Kanye West kicked off his Yeezus tour this weekend in Seattle, and as expected the show was emotional, passionate and extremely entertaining. The tour, which also includes rapper Kendrick Lamar has received rave reviews form the critics.
As reported by rollingstone.com:
“West’s energy level was extraordinary from the very beginning, with his manic gyrations causing the front end of the stage to rock violently up and down like a giant diving board. The opening number was followed in short order by another two songs off Yeezus, ‘New Slaves’ and ‘Send It Up.’ As the night progressed, West managed to play every song off the new record in addition to a variety of selections from his extensive back catalog, including a sparse rendition of ‘Stronger,’ and truly electrifying performances of ‘Power,’ ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ and ‘Runaway.’
“While he did play a few songs from his earliest records, including “Jesus Walks” off The College Dropout, most of the non-Yeezus material seemed to derive from either Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
“The stage as imagined and executed by West was truly something to behold. It featured a sixty-foot tall white mountain as a centerpiece with a gigantic circular projection screen hanging above. But while West’s last solo outing, his Glow in the Dark tour, was a case study in sensory overload, the Yeezus tour is most notable for its starkness and absence of color. Yes, there were the mandatory laser lights, and as always West’s outfits are a surefire attention grabber, but the real grandeur, the real spectacle, lay more with the vast array of unsettling imagery offered by the various stage performers and by West himself.”
West also played up the religious theme of Yeesus, bringing out a man dressed to depict Jesus himself. According to mtv.com:
“The concert’s narrative followed West on his quest to find his higher power. He eventually donned a white mask while his dancers waltzed down the stage, swinging thuribles, filling the KeyArena with Catholic incense. West went on to rap “I Wonder,” an emotional roll of “Hey Mama” and ‘Stronger’ before an actor dressed as Jesus answered the MC’s call.’White Jesus, is that you?’ Kanye asks with childlike glee, finally taking off his mask before letting out a hilarious ‘Oh, sh–!'”
“The religious-themed theatrics led to his 2004 single “Jesus Walks,” which would bring the Northwest crowd closer to the show-closing “Bound 2.” At the end of his two-hour sermon, Kanye and his 12 female disciples bowed to Jesus on the mountain top, while the ‘Ye faithful gave all praises, shouting “Yeezus” until the house lights came on.”
Traditionally on the first night of a tour there are kinks to work through. However Kanye was very meticulous, delaying the show a few hours to get it right.
