Welcome to Graduation
The man, he name. The show.
Michael Badejo
There are a lot of different opinions about one Mr. Kanye West — some positive, others include a long string of expletives (usually attributed to his braggadocio). His stances and views on an assortment of issues, from Hurricane Katrina to the MTV Awards, often bring about heated debate about whether or not he is, among other things, a stable human being. But there is no misconception about his musical and entertainment talent — or, well, there shouldn’t be once you see him live in concert.
Performing at the MTS Centre on Oct. 18, Kanye West took to the stage and invited the audience into his world — albeit a little late, as he was about an hour later than advertised. Nevertheless, all was forgiven — or maybe forgotten — because of his involving and relatable music. Energetic from the get-go, starting with his breakthrough hit “Through the Wire,” West led us through what was basically his memory’s museum, moving into the spirited track “Champion” and the murky, but potent “Get Em High.” Backed by live musicians (including live singers, a horn and string section sporting two cellists and a harpist, as well as piano and keyboard players), West went through a multitude of his catalogue, each sounding authentic, compelling, and powerful.
The highlights of the show which garnered the biggest cheers were his No.1 single “Gold Digger,” current single “Good Life,” and what might be the most popular song of 2007, his smash collaboration with Daft Punk, “Stronger,” which he closed the show with. The only disappointing part of his performance was that it ended rather abruptly after an hour and a half of a potent and engaging delivery.
Warming the crowd up for Kanye West, Fabolous took to the stage at about 9:30 p.m., an hour later than his scheduled performance time (writer’s note: as a hip-hop concert-goer in Winnipeg, I didn’t expect less). With only monotonous music for an hour plus, the crowd was ecstatic to see Fabolous and vibed along with him to his hits such as “Breathe” and “Holla Back.” His biggest push came when he performed a song with the same name of what he was adorned with in spades: “Diamonds,” which, as hip-hop heads would tell you, put the roof on fire.
Rapper T.I., facing felony charges stemming from illegal gun possession, was held in jail and unable to make it to the show. The apparent replacement, Twista, was a no-show, so the call went out to local rap group Platinum Black to get the crowd going initially and set them up for the headliner.
Hip-hop fans got a real treat that night. Despite T.I.’s absence and wait times in between, the audience still made out pretty well, with West providing most of the fuel for one hell of a ride.
