TORONTO - During the span of a three-song encore, rapper Lil Wayne shot fire toward the crowd from behind a flame-thrower, slipped on a red Everlast boxing robe and sung along to a few bars of Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You."
Yes, the New Orleans rapper was as advertised in Thursday's performance at the Air Canada Centre: kinetic, captivating and more than a little bit weird.
Lil Wayne rolled through town on part of his "I Am Music" tour, which also featured performances by robo-soul crooner T-Pain and R&B singers Keyshia Cole and Keri Hilson.
And he didn't waste much time before getting to his mission statement. After opening with "Mr. Carter," the 26-year-old addressed the crowd.
"I ain't (anything) without you, so make noise for what you created," he said to resounding applause. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am music."
The statement wasn't quite as absurd as it would have been a year ago.
The rapper shocked the music industry this past summer by selling 1 million copies in one week of his sixth solo album, "Tha Carter III." The record went on to top U.S. sales charts last year, moving nearly 2.9 million units.
He's midway through a massive tour that will also take him to Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome on Jan. 22 and Vancouver's GM Place on Jan. 24.
And the rapper -- nicknamed Weezy for his scratchy drawl -- leads with eight nominations going into next month's Grammy Awards, including a nod for Album of the Year.
"Ladies and gentlemen, aren't I the feature king?" he asked the audience Thursday.
Certainly, Lil Wayne had the packed Air Canada Centre crowd in his pocket for Thursday's 90-minute performance, even when it veered into strange directions.
They echoed his tricky rhymes back to him, waved lighters (or cell phones) in the air and squealed each time he stripped off his shirt to reveal the dense thicket of tattoos etched across his scrawny chest.
And they either enjoyed or endured a few of his more bizarre detours.
At one point early in the show, T-Pain joined the five-foot-six MC for their hit collaboration "Get Money" then stayed onstage for something resembling a comedy sketch.
The two friends -- who are planning on releasing an album together under the name T-Wayne -- sat down for a staged conversation, then briefly engaged in a dance/rap battle.
Later, Lil Wayne wordlessly sprinted backstage to loan his spotlight to a brisk succession of rappers from his Young Money Entertainment record label, including Canadian Drake (Drizzy) Rogers.
Of course, these diversions are par for the course for an unpredictable rapper who has made a career of scribbling in the margins.
Lil Wayne, who was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was discovered when he was 11. He initially found fame as a teenager with New Orleans group the Hot Boys, before releasing his first solo record, "Tha Block is Hot," in 1999.
In the nine years since, Lil Wayne has churned out five more solo records, while lending his raspy voice out liberally -- last year, he made guest appearances on almost 100 songs by other artists.
Known for his clever, elliptical rhymes and unorthodox flow, the prolific rapper further built his fan base through a steady stream of official and unofficial mixtapes -- casual releases on which he raps over other people's tracks.
He drew from those records frequently on Thursday, with the crowd roaring in recognition at the opening bars of "Sky's the Limit."
He jumped from record to record, giving equal time to mixtape tracks and old favourites, often only bothering with a verse or two before moving on.
No outfit lasted long either.
He initially came onstage wearing a red T-shirt adorned with a picture of the periodic table of elements, with jeans, a black hat and a pair of shades, his dreadlocks tied back.
After losing the shirt and hat, he re-emerged later with a fluorescent yellow jacket and sneaker combination.
Similarly, dancers wandered out for some tracks before disappearing.
Lil Wayne was playful throughout the performance, grinning and hopping across the stage, jumping on amps and sprawling out on his back.
As has become tradition, he also sat on a stool and strapped on a guitar but didn't attempt to play it.
Each time it seemed like the energy in the building started to wane, he brought them back with a performance of one of his hits -- "I'm Me," "Phone Home" and "Fireman" being particularly rousing.
The backing of live musicians -- a drummer, guitarist, DJ, keyboardist and a woman who split time between a bass guitar and a cello -- gave some of his songs some extra punch, especially the three-song encore of "Lollipop," "Shoot Me Down" and a thunderous, rocked-out "A Milli."
For "Lollipop," he was flanked by dancers in candy-coloured burlesque outfits, seemingly all moving to their own beat.
Lil Wayne just stood smiling in the middle, wearing a dishevelled, over-sized tuxedo and a single black glove, looking like an opera conductor gone mad.
