Is Kanye West a genius? For years he has cemented his place amongst the most polarizing artists in music history. Some roll their eyes at his ego, while others clamor to hear every word of wisdom Yeezus utters. One thing is for certain: after his show last Saturday night at the Bridgestone Arena, Kanye West is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining, innovative, and just plain fun performers of all time.
The ambience before the show was unique, almost surreal. West was, unsurprisingly, a little over an hour late, but during the wait the eager audience stared in awe at the strange setup. Panels of lights the size of a basketball court hung low, and off to the side dangled a small platform. When the lights finally started to dim a little past 9:00, the roar of excitement was almost deafening.
In the darkness, West boarded the platform as “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt, 1” began to blare from the speakers. The floating stage lit up in a rich orange glow, and as soon as it began to make its way over the heads of fans on the floor, everyone knew that what they were witnessing was unlike any other concert before.
For the next two hours, West levitated over the audience as a brilliant array of warm colors shone down upon him, dramatically illuminating the restless performer while he cranked out hit song after hit song. The crowd consistently belted out every single lyric; audience participation in career-spanning songs like “Black Skinhead,” “Jesus Walks,” “Touch the Sky,” and “Stronger” even prompted West to exclaim that Nashville has the loudest crowd he has yet to perform for on his massive Saint Pablo tour.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kanye show without his signature antics. As the heavy drums and bass of “Runaway” faded out, leaving only melancholy piano, West launched into a rant about the media “hurting his feelings.” Through rather tender improvisational singing, Kanye threatened to write songs in which he would call out his enemy journalists by name.
Just when the rant cooled down, and Yeezy began the powerful ballad “Only One,” he got fired up again. I sat in my brand new ninety-dollar sweatshirt as I listened to him apologize for the price of his clothes, promising to one day make them “cheap, like Walmart.”
As the audience watched West descend from his otherworldly stage during the cavernous gospel howls of “Ultralight Beam,” everyone knew that what they just experienced will never be replicated. Never before has an artist completely torn down expectations of what a concert should be. The crowd was hypnotized by the lights and the constantly moving stage practically dancing right along with the music. It felt like a mix between a religious experience and extraterrestrial contact.
Is Kanye West perfect? Of course not, and he even admitted it during the performance. But when it comes to making his mark on the world of music performance, Kanye West is certainly a genius.