Kanye West

Kanye West

21 July, 2008
by: Chippy

The O2 Arena is a great venue with shops, bars, escalators and staff that actually seem to know what's going on. It is not, however, somewhere for people with vertigo. If this is you I'd recommend staying well away from level four which is where I spent the evening of the 22nd November clutching onto my seat for dear life.

That said, an hour after arriving I was tentatively out of my seat and shaking my thing as Common warmed up for Kanye West, a few stories below. The upper tier seating at the 02 may be mind-bogglingly terrifying but what it lacks in comfort it makes up for in visibility. We could see everything.

I'd spent the week leading up to the concert wondering whether it was going to happen at all. Kanye West's mother died on the 10th November from complications during cosmetic surgery and bearing in mind he is a self-confessed mummy's boy and she was in America whilst he was in London when it happened I had serious doubts as to whether he'd perform. My worries were unfounded. Not only did he perform but he excelled himself putting Amy Winehouse, who's just cancelled her tour due to her inability to cope with her husband's imprisonment, to shame.

Kanye is a consummate professional but also a lover of music. (Support from Common and the entire Fool's Gold posse tells you this guy has the best taste in the business.) Opening with a snatch of Daft Punk remix to remind the crowd where he was going, he proceeded to some newer material, all the while showcasing his lyrical dexterity and taking time out to highlight and thank each member of his band, and of course, his party DJ A Trak. From giddy heights, as he sauntered around the stage in a Victorian gent's frock coat introducing the band and encouraging theremin solos, I began to wonder where he was going. The O2, such a huge venue, was mumbling, muted, not locked in. But Kanye just wanted us to know his players.

Five seconds after the last solo by his guest keyboardist, the stage went dark, then exploded in a riot of glitter as Kanye, now in a pure gold safari suit, strode to the front of the stage for 'Touch The Sky'. The audience erupted: I've never seen control or showmanship to rival it.

The rest of the set was a confident mix of old and new, including plenty of homage to Jay Z and his usual brew of electro and even Madchester rave samples. Kanye blows gangsta rap out of the water with his interest in thousands of styles and the artists coming out of Chicago under his tutelage are the saviours of hip hop. People like A Trak, Kid Sister and Flostradamus are the future of mainstream but worthwhile hip hop. But Kanye is their daddy. And if they want to know why, they should have checked out this show. He rocked it from the front row of the crowd to the top of the terrifying tiers.

Six or seven costumes changes and a massive encore later, the crowds began their tortuous journey home. If you travel to the O2 – take a car.

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Chippy