On Saturday night I trekked out with some friends to Newark, New Jersey making my first visit to the Prudential Center in order to take in a show from the always extravagant Kanye West. I saw him only a few months ago at The Garden, which was the best show that I saw in 2013. So I couldn’t possibly pass up another chance to take in a show during his Yeezus tour.
The evening was all Kanye, with no opener to delay our focus. Just like on Yeezus, Kanye kicked things off with “On Sight”, with his face completely concealed by one of his insane masks. From there on out it was a mix-and-match of songs spread throughout his incredible catalog, both old and new.
At MSG I had a good view but I was seated. This time around, depending on his position on stage, I was merely 50 feet away from Kanye. Getting to see him up close and personal made all the difference, as I was able to witness firsthand how much energy and effort he puts into his performances. He delivered “Coldest Winter” while laying down on his stage which was transformed into a mountain perched up in the air. Specs of fake snow trickled down on the crowd while he performed, a stunning touch that made all the difference.
Naturally, Kanye delivered an epic rant – even for him – that has already made plenty of rounds across the internet. During it he touched on various topics such as what being called a “rapper” really means, Drake’s comments to Rolling Stone about Kanye, he talked about being snubbed by the Grammys, and then made a backhanded comment about Macklemore winning. He discussed the decision between choosing Adidas and Nike for his shoe deal, and made a lighthearted joke about his $250,000 assault settlement. It was wild and typical Kanye, but it was fragments of a genius just trying to get through.
He also touched on it being the 10th anniversary of The College Dropout. He played many songs from the album, more so than he did at MSG. We got rapid-fire performances of “Through The Wire”, “Jesus Walks”, “Get Em High”, and “All Falls Down.” It was pretty amazing to hear these songs delivered alongside his newer material, which there was too much of to list. A highlight for me was to hear him run through the first bit of his and Jay Z’s “Niggas In Paris” which was just insane fun, and based on the gleeful reaction from the entire Prudential Center crowd, I wasn’t alone feeling that way.
Kanye West is a true showman and a live performer. He knows he is the shit and is totally full of himself, but he delivers on every level so I can’t hate. From a nearly three-hour, 37-song set, to the extravagant stage set-up, everything about the Yeezus tour delivers. I hope you got a chance to see Kanye on this tour because it’s truly something historic.
Setlist:
1. On Sight
2. New Slaves
3. Send It Up
4.Mercy
5. Power
6. Cold
7. Don’t Like (Chief Keef cover)
8. Clique
9. Black Skinhead
10. I Am a God
11. Can’t Tell Me Nothing
12. Coldest Winter
13. Hold My Liquor
14. I’m In It
15. Heartless
16.Blood on the Leaves
17. Lost in the World
18. Runaway
19. Stronger
20. Through the Wire
21. Jesus Walks
22. Get Em High
23. All Falls Down
24. Diamonds from Sierra Leone
25. Touch the Sky
26. Gold Digger
27. Homecoming
28. Dark Fantasy
29. Run This Town (JAY Z cover)
30. Niggas in Paris
31. Flashing Lights
32. All of the Lights
33. Good Life
34. Bound 2
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