50 Cent isn’t a man who suffers from lack of self-esteem. Behind the stage there’s a massive backdrop of a shirtless muscle-bound man, which may or may not be Fiddy himself. Still, we are treated to the real deal later when he removes his T-shirt to show us his chest. Fiddy, it seems, has been spending plenty of time in the gym (and not enough time rehearsing).
The half-empty arena doesn’t help. Perhaps it’s because it’s the Sunday after Paddy’s Day. Or perhaps, four albums on, 50 Cent’s gangsta schtick is beginning to wear a little thin. Tracks from Before I Self-Destruct such as ‘Do You Think About Me’ and ‘OK, You’re Right’ lack the pizzazz and swagger of his first two albums and, predictably enough, it’s songs like ‘What Up Gangsta’ and ‘P.I.M.P’ that get the best reaction. He saves ‘In Da Club’ for his last song before the encore, so it’s a pity it’s such an underwhelming version.
In parts Fiddy shines like the star he is supposed to be, but just when things seem to be picking up, he disappears off stage to change his shirt. The man undergoes almost as many costume changes as Beyoncé. While he’s freshening up, we’re treated to covers of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ and Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love?’ All very good, but the breaks mean the atmosphere suffers – not that the star of the show seems to care. When he’s on stage, 50 Cent struts, and his back-up rappers urge us to put our hands in the air, but the whole thing feels a little workmanlike. Fiddy is going through the motions and it shows.