Rapper Kanye West doesn’t need any introduction at this point. With 21 Grammy Awards, one of the highest rated albums ever on metacritic and a marriage to reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, Kanye has yet to stay out of the public spotlight since his debut album in 2004.
Kanye has an interesting history with concerts as of late. There was his Yeezus Tour in 2013, which relied heavily on theatrics in attempt to tell a story. There was a huge mountain, innovative stage design, a lot of ranting and to top it all off, a visit from Jesus Christ.
Then there was his insane 2015 Glastonbury Music Festival performance, when he performed 30 songs, including Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. In July of 2015, he performed at the closing ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Toronto, when he threw his microphone into the air and stormed off the stage after a malfunction.
Needless to say, anything could happen when Kanye embarked on his Saint Pablo Tour, in support of his album, The Life of Pablo –which I reviewed here— which released earlier this February. When tickets went on sale in early June, the possibilities of another wild moment from West, combined with my love for his new album, meant I had no other choice but to buy floor tickets to finally see him live. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made
THE STAGE
The stage design was unlike anything I had ever seen at a concert. The theatrics of the Yeezus Tour were removed, in favor of a more intimate experience by having the stage dangle in the air, right in the middle of the arena. According to West, this was an intentional decision, telling E! News, “Make it not be just about watching the artist, but people watching their friends and singing along with the lyrics and just being able to see themselves, their outfits, being able to post something and take the concert experience to another level.” The stage moved around the floor and gave everyone a chance to be up close and personal with him. Also, a huge mosh pit gathered under the stage the whole time, which can always be a plus.
THE SETLIST
Kanye played a total of 31 (!!!) songs, ranging from old hits from his earlier albums, like “Stronger” and “Touch The Sky,” to newer songs like “All Day” and “Famous.” Pretty much any popular Kanye song you want to see him perform, he did. Seeing him perform legendary tracks like “Runaway” and “Jesus Walks,” along with incredibly hard hitting songs like “Mercy” and “Don’t Like,” was unreal.
THE SOUND
The stage was set up to where there were subwoofers and speakers around you. This made for the actual loudest I’ve ever heard anything, let alone a concert. When bass-heavy songs played like “Facts” or “Black Skinhead,” you could feel the hairs on your arm move from the bass. Every time the stage moved toward you, the sound was immensely louder.
THE SPEECH
Kanye stopped the music at the end of performing “Runaway” to give a speech about failure.
“Sometimes when you try new stuff, you fail…Let no one distract you,” West said. “God speaks through his prophets. If there’s something he puts inside you, don’t let common thought distract an extraordinary vision.”
I’m sure I’m not the only person who felt as if West was speaking just to me. It was really quite inspiring, and got the whole crowd excited for the rest of the concert. Speaking of the crowd…
THE CROWD
Being on the floor basically became an hour-and-forty-minute dance party. I moved, danced and jumped the whole time as everyone sung the words to just about every song. Even though we could barely see Kanye at times, we didn’t need to, because there were 1,000 other people who were equally as excited to hear his music. Hearing the beat drop on “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” was one of the best moments I’ve ever felt at a concert, with everyone on the floor jumping and screaming at the same time.
KANYE
How can you go wrong with Kanye? He performed enough songs to satisfy every type of fan, and his antics kept everyone excited. The Saint Pablo Tour might be one of the best nights of my life, and I will never miss another opportunity to see him again.
