Unsurprisingly, Snoop Dogg announced as inaugural act for Long Beach Amphitheater
The legendary West Coast rapper is one of the city’s best-known names in music, so why has local reaction to the announcement been so mixed?
After months of Mayor Rex Richardson promising something special for the inaugural event at the forthcoming Long Beach Amphitheater, it was announced — somewhat predictably — that Snoop Dogg will have the honor.
In Monday’s announcement, venue officials said the event is “more than a concert — it’s a cultural milestone.” Snoop will take the stage on Saturday, June 6 in what officials are calling a “defining cultural moment.”
“Opening our doors with Snoop Dogg is the perfect way to celebrate Long Beach's rich music legacy and signals our commitment to bringing world-class entertainment to this community,” General Manager Tra Jones said in a statement. “This venue will be built to honor the city's creative spirit, and there's no better artist to launch that mission.”
Adjacent to the Queen Mary, the amphitheater is the city’s first large-scale outdoor music venue and will have capacity for 11,000 people, according to the announcement.
The event is billed as “Snoop Dogg and friends,” but no details were given as to who will share the stage. The most obvious candidates, of course, are Dr. Dre, Pharrel Williams and Warren G.
But, as Jones said, Long Beach has a diverse musical legacy and the event could include surprise guests from different genres. Other acts hailing from the city include War, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Frank Ocean, Vince Staples, Sublime, Cold War Kids, Giveon, Rival Sons, Half Alive, Wargirl and more.
“Long Beach built the culture — and now we’ve built the stage for it,” Richardson said in a statement. “From our neighborhoods to the global stage, Snoop Dogg has always represented this city — and now we welcome him home to open a venue that reflects our culture and captures the vibe that defines Long Beach.”
The reception from the public, however, has been incredibly mixed, with social media comment sections lighting up with both positive and negative comments. People were quick to dredge up issues related to Snoop’s shifting views on Trump and the LGBTQ+ community.
The West Coast rapper had been critical of Trump in the early days of his political career. When Trump won the 2016 election, Snoop took to social media saying he “might be moving to Canada. Fuck this shit.” In another post on the same day, Nov. 9, Snoop said it was the second worst day in American history right behind 9/11.
Days before the start of Trump’s first term, Snoop called out anyone who planned to perform for the president-elect.
“Which one of you jigaboo-ass [n-words] gonna be the first one to do it? I’m waiting. I’m gonna roast the fuck outta you,” he said in a Jan. 10, 2017 video posted to Instagram, adding that any Black artist who does would be an “Uncle Tom.”
In March 2017, Snoop released a music video for “Lavender,” a remix of a BadBadNotGood/Kaytranada track, in which he mocked Trump. At one point in the video, Snoop points a gun at the clownish Trump character, who is then wrapped in chains in the last scene.
But by 2024, Snoop’s opinion of Trump had done a complete 180. In an interview with London’s The Sunday Times, he praised the then-former president.
“He ain’t done nothing wrong to me,” Snoop said. “He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris.”
Harris, who co-founced Death Row Records with Suge Knight and Dr. Dre in the 1990s, was granted clemency by Trump in 2021 after serving 33 years of a 25-to-life sentence for drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
“I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump,” Snoop added.
One year later, the rapper performed at an inauguration party for President-elect Trump and crypto bros. Dubbed the Crypto Ball, the event honored Trump as “America’s first crypto president.”
Months later, Trump granted Harris a full and unconditional pardon.
On reddit, dozens of commenters lambasted the rapper and the decision to have him perform at the new amphitheater.
“Go perform for Trump again instead. LB doesn’t respect sell out snoop anymore!” one redditor wrote, with another responding by speculating that the inauguration performance was a quid pro quo for Harris’s 2025 pardon.
“Lap doggy dog,” another commenter said, while another pointed out previous comments from the rapper that many considered homophobic. Last year, Snoop said he is “scared to go to the movies” with his grandson because some children’s films depict LGBTQ+ relationships.
“I'm surprised he feels safe in Long Beach with all the gay people.”
“Is he gonna have his MAGA hat on?” another said. “its a shame that such a diverse city that champions education, diversity, staying authentic, not selling out, primarily working class… is gonna have this clown performing.”
One commenter noted that the show will almost certainly sell out despite the pushback from some.
The official announcement on Instagram had a few negative comments but overall was far kinder to Snoop, likely in part to the fact that his official account was a collaborator on the post.
“Perfect first show for this venue,” one commenter wrote.
“This is gonna be epic,” said another.
Dozens of positive comments, the vast majority, were simply emojis, including fire, clapping hands, crowns and hearts.
Artist presale for the inaugural event begins Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m., with the venue presale starting the following day at 10 a.m. General sales then open on April 3 at 10 a.m.
The venue’s inaugural season also includes performances by Les Claypool and Primus, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, Toto, 311 and the Dirty Heads, Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate, Nas and The Roots, Deep Purple, Five Finger Death Punch and Mötley Crüe.
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