The Game performed to full house Saturday night. Concert goers were up on the dance floor, waving their hands, and singing along to hit after hit.

The Compton rapper — born Jayceon Taylor — gave a stellar performance at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi on Saturday night. Let me just put it out there to you, I didn’t know what to expect. I walked away impressed.

60 days back and counting, I had never heard of The Game (I am old). I was told that he was going to perform in Nairobi, Googled him for some background info, and walked away skeptical.

I saw The Game Friday night at his press conference. He was on time. I was impressed. Local artists who had planned to be part of the same press conference arrived late. I remember thinking to myself that this is a lesson - The Game and crew are a professional outfit. Cool.

He said nothing profound at the press conference, but he was well spoken and answered all the questions that were asked. Again, I was impressed. It may be that I’m just another victim of the stereotypes and bigotry out there. But, with all the tattoo’s, sagging trousers, and mean looks from The Game (I don’t think that I ever saw him smile), I was glad to hear him speak using good grammar, he said good things about Kenya and Africa, and said that he looked forward to performing for Kenya. I remember saying to myself, “this guy had good manners.”

After the press conference? I know what you want to hear - stories about strip clubs, bar fights, an altercation with the local police. Well, it just didn’t happen. The Game went back to his hotel room, got some sleep and was ready to do sound checks and a few more media interviews Saturday morning. At this point, I was unsure whether or not I should be impressed or a bit disappointed. In all the stories that are repeated from one person to the next, hip-hop artists are out there behaving badly. And, some of the guys from his crew did go out and party, but there were no bar fights, no women - just a bunch of guys out together having a good time.

I saw The Game again briefly Saturday morning at a live interview for a local television network, KTN. I had heard rumours ahead of his visit that The Game probably would not agree to do live interviews, etc. and, so I hung out in the courtyard at the hotel waiting for him to do a no-show. His interview wasn’t confirmed ahead of schedule and he had no obligation to appear. So, yeah, I was impressed when The Game swaggered out of his hotel room and onto the live TV set and gave a good interview. Much respect.

Saturday night at the concert venue, I wasn’t surprised when I saw The Game role up in his Hummer at the agreed hour. I had now grasped that he was a professional and delivers when doing a job. And, I wasn’t surprised when local artists scheduled to perform at the same concert rolled up behind schedule. The Game is a professional and our local artists need to work harder and up their game to take things to the next level.

It was a great concert. No, I didn’t know a lot of the songs but I enjoyed the show. And, my other friends, 30 plus in years, said the same - it was an entertaining concert. We enjoyed being there. I felt charged by all the positive energy in the concert venue, and I was impressed that each song was a narrative that told a compelling story. At midnight, I wasn’t yawning, tired and ready for bed. I was charged, full of energy and ready to hit the after party.

With all that said, I did have a few concerns. I was a bit freaked out at the way that he threw his head back and gulped from bottles of vodka and Henessey while on stage. I was concerned that he may black out at any moment because of the large amounts of alcohol he consumed, and the mother in me just thought that it was in poor taste. I gave it some serious consideration then made a decision that it wasn’t vodka or Henessey in either bottle. Or, at a minimum, it was watered down. It couldn’t have been straight vodka or Hennesey, because that amount of alcohol, consumed that fast, would kill a man. I only briefly considered asking my son to attend the concert with me. And, I am glad that I had exercised good judgement. For a 6- year old, the concert was inappropriate.

The other thing that really kinda stood out for me were his trousers. Literally, The Game wore his trousers, belted, just below his butt. I am unable to understand the logic around belting your trousers below your butt. It may be that I just don’t understand and I need someone to explain it to me. I always thought that guys sagged because they wore large trousers without a belt. Not trousers, belted, in the wrong place.

Oh, one last thing that made me giggle. The Game constantly grabbed at his crotch area with his left hand. The reason I laugh is that my son used to do the same, but when he was 3 years old, and when he needed to use the bathroom. It was a bit strange to see a grown man do the same, and for no particular reason that I could determine.

And, so it ends for me with some mixed emotions. I now have a lot of respect for The Game. He is an outstanding performer and a professional. I wonder whether his stage act was simply a performance, because The Game off-stage is a person that I would have no problem for my 6 year old son to interact with.