Kanye West @ Nissan Pavilion
Driving down I-66 West to the Nissan Pavilion Saturday evening was an experience (though obviously, not nearly as much of an "experience" as Sunday night's Radiohead show was). There were a number of cars loaded with people looking to be in their teens or early 20s lining the road, wearing the trademark sunglasses and blaring the music of the artist they were going to see, Kanye West.
In the years since West stepped from behind the scenes and into the limelight, he’s provided his share of media moments to the point you might forget his first job is making beats. Most recently, he lashed out at the author and publication that printed what he thought was a less than favorable critique of his "Glow In The Dark" tour’s Seattle stop. For all the outbursts, though, there’s an undeniable dedication to his artistry and giving his fans their money’s worth.
The tour lineup itself was impressive, with the likes of Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D. and Rihanna playing supporting roles when all could’ve been headlining their own separate shows.
That said, this was Kanye’s party and he was going to do everything within his power to affirm his headliner status to the crowd of 21,000.
After taking 30 minutes to construct the set and the repetitive chanting of "Kanye, Kanye, Kanye," the audience was shocked to attention by the roar of rockets overhead. The jarring noise and reverberations caused the folks on smoking breaks to rush back into the venue hoping not to miss anything. The sound effect was all part of what turned out to be a well conceived and smoothly orchestrated "lost in space"-esque concept show.
Other than his spaceship's computer mainframe, Jane, West traveled the cosmos solo. Beginning his performance with "Good Morning", from his latest release, Graduation, he set the tone for the first movement of the concert, which included "I Wonder" and "Heard 'Em Say". The three tracks conveyed a touch of the hip-hop space cadet's trepidation towards his journey, while still overall confident about its potential outcome.
In the next segment, West's initial anxieties wore off as he spit lyrics from the incredibly dramatic "Through The Wire", "Champion" and "Can't Tell Me Nothin'". His supreme confidence about the success of his mission home to Earth had reached an all-time high. Even though it wasn't even 60 degrees out, West had worked himself so hard he could be seen sweating profusely as he stated his absolute certainty about his soon to be realized success.
But like any good story, there's always a complication. Jane starts to raise questions about the ability of the space craft to continue the journey which caused Kanye to take things down a notch. From "Spaceship" to "Jesus Walks", West's struggles during his voyage culminate with him eventually breaking down and asking God for help. Maybe it was a combination of the fact that Mother's Day was a few hours away, or the audience's knowledge of his mother's tragic death last year, but when Kanye started singing the lines to "Dear Mama", everyone in attendance seemed to get a little less raucous and a little more reflective, eventually clapping along to the song as the lyrics about his pride in his mom's accomplishments seemed to carry a level of love and sincerity unparalleled in any other song of that sort.
After what had to be an emotionally draining portion of the show, West looked drained physically, as well. Seemingly out of no where, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" boomed from the sound system. It's hard to say you'd ever imagine hearing Journey at a hip-hop show, but the song served its purpose to restore West's once booming confidence, just as Jane reminds him that he is indeed a star, one that's so bright it glows in the dark.
Refreshed and reassured, West makes his final push back to Earth with "Stronger" and "Homecoming", followed the celebratory "Touch The Sky", where he was joined by his fellow Chicagoan, Lupe Fiasco.
In a performance that ran non-stop for roughly an hour and a half, West didn't seem to miss a beat. If anything, it was more of a strange play than rap show. That could be taken as a negative to people who enjoy hip-hop shows for artists' abilities to connect with their audience. But West took time at the end of the show to divulge a little about how his parents' insistence on understanding issue context, such as why D.C. reportedly had the nation's highest murder rate in the 1980s.
West's ability to tap into his rawest emotions and then retell to his listeners his sentiments is what helped spawn his success as an artist. And with Saturday's show, it's probable that he solidified himself as being one of the best entertainers in hip-hop, if not the entertainment industry as a whole.