I suppose pop/rock/rap performers have been shocking traditionalists and old folks for decades now, going back at least to Elvis.

Rappers have taken it to another level, and even as he creeps up on age 40 the performer known as Snoop Dogg managed to scandalize when he played here in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

Did he create an uproar? Well, yeah.

Here is the story the news side at The National did as he was on stage.

And here is what agitated some people:

–Snoop Dogg came out wearing a khandoura, the long robe that is part of what is generically known here as “national dress.”

Many Emiratis feel offended when outsiders attempt to mimic “national dress” without being a national. I had been told it actually was illegal for a Westerner to wear national dress, but apparently it isn’t. It’s just really bad form.

I remember when a few fans from Brazil wore the tourist version of national dress at the Fifa Club World Cup here back in December, and some people were agitated. And Snoop walking out on stage looking like he does in the photo with the story … that was going to get some folks worked up.

The paper did a follow story a day later in which fans reacted via twitter. The comments in that story came from those who were fans and, naturally sympathetic.

–Snoop came out and started dropping F bombs. He also made obscene gestures. Both of those concepts are considered profoundly offensive by many here, and doing it while in national dress makes it geometrically worse. A resident cultural observer was particularly offended, and told the newspaper it was “the worst thing” ever to happen, culturally, in the UAE.

In a letter to The National, one person expressed disappointment at Snoop’s bad language and suggested that promoters could have gotten rappers from the region who don’t go dirty. (And 50 years ago, adults were recommending Pat Boone as a wholesome alternative to Elvis.)

For those who have been paying attention to global pop culture, you might well say, “Hey, it’s Snoop Dogg. What did you expect?”

As an outsider who has lived here for more than 1.5 years, I can see understand that a lot of Emiratis, particularly those past a certain age, had no clear idea what sort of performance Snopp Dogg might give and, if it had been described to him, might have assumed he would clean it up or tone it down at a UAE venue.

Anyway, days later, how he dressed and how he behaved remains a hot topic here, and the story linked to, above, remains the “most viewed” story on the website.

Oh, and this has a soccer angle, too. Snoop eventually changed from the khandoura to a No 9 jersey (that worn by Fernando Baiano) from the Al Wahda club. A day later, Al Wahda people seemed to be happy that he had chosen their shirt for his appearance.

In hindsight, we can see the Snoop was going the route often taken by stage acts — wearing apparel specific to the town they are in the hope of creating an additional bond with their audience.