The Ego Has Landed (Or, Kanye West Is Coming "Home")

Jesus didn't walk last night, but we had a great time all the same. On the final stop of his Chinese mainland trek, Kanye West played a modest (see: short) set that kept the crowd on its toes, which is a feat in itself considering most Chinese audiences often resemble the pile of stinky, dead fish on the melting ice chips at your nearest Carrefour. Unfortunately, he left the mega-LCD screen and spaceship back in the States, making this billing as a Glow In The Dark show a bit of a misleading misnomer. However, from start to finish, the energy was high and the setlist was tight. In the 4 years since I last saw the man, he has really come a long way.

Mr. West, the college dropout who eventually re-registered (late, mind you) and finally graduated, was not the first performer I would have thought of had you asked me "Who do you think will come to China next?" He's just too hip and cutting edge and, after Bjork, I assumed we were done for. I would have thought someone safer and more boring, maybe another stint by the Black Eyed Peas. So after his initial date was scrapped and then rescheduled in order to fit in a gig in Beijing, a hefty 380 RMB per ticket (for the "cheap" seats!) was shelled forth in anticipation for one of the best hip hop artists alive.

Remarkably, We Each Paid 380 RMB To See This Man.

News of Kanye's impending arrival got me crazy excited in all the right places. As most of us would learn, this was a "homecoming" of sorts, according to the overexited Chinese press. You see, back in 1987, Kanye's mom Donda (R.I.P.) took a Fulbright teaching position in Nanjing, site of the eponymous massacre north of Shanghai, and brought her then ten-year old son with her. His Mandarin apparently got fluent enough to "translate menus" at restaurants. Hrm... Oddly, he didn't utter a word of Chinese during the entire show, so maybe he forgot it all during his 21 year absence from the mainland. His beloved mother, the unfortunate victim of a botched plastic surgery procedure, got a proper shout out though, via his heart-wrenching tribute, "Hey Mama," which gets my vote for the Best Momma Ode By A Rapper Award (suck it, Tupac).

Although no one would ever accuse Kanye of being the greatest rapper alive, his lyrics are thought-provoking, oftentimes hilarious, and don't need to resort to the typical violence-drugs-and-bitches sludge that clogs other rap catalogs. His long list of collaborations is equally inspired, reading more like a fantasy dream team of duets plucked from my iPod playlist. Jay-Z. Mos Def. Common. Lauryn Hill. Lil' Wayne. Chris Martin. Daft Punk. Lupe Fiasco. Adam Levine. Even John Mayer isn't safe from Kanye's greedy clutches. At one point during the set, the band launched into a familiar tune (Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"); familiar to soft-rock radio stations, not stadium rap concerts. Yet they managed to pull it off effortlessly. Kanye's self-appointed status as "genius" is starting to make sense to me now.

The show thumped to a start with strains of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" - a track Kanye is slowly but surely usurping from Daft Punk - then morphed into "Good Morning," the first track off his latest album, Graduation. Controlling the crowd with his rhymes, Kanye blazed through hits like "All Falls Down" and "Good Life" (with laughably out-of-place show opener, Vanness Wu of LA Boyz and F4 fame) without a word of nihaoxiexie filler in between. Although the show wasn't a sell-out, the people in attendance were fully capable of going nuts. The suckers with expensive 1000 RMB-plus seats managed to partially recoup their money, filling out the front of the floor section, as if we were at an actual general admission concert. Whether because of the high expat percentage or simply because he was that amazing, the audience was fun and rowdy, something you don't see very often around here. Even though he skipped "Jesus Walks" and "New Workout Plan," the energy was palpable, making the vibe more like a sweaty club show than a gaping indoor arena.

From the swaggering "Gold Digger" to the anthemic "Touch The Sky," Kanye's ability to keep both the energy and the spirit positive is one of the reasons I like him so much. His music makes you feel good without dumbing down the message. Even when the subject matter gets heavy, there is always an addictive beat to back it up and make that head nod. On those more foreboding tracks - most notably "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (my personal favorite) - he exhibited a passionate intensity that I usually only see at rock concerts, with lighting production to match. Trent Reznor would be proud.

Flashing. Liiights Lights Lights Lights~

Much to the delight of the Brits in attendance, Kanye whipped out his verse from Estelle's "American Boy," the huge UK (nee, "you, K") summer hit. Proving just how painfully hip he is, the bloke drops some "rubbish", namechecks my favourite superjuice Ribena, and knows the proper use of the term "wag." I'm convinced that Estelle was hiding somewhere backstage singing her choruses, but it could have also been a prerecorded loop. Part of me secretly hoped that her fellow countryman, Chris Martin, would magically appear for "Homecoming," during which I would have willingly shit my pants in excitement, but I assume he was stuck back in merry old England with Estelle.

Mr. West

Unfortunately for me, my dreams of hearing the new tracks from the soon-to-be-crowned break-up masterpiece, 808s & Heartbreak, were dashed. All we got was a verse from "Love Lockdown," which, without the aid of Kanye's new best friend, the auto-tuner, sounded a little out of place plopped at the butt end of "Touch the Sky." The Singaporeans should consider themselves lucky, as they not only got "Lockdown" but also "Heartless." I wait patiently for that album to drop on November 25th. In any case, it is just a minor quibble in an otherwise strong set. Speaking of "strong" (oh ho, ho, what a segue!)...

Still on a high from "Diamonds," "American Boy," and "Flashing Lights," Kanye finished me off with the explosive "Stronger," which is the closest I've ever come to the pure ecstasy of live Daft Punk. Although some complained of poor speaker quality, that percussion hit me in all my sweet spots and I was as happy as a rapper swimming in a pool of gold necklaces, booty sweat and big titties.

As the show came to a close, Kanye stood at the center of the stage illuminated by a megawatt flood light, arm in the air saluting a rabid crowd. And just as suddenly as he had entered, Yeezy bounded off the stage and the house lights flickered to life. Touch the sky, Shanghai.




Kanye West "Glow In The Dark" Setlist
(more or less -- if you were in attendance and have a more complete list, let me know...)

"Good Morning"
"I Wonder"
"Heard 'Em Say"
"Through the Wire"
"Champion"
"Get 'Em High"
"Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
"Can't Tell Me Nothing"
"Flashing Lights"
"Gold Digger"
"Good Life"
"Hey Mama"
"Don't Stop Believing" (Journey Cover)
"Stronger"
"Homecoming"
"Touch the Sky" ("Love Lockdown" verse only)