(Ed. Note: This post is incredibly long, and if you plan on going to the concert, it may be a good idea not to read it. Scroll down at your risk)
There I am, standing outside the United Center in the cool Chicago breeze before the show, looking to sell my two extra tickets. Tickets I paid over a hundred dollars for, then paid more for shipping, and after fucking with ebay, lost another $25. While sitting on the concrete ledge next to the statue of 23, I become worried for the first time. This is Kanye fucking West in Chicago, how the fuck are these not selling? The weird part, I am less worried about the financial hit as I am Ye' stepping out to a half empty arena.
After taking a major loss, I entered arena, and my sky high expectations for the show are coming back to earth. The fall faster even faster Lupe hits the stage and the arena is half full.
Quickly, the lights go down, the beat drops and Lupe hits the stage belting "The Coolest" lyrics. Aside from the high school girls who are dressed like it's a homecoming dance, the majority of people in the place now the lyrics and the energy is good. Then Nikki Jean hits the stage for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" and "Little Weapon." Then Lupe flows right into the Chi-town anthem "Go Go Gadget Flow" and the crowd finally seems fully into it. For the next ten minutes the arena is crazy as Lupe busts out with throwback "Kick Push" and new gem "Paris, Tokyo." The tempo was great, but then a lot of the momentum was killed when Lupe brings out fellow F&F members Crash Dummie for "He Say She Say." The energy is restored somewhat when Lupe welcomes Matthew Santos to the stage for "Fighters" and reaches an all time high as the entire arena sings along with "Superstar" then fittingly, finishes off his major hometown performance with "Daydreamin'."
After Lupe, I'm definitely all warmed up for Kanye, but he doesn't hit the stage for another couple hours. After each performer was a significant break while the stages with transformed. For Lupe, the stage was raw, just some flashing lights and a mic. For N.E.R.D, a large five piece screen is assembled, then for Rihanna a mountain backdrop with neon lighted snowcaps, and for Ye', shit got ridiculous (more on that later).
N.E.R.D hit the stage and went balls out going absolutely crazy for a solid 45 minutes, highlighted by a special surprise dance freestyle by Chris Brown during "Spaz" and their biggest hit "She Wants to Move." Audience participation hit a new high for the night when they brought up a couple lucky young ladies to shake it saltshaker style on stage, and presumably vie for the title of top groupie after exit stage left.
At this point in the show I'm feeling a little let down because Rihanna is getting ready to hit the stage AND I have to wait 20 minutes to live through it. I decide this a perfect time get a buzz going so I hit the concession stand for a couple brews. Fifteen dollars later (rectum was already sore from gas and parking) I'm steadily working on that buzz. When I return to the arena bowl a fight breaks out and I wonder why we all cannot live in peace (stupid muthafuckers).
Rihanna comes out and for the first time I take a seat and just chill with my beers. Although in my mind she was an afterthought before the show, I was definitely impressed; she commanded the stage and got the crowd going (you know those girls in the dresses) for "Don't Stop the Music," "S.O.S," "Pon Da Replay," that new song and, of course, "Umbrella." Even I found myself saying "damn, I never realized how hot this was" when Pon Da Replay came on. I was finally able to see what people saw in the song, particularly why it made the clubs go crazy. Don't get it twisted though, my ass stayed in my seat- which is a lot more than I can say for a lot of "men" in the place. Grown ass men singing and dancing to "Umbrella" was definitely the low point of the evening.
After taking a major loss, I entered arena, and my sky high expectations for the show are coming back to earth. The fall faster even faster Lupe hits the stage and the arena is half full.
Quickly, the lights go down, the beat drops and Lupe hits the stage belting "The Coolest" lyrics. Aside from the high school girls who are dressed like it's a homecoming dance, the majority of people in the place now the lyrics and the energy is good. Then Nikki Jean hits the stage for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" and "Little Weapon." Then Lupe flows right into the Chi-town anthem "Go Go Gadget Flow" and the crowd finally seems fully into it. For the next ten minutes the arena is crazy as Lupe busts out with throwback "Kick Push" and new gem "Paris, Tokyo." The tempo was great, but then a lot of the momentum was killed when Lupe brings out fellow F&F members Crash Dummie for "He Say She Say." The energy is restored somewhat when Lupe welcomes Matthew Santos to the stage for "Fighters" and reaches an all time high as the entire arena sings along with "Superstar" then fittingly, finishes off his major hometown performance with "Daydreamin'."
After Lupe, I'm definitely all warmed up for Kanye, but he doesn't hit the stage for another couple hours. After each performer was a significant break while the stages with transformed. For Lupe, the stage was raw, just some flashing lights and a mic. For N.E.R.D, a large five piece screen is assembled, then for Rihanna a mountain backdrop with neon lighted snowcaps, and for Ye', shit got ridiculous (more on that later).
N.E.R.D hit the stage and went balls out going absolutely crazy for a solid 45 minutes, highlighted by a special surprise dance freestyle by Chris Brown during "Spaz" and their biggest hit "She Wants to Move." Audience participation hit a new high for the night when they brought up a couple lucky young ladies to shake it saltshaker style on stage, and presumably vie for the title of top groupie after exit stage left.
At this point in the show I'm feeling a little let down because Rihanna is getting ready to hit the stage AND I have to wait 20 minutes to live through it. I decide this a perfect time get a buzz going so I hit the concession stand for a couple brews. Fifteen dollars later (rectum was already sore from gas and parking) I'm steadily working on that buzz. When I return to the arena bowl a fight breaks out and I wonder why we all cannot live in peace (stupid muthafuckers).
Rihanna comes out and for the first time I take a seat and just chill with my beers. Although in my mind she was an afterthought before the show, I was definitely impressed; she commanded the stage and got the crowd going (you know those girls in the dresses) for "Don't Stop the Music," "S.O.S," "Pon Da Replay," that new song and, of course, "Umbrella." Even I found myself saying "damn, I never realized how hot this was" when Pon Da Replay came on. I was finally able to see what people saw in the song, particularly why it made the clubs go crazy. Don't get it twisted though, my ass stayed in my seat- which is a lot more than I can say for a lot of "men" in the place. Grown ass men singing and dancing to "Umbrella" was definitely the low point of the evening.
But fuck all that, Kanye is about to hit the stage. Anticipation builds as the crew assembles the stage behind a giant (but not big enough) black curtain. With each passing minute the crowd is getting more restless and then the lights drop and the curtain comes up.
The stage is now a fully transformed version of itself that Lupe preformed on just hours earlier. A giant video screen the length is covering the back wall. The sides of the stage are now rolling hills from another planet, and the center stage is transparent glass that reflects the images from the video screen toward the crowd. Oh yea, its on a hydraulic and moves during the show.
The smoke guns blast away while video images of stars and flashing lights get the crowd going bananas. Then Ye' appears and wastes no time opening up with "Good Morning." He swiftly moves another Graduation jam, "I wonder" before taking back to "Heard 'em Say" before his imaginary spaceship crashes named Jane (really, when I heard I thought it was kinda corny; but trust me it wasn't at all) onto an unknown planet. After the crash, he transitions nicely to "Through the Wire" which was written following a major car accident. The rest of the show was mixed just as beautifully, weaving through new classics like "Cannot Tell Me Nothin'," "Stronger," and "Homecoming" with older favorites like "Golddigger" and "Jesus Walks" until finishing with "Touch the Sky" which included Lupe running out for this third verse and finishing off, exhausted, with "now let me end my verse right where the horns are like, uhhh."
I honestly said to myself that "this is the best moment of the show" probably 25 times. First, I still couldn't believe how therapeutic screaming "cannot wait til I get my money right" was, then it was the chills sent down my spine when I heard bum, bum, ba da bum as Jesus walked through the United Center. This was until I heard twenty thousand singing "I go for mine, I got to shine, now throw your hands up in the sky." Of course, how could this top "Hey, Mama" or "Homecoming" (the ad-libbing "And if you don’t know by now, I’m talkin’ bout CHI-TOWN, It's my town, CHI-town was so sick) or "Stronger." Whatever the best moment was, I forgot every single bullshit problem I have, I was inspired to "go for mine" and do so shining, and I was exhausted like it had been me on the stage.
I've said this a lot lately and I mean it. It was the best concert I've ever been to and ever think that I will attend. It set the bar so high, the record that will never be broken. It was hip hop mixed with theater, as Ye' carried the audience through the dramatic storyline of which every detail included and felt like it came right from Kanye. Finally, after much thanks to his band, and the fans, Kanye dropped one last surprise on us- free books for all those who attended, perfectly titled- Thank You, and Your Welcome.
You have no idea.
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