On page 29 of Kanye West's recent venture into inspirational writing, "Thank You and You're Welcome," the intergalactic superstar (in hot pink print) boldly advises, "Believe in your flyness… conquer your shyness."
Judging by the 30,000 fans decked out in their freshest Nikes and flashiest T-shirts in colors typically reserved for roadside workers and hunters, the message was already well-received. For the audience, ranging from the roughest of Bathing Ape-flaunting hardbodies to the indie-est of backpacking experimentalists, Kanye's hometown installation of the "Glow in the Dark Tour" was nothing short of epic.
We've all heard Diddy claim the show changed his life, seen Perez Hilton gush over the performance for a solid 10 minutes and read the reviews proclaiming the spectacle to be the greatest thing to hit the stage in decades. Fearing that the bar had been set too high even for Mr. "Touch the Sky" himself, I went into the concert with a bit of skepticism. That didn't last long. Somewhere between Lupe Fiasco's 100-mile-per-hour opening and Rihanna's luminescent foray into the mind of George Lucas, I realized I was witnessing something the world will be talking about for years to come.
But Friday's show at the United Center was more than just an indulgence in mind-blowing, mainstream entertainment. Kanye's vision, manifested in this masterpiece of artistic stimulation, is the new model for how a stadium should be properly rocked. Every minute detail, from the teaser lightshow before Lupe's bit to Rihanna's costume retooling mid-tour, has been closely scrutinized by Kanye to ensure that all four sets come together into one beautiful, cohesive experience.
The result is a five hour marriage of the flashiest of Euro light shows with the brightest of Fourth of July celebrations, emceed by some of the biggest hip hop stars in the universe. Simply put, it's pure, unadulterated fun. Even R&B star Chris Brown, hanging out backstage, couldn't help but join moshing on stage during N.E.R.D.'s closing rendition of their hit "Rock Star."
As stellar as the opening sets were, they merely served as appetizers to Kanye's main course. Midway through his solo set, a robotic female voice chimes, "You're the biggest star in the universe." As cheesy and self-gratifying as the line may be, while watching Kanye zoom through his musical outer-space journey, one can't help but agree. We're witnessing an artistic genius perform at his pinnacle, and he is welcoming us aboard his spaceship for the ride.
You can hate Kanye for his arrogance. You can hate Kanye for his self-indulgence. You can even hate him for spazzing out when he loses at award shows - though we're all guilty of taking losses too harshly. But you can't hate him for his dedication to pushing the artistic envelope and keeping his worldwide audience close to his heart. In his book, Kanye professes, "Love your haters, they're your biggest fans!"
And, in keeping with this advice, I'd like to close my final column with a word for anyone who ever took issue with my words, questioned my motives and/or my writing ability, and otherwise "hated" on my Tuesday Forum home for the past nine weeks.
Thank you, and you're welcome.
Medill sophomore Nick Weldon can be reached at n-weldon@northwestern.edu.
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