It was the end of an era on June 12 as hip hop masters Nelly and Baby Bash played the final show of the Concerts In Your Car series.
The innovative concerts began in June 2020 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. CBF Productions came up with the drive-in concert concept in response to the shutdown of live music amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last season, shows at the outdoor venue featured top names in multiple music genres, including Slightly Stoopid, Cypress Hill, Sublime, Snoop Dog, Tower of Power, Los Lobos, Fitz and The Tantrums, and Bush. This year’s shortened season also brought more heavy hitters to Ventura, including War, Hippie Sabotage and Ziggy Marley.
The final show took place on a clear evening, the last weekend of spring. A soft, cool ocean breeze wafted over the venue from nearby Surfer’s Point. Hip hop fans arrived early and enjoyed the sunset while taking advantage of several food trucks and a beer and wine stand.
Veteran California rapper Baby Bash opened with a spirited set that began right as the sun set in the nearby mountains. As the sky became painted in pastel hues, the rapper fired up the crowd with some of his more well-known tracks. Songs included tunes from the rapper’s first album with a major label, “Tha Smokin’ Nephew.” That gold record included his first hit, “Suga Suga.” The song had much of the crowd singing and dancing to the tune. The set included other hit singles such as “Baby, I’m Back” and his biggest hit and double platinum single, “Cyclone.” Baby Bash was joined on stage toward the end of the set by special guest Cota the Barber, who sang and played guitar.
As the sunset faded into twilight, excitement in the crowd exploded when music fans spotted Nelly and his entourage being shuttled into the backstage area. As the master hip hop hitmaker sauntered onto the stage and the four giant video screens beamed Nelly’s image across the venue, a huge roar erupted as most fans exited their cars to enjoy the show. Crowds even gathered at nearby Surfer’s Point attracted by the massive video screens.
Nelly instantly filled the venue with excitement, running about all four corners of the stage, engaging the audience in all directions. The prolific hitmaker brought his crowd-pleasing repertoire to his fans, including songs from his debut solo album, “Country Grammar.” His show also included some of his biggest hits, including “Ride wit Me,” “Dilemma,” “Hot in Herre” and “JusDream.” Nelly had longtime collaborator and fellow member of the St. Lunatics, City Spud, join him on stage to hype up the energy level. The spirited set also included a surprise guest performance from Kid Ink.
It was a great sendoff to a series that kept live music alive in Ventura during the pandemic.
CBF Productions now will transition back to its original mission of producing festivals. Its first event will be the Tequila & Taco Music Festival on July 24-25 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. In addition to food and drinks, the festival will feature live sets of old-school hip hop featuring rapper Vanilla Ice and others. Click here for more information.
— L. Paul Mann is a Noozhawk contributing writer. The opinions expressed are his own.