the artist himself, the 30 minutes of waiting did have me slightly concerned for the latent, unreleased energy of the crowd and the thought of how much beer could possibly be consumed in that time. But, as I came to see later on toward the end of the night, last night’s crowd managed to perfectly toe the line between energetically unhinged and collectively respectful.

Looking around the venue shortly before 50 Cent burst onto stage in the first of many elaborate stage setups, I had a strange nostalgic wave of mid-90s Wrestlemania, not able to spot a single person or area of the arena that wasn’t brimming with intoxicated, excitable energy. When the man himself did take to the stage with his immediately engaging charisma and powerfully refined sound, it set the tone for the 90 minutes that followed; unrelenting and impeccable performance prowess, a refined ability to flow and move through songs, engage the crowd, and deliver a near-perfect setlist that balanced any expectation you could have for the gig.

Littered with back-up dancers crawling, flipping, grinding and breakdancing across the stage in elaborately gorgeous outfits throughout almost every song, the stage transformed continually through a montage of various backdrops, pyrotechnics, laser-light displays, and the occasional explosion of streamers throughout the arena floor.

It’s hard to pinpoint a single moment of brilliance in the entire show, but arguably the tonal and visual shift in Ayo Technology with its sharp, piercing guitar solo finish, the prolonged, 13-song “encore” that was really just another interlude to introduce one of his, what, eight outfits, throughout the show, and the consistent back and forth crowd calls of ‘G-UNIT’ throughout the set have to take the top three.

And really, that’s what this was all about, and what it should have been about. It’s what the standard for this type of live music event should be; the visual excess and ego of a world-class rock band, the engaging and adoration by an entire arena of fans, and a night that makes everything leading up to it – the four-year wait, the weeks of anticipation, the hours of standing in line and getting frisked by the police, the incomparable joy of seeing one of your favourite musicians – all worth it.

50 Cent clearly has nothing to prove to anyone but, despite that, he unapologetically proved once again last night that he is arguably one of the most intensely enjoyable and charismatic performing artists in the world today, and one that you absolutely should never miss out on seeing and experiencing in all his live glory if ever given the chance to do so again.

G-G-G-G-G-UNIT!!!

Oxford Lamoureaux

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ryo Nishikawa:

50 Cent:

Jeremih:

50 Cent Setlist

I’m On Some Shit (50 Cent feat. Tony Yayo & Lloyd Banks cover)

What Up Gangsta

I Get Money

Hate It or Love It (The Game cover)

If I Can’t

Magic Stick (Lil’ Kim cover)

Hustler’s Ambition

How We Do (The Game cover)

P.I.M.P.

Candy Shop

Disco Inferno

Window Shopper

Best Friend

21 Questions

Just a Lil Bit

Big Rich Town

The Woo (Pop Smoke cover)

Ayo Technology

Down on Me (Jeremih cover) (with Jeremih)

Birthday Sex (Jeremih song – performed by Jeremih)

Baby by Me

Many Men (Wish Death)

I’m The Man

In da Club

Hate Bein’ Sober (Chief Keef cover)

Patiently Waiting

Cuffin Season (Fabolous cover)

Bitch (E‐40 cover)

Buzzin’ (Mann cover)

Wanksta

Stunt 101 (G‐Unit song)

Poor Lil’ Rich

Back Down

Southside (50 Cent feat. Tony Yayo & Lloyd Banks cover)

Statute of Limitations (Uncle Murda cover)

I’ll Whip ya Head Boy