(Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)
Shrouded in secrecy and blocked from proper media coverage,
Kanye West’s 2008 “Glow in the Dark” tour is a live hip-hop spectacle that demonstrates
the Grammy-winning rapper and producer’s long-running self-proclaimed theme he is
– indeed -- the biggest and best in the game.
The U.S.
leg kicked off in Seattle
on April 16 and touched down inside a sold-out Palace of Auburn Hills crowd of
16,062 screaming fans Thursday night.
Fans know he has kin in Motown, but any room for
impromptu guest appearances or free-styling moments was abandoned at this
precisely planned, inter-galactic themed show West has envisioned since being
inspired from opening appearances for the Rolling Stones and U2 on the stadium
circuit back in 2006.
West built his third and latest record, 2007’s “Graduation” around
this larger-than-life concept; tracks he could re-work for glorious live presentation
that would resonate on a grand scale few hip-hoppers have ever achieved live.
His 22-song performance began shortly after 10 p.m. as the Daft
Punk sample of “Stronger” amped the crowd up. West invaded the production set of a
cold, lonely planet, complete with smoke machines and impressive multi-layered LED
video screens that blended graphics mostly infused with space travel themes,
shooting asteroids, and fiery explosions.
Musicians donned in all black played on the floor in front
of the stage while West stalked the abandoned planet with a fierce approach,
interacting with the audience rarely and sharing most wordplay with a
computerized woman named Jane, the brain behind his “Spaceship.”
Blasting through a familiar set of hits from his first two
records “The College Dropout” and “Late Registration,” the most interesting
musical moments came during songs from his latest “Graduation,” including the
contemplative “I Wonder” that ended with crashing percussions and “Can’t Tell
Me Nothing,” the record’s first single that had the crowd screaming every word
along with the star.
A cork-and-screwed version of “Get ‘Em High” was fascinating
to watch and hear, but monster hits like “Stronger” – really, the only glow in
the dark moment – and “Gold Digger” – which had West dancing and groping his “Goldfinger”
inspired Jane simulation -- were the most impressive production moments.
With the loss of his mother Donda at the end of 2007 due to
complications from cosmetic surgery, it was no surprise one of the most
emotionally captivating moments occurred while he performed “Hey Mama.” West
followed that up with a rather puzzling, if not bizarre, transition where
Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” was played and West mumbled the words while
his band played along with the record.
Overall, no doubt: This is the hip-hop show of the year. Kanye's show had drama, passion, excitement, breathtaking visuals and soulful jams that sounded tremendous in the Palace.
Is
it a life changing experience as Sean “P.Diddy” Combs recently called it? No.
But after seeing Jay-Z on the same stage just four weeks ago, it is quite
apparent that Kanye is the king of the modern rap game. His vision, hustle and natural
talent are simply unmatched.
Lupe Fiasco, N*E*R*D and Rihanna opened the show for Kanye,
with N*E*R*D winning that battle as their live presentation and energy blew
away the beautiful to look at but rather dull performance by RiRi.
