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.