Before you read this, I have to explain that seeing Kanye West from the front row at Madison Square Garden Saturday night was one of the most moving experiences of my entire life. My mouth hung wide open for the entire two and a half hours he played. For an experience as spiritual as this, it was fitting this concert was a part of the “Yeezus” Tour.
The evening started off with Kendrick Lamar. Lamar’s set was earnest and candid. With videos of Compton, Ca., playing in the background, Lamar rapped about his hometown in his uniquely approachable style. He paused during “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst” to tell the sold-out Garden how surreal this moment was for him and how his fans had saved his life. He played a fantastic set, playing through good kid, m.A.A.d. city in almost its entirety and warming the crowd up for Yeezus himself.
The stage was a sight to behold. With ridges on the side, a full-fledged mountain in the middle and a gigantic circular LED screen above it, every detail was intricate and well-planned. When the lights finally dimmed and “On Sight” started playing, 12 women with nylon masks and long, white gowns walked onstage. The screen lit up with a definition of the word “Fighting.” Kanye ran onto the stage wearing one of his many elaborate masks. His outfit was fabulous in a way that only Kanye could pull off: a gigantic eagle and American flag decorated his shirt and leggings. His energy level was electric, almost fanatical. He continued with other new songs from Yeezus, trampling around the stage in an almost animal-like manner.
The concert then shifted into “Rising” mode; the screen read, “the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” How fitting for a man who compared himself to Michelangelo and Steve Jobs later in the show. He ran to the top of the mountain for “Power.” It was flawlessly executed and dramatic to the point of excess. In the middle of “Cold,” the music went out and Kanye continued a capella. At the end of the “Rising” segment, the stage lifted into a cliff and Kanye began talking about his late mother, Donda. “Most people don’t know this, but I wrote ‘Coldest Winter’ after my mother passed away,” West said. He lay on the top of the cliff with his hands and sang while fake snow fell onto the crowd.
For the beginning of the “Falling” segment, a Chewbacca-like dancer appeared, a monster always present in the background. The dancers had stripped down and were now covered entirely in nude body suits. “Hold My Liquor” started off this set and the dancers perfectly complemented the eerily beautiful song.
“Searching” began with the dancers walking out dressed in gowns and carrying religious memorabilia. The religious symbolism was rife throughout the show, as one might expect for a tour entitled “Yeezus.” “Lost in the World” was haunting and raw, as Kanye ran around the dancers carrying Mary Magdalene figurines. Kanye then went off on one of his “rants” (he doesn’t like this term and prefers “moments of truth”) about everything from Google to French designer Heidi Silmane. However strange his “moments of truth” can be, this one was entirely inspirational. Kanye talked at length about his own creativity but then turned to the crowd and told us how he believed in each and every one of us. He finally ripped of the mask and screamed, “This is real fucking life,” and the crowd went wild. After his moments of truth, he brought out a synthesizer to perform one of the greatest songs I have ever heard in a live setting. Kanye stood next to the mic and synthesizer for the entirety of “Runaway”— ever the perfectionist, constantly tweaking his heartbreakingly honest song.
“Finding” continued with throwbacks to his older albums. For “Jesus Walks,” Kanye brought out a special guest. “What is White Jesus doing here?!” West laughed as a Jesus figure walked out on stage. Fireworks blasted during the last few songs as Kanye bounced around to different parts of the stage. He ended the set with his love song to fiancé Kim Kardashian, “Bound 2” by saying, “Kim! Kim! I love you so much baby!” He also shouted out to friends Jay Z and Beyoncé, telling them he loved them. While the media constantly reports on the rapper’s oftentimes radical statements, this honest love is a side of Kanye that rarely gets portrayed.
A concert with 20,000 other fans is not often one that can be described as intimate, yet West’s show was just that. He interacted with fans at an unexpectedly high level for one of the biggest stars on the planet. Many people criticize Kanye for his outspoken and boastful personality, but what I realized, standing just 10 feet away from Yeezus himself, was how raw every aspect of this artist is. Kanye is one of the greatest producers and performers of all time, and his live show was truly a spectacle to behold.
For all of you Ye haters out there, “Let Ye be Ye.”
