Photography by the media wasn’t permitted at the concert, so we posted the video from West’s “New Slaves” instead.
West vs. the nor’easter
On Feb. 13, at least 6 inches of snow blanketed State College. But the storm didn’t stop Kanye West fans from filling the Bryce Jordan Center.
West may be a minimalist, but his vision for the Yeezus Tour is grandiose — a departure from traditional hip-hop concerts that include the rapper, hype man and DJ. The stage production consisted of a mountain, monster and faceless female dancers in nude bodysuits. While backstage, I saw the man who wore the monster costume. He stood a few inches over 6 feet and sported a mohawk. A DJ spun music during the concert, and Tony Williams sung backup.
Yeezy discography
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Yeezy’s debut album The College Dropout. The timeless songs from the concert reminded fans that West has been one of the most influential, avant-garde and polarizing artists of the last decade.
After performing joints like “On Sight,” he slowed the tempo down with “Coldest Winter,” a song dedicated to his late mother. The Chicago-based artist laid on his back to perform the heartfelt song while artificial snow descended from the ceiling. The mercury climbed during “Blood on the Leaves;” Yeezy rapped under a red spotlight as fire spewed from the mountain. He also tapped buttons on his MPC during “Runaway” and gave the diamond hand sign during “Diamonds from Sierra Leone.”
“I’d like to thank everybody for coming out in this snow,” West told the audience. To show his gratitude, he performed extra songs. Like a modern-day Muhammad Ali, West speaks his mind. About halfway through the show, he called out radio personalities Sway and Charlamagne Tha God. He also talked about following one’s dreams.
West, also a fashion enthusiast, had outfit changes, wearing everything from bejeweled masks to drop-crotch skinny pants to a trench coat. He closed out the show by looping the sample from “On Sight.” The sample, called “Sermon (He’ll Give Us What We Really Need) by Holy Name of Mary Choral Family, played as a man portraying Jesus stood atop of the mountain.
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