During the 50 Cent show at Winter X Games 14 you saw at least two things you wouldn’t describe as at home in Aspen.

         First, there was the simulated automatic gunfire that was played in between a couple of 50 Cent’s songs. The crowd of mostly 15 to 24 year old kids did not duck and cover.

         Second, there was the presence of federal Department of Homeland Security police, complete with bomb sniffing dogs. Officers spoken with said it was their first trip to Aspen and they were here mostly for “high visibility” and to augment local law enforcement.

         One local sheriff’s deputy estimated the crowd during the 1 p.m. show at 28,000 and auxiliary parking lots for the venue were filed to capacity.

         The show was a surprise announcement less than two weeks before the X Games, apparently courtesy of event sponsor Vitamin Water, of which 50 Cent is a partner. The performance was one of three big name hip hop acts hitting Aspen this weekend. The others are Snoop Dogg, who played Belly Up on Friday, and Too $hort, who appears there on Sunday.

Photos by Heather Rousseau, www.hrousseau.com

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