Snoop Dogg shares the party in Modesto

You might think putting a big Dogg and a Fat Cat together could cause trouble.

But hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg’s appearance at downtown Modesto’s Fat Cat Music House & Lounge brought nothing but smiles to the star and the sold-out crowd Thursday night. The rap icon performed to a packed house at the 524-person-capacity Fat Cat with fans of all ages and backgrounds, from their 20s to 40s and well beyond. The artist, who also goes by the nickname Tha Doggfather, even made note of a grandmother enjoying the show amid the throng, whom he affectionately called “granny” and to whom dedicated a song.

The star’s Modesto stop was part of a string of smaller shows in Northern California before the Super Bowl this weekend. He also played concerts in San Francisco, Petaluma and Santa Cruz, in between making appearances at Levi’s Stadium to mingle with athletes from the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.

The rapper ran into some hiccups when he first got to the region Monday when one of his tour vans was broken into while parked on the streets of San Francisco. He had about $9,000 in equipment stolen, which had to be replaced. But all of his scheduled shows went on without a hitch.

Snoop played a short set, a little less than an hour, in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The rapper rolled out a greatest hits of hip-hop chart toppers – his and those by affiliated artists such as Dr. Dre, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and others. He also threw in some 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa and even a little Bob Marley. Snoop briefly changed his name to “Snoop Lion” a few years ago when he embraced Marley’s religion of Rastafari.

The entertainer, who has a legal medical marijuana card in the state of California, smoked on stage throughout his show. Snoop has become the Willie Nelson of rap recently, a well-known cannabis enthusiast and entrepreneur. The musician, whose given name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., founded the marijuana resource site Merry Jane, invested in the medical marijuana delivery startup Eaze, and launched his own brand of cannabis products called Leafs by Snoop, which is available in Colorado, where commercial sales were legalized in 2014.

“His music is my party music,” said Modesto resident and businesswoman Gia Smith. “I like that he is laid-back and in my age range. He has a long history, but he keeps himself relevant in hip hop.”

The show’s party atmosphere was enhanced by Snoop’s on-stage crew pouring shots for the 21-and-over audience members during some songs, including his smash “Gin and Juice.” Security was tight at the event, with two Modesto police cruisers parked out front. The evening ended without incident and all the revelers cleared out of the nightclub by 11:30 p.m.

“Modesto, California, I want to thank y’all for letting me be me,” he told the crowd before leaving the stage. “I want you to take a real good look at this face right here. Because this ain’t the last time you’re going to see a bad guy like this. I will be back to Modesto, California, anytime you ... want me to come back.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Snoop Dogg shares the party in Modesto."