Despite the constant banter about his cockiness and egotistical nature – two attributes which I believe he is entitled to, Kanye West is a true performer and one of the most intelligent artists of this generation. The fact of the matter is, the man knows what it means to capture and hold a crowds attention.
Having already seen him perform at Big Day Out a couple of days prior, I was already familiar with how he was going to set out his show. That said, nothing could prepare me for those next few hours. All of you Kanye haters, either keep reading with an open mind or turn away now.
As the lights of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage flickered and a group of thong cosi-wearing ballerinas ran on stage going H.A.M. (hard as motherfuckers, for anyone who’s unfamiliar with that acronym), Mr. West ascended on a crane in the centre of the venue to thousands of screaming fans. Any doubt of his popularity amongst the general public was out the window – everyone was hypnotised, particularly once the rhymes began. Dark Fantasy opened the setlist, with his legions of followers screaming up towards him “Can we get much higher?” Was it purely coincidence or was he intending on presenting a God-like front? I’m going to go with the latter. The fact of the matter is, he is arrogant. He is egotistical. He is his own biggest fan. But if you were to see him perform and witness the perfection that he opts for, you mightn’t agree with it, but you’d understand why. Every element to that performance was perfect.
Whether he was indulging in his more “mainstream” hits such as Love Lockdown, Stronger or Gold Digger; dabbling in his more recent hits, Runaway and Monster, or purely just auto-tuning his voice for a good twenty minutes in a freestyle about how much he hates his exes (Amber Rose, you’ve damaged him), it was hard to not keep your eyes peeled to the stage. If not for the music and his brilliant albeit often twisted lyricism, it was for the stage elements themselves. And those dancers! I’ve never doubted my agility more in my life.
And for any of you that ever doubted whether or not the man had heart, you only have to witness him sing Hey Mama – a dedication to his late mother, to realise that despite his high-profile status and at times quirky behaviour, he’s still just a kid at heart.
Mr West, I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you anymore. But I do.
BY SIMONE ZIADA (pics by Charles Newbury)
LOVED: 99.9% of the show.
HATED: That odd 0.1% of the show where the girl behind me tapped me on the shoulder to say that she couldn’t see. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t care.
DRANK: Fruity Lexia…again. Don’t judge me.
