Long Beach, California welcomed a new hip-hop and R&B festival featuring their favorite son, Snoop Dogg, to the Queen Mary Events Center on July 27 and 28, 2019. The event was produced by Goldenvoice in partnership with Uncle Snoop’s Army powered by Bobby Dee Presents (a new entertainment company made up of Snoop and veteran music promoter Bobby Dee). Once Upon a Time in the LBC was one of the hottest tickets around. Originally scheduled as a one day festival, the show went on sale March 15 and sold out within an hour. A second day was announced on March 20 at the 15,000-person capacity venue, which also sold out quickly.
The lineup each day was essentially the same, with a few time slot changes and support act differences. The main stage, called “The Marathon”, featured Snoop Dogg, YG, The Game, DMX, Warren G, Bone Thugs N-Harmony, Too Short, NB Ridaz, Lil Rob, Baby Bash, Trish Toledo, The Dove Shack and RJ. On the other side of the park, reached via tunnel or stairway, was “The Hustle” stage. This stage was graced by Keith Sweat, Zapp, Blueface, The Persuaders, The Intruders, Barbara Mason, OT Genesis, Lisa Lisa, Brenton Wood, Jon B, Ginuwine, Amanda Perez, Psycho Realm, The Dramatics, Kamaiyah, King Lil G and the Mary Jane Girls.
The Queen Mary Events Center is a beautiful venue. With the Queen Mary herself as a backdrop, and downtown Long Beach visible across the water, this idyllic setting is perfect for a festival. Shuttle buses were kept busy bringing people across the water from their parking locations downtown. Plenty of vendors supplied the crowd with unique Southern California dining options, as well as drinks of all kinds.
With so many artists performing, there was never a quiet minute, only a nonstop supply of new and classic songs. It was almost too much musical magic to be believed. Every artist was greeted with huge cheers and massive sing alongs. This celebration of the (mostly) West Coast sound was tempered at times by artists remembering those we have lost too soon, including Nipsey Hussle (who was scheduled to perform), Nate Dogg and Eazy-E. However, they were not brought up to make the crowd sad, instead they were thanked for all of their contributions to the scene, and the gift of music left behind that is still loved today.
