Kanye West
MAY as well be up front - I love Kanye West. Not as much as Kanye West loves Kanye West but I do love him.
I don't know if it's the fact he wears an Argyle sweater better than any other college dropout, that his arrogance is near unparalled and yet his mascot of choice remains a giant teddy bear or just the plain and simple put your hands up in the air, throw in a great sample and keep it a little bit wholesome hip-hop, but there you have it.
At least the self-appointed hip-hop messiah and I have something in common.
It was all about the man and his music as he returned to the city's M.E.N Arena with his 'Glow In The Dark' tour last night, flanked only by a handful of musicians – including two phenomenal drummers - a crash landed spaceship-cum-moon scape set and one giant mechanical alien that made a brief cameo, swallowed Kanye whole and spat him back out again, Nikes intact, to continue performing.
Marooned on an unknown planet in the hip-hop galaxy for the show, the man in question was intense and wore an inexplicable wrist splint.
He said little to his fans but the longest of the brief interludes with 'Chain' - his spaceship control - twice revealed: 'You're the brightest star in the universe'. In case we forgot.
Diamonds From Sierra Leone
Cutting a lone figure centre stage and dressed in what could perhaps be described as a modern day space man on a Sunday ensemble, West rolled out all the favourites from Through the Wire, to Diamonds From Sierra Leone, All Falls Down, and a bracing Jesus Walks, barely stopping for air through his one-hour-and-40-minute set.
Hey Mama touched a sentimental note, a quiet nod to his mother Donda who died during plastic surgery a year ago.
Homecoming
I can't overlook a couple of gripes - I expected more than just a change of trainers and the addition of an orange leather jacket by way of costume change from the notoriously fashion conscious producer turned rap star and I was a little disappointed to lose a bet that the president elect would get a mention within the first three songs if not by Homecoming.
But as Gold Digger proved, West undisputedly delivered. He stepped aside and shared his stage, briefly, with two golden stripper holograms for the predictable favourite.
Newer electro-pop offerings, Stronger and Flashing Lights, from third album Graduation were loved almost as much but the crowd put 'em up highest for Homecoming, Touch the Sky and American Boy.
A welcome and glowing, if not remarkably drawn out, version of latest offering, Love Lockdown, from soon to be released album 808s and Heartbreak closed the show - along with a a heartfelt apology to fans 'if I make it hard for you to ever go to another concert again'.
What did you think of Kanye's show? Have your say.
Reviewed: Tue, 18 November, 2008
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