Gig review: Kanye West in Auckland (+pics)
Stuff.co.nz | Tuesday, 02 December 2008|
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Flashing lights, funky sunglasses, hyped-up hip-hop and a little heartbreak. Reviewer Chris Schulz checks out Kanye West in concert.
Kanye West and Nas
Where: Vector Arena, Auckland
When: Monday, December 1
Kanye West is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.
It was there when he uttered the infamous line, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
It's written all over his face when he speaks about the death of his mother, Donda West, late last year.
And it's the inspiration for his new album, 808s & Heartbreak - a record about loss, despair, loneliness, and Auto-tunes - sparked by the break-up of West's relationship with fiance Alexis Phifer.
Heck, it's no wonder the rapper's smooshed heart adorns the cover of 808s.
So it was no surprise to see West - one of the most inventive rappers to emerge from America in recent years - show off his emotional side during last night's show at Auckland's Vector Arena.
It came during a medley of tracks from 808s - including Heartless, Love Lockdown and Paranoid - that had West writhing around on his knees as he showed off his new, hip-hop-free sound.
But it came across as a weird punctuation mark to an evening otherwise filled with West's favourite party starters and chart-topping hits - all of them drenched in neon bars and flashing lights courtesy of the robot-loving rapper's Daft Punk-designed stage show.
The best were when West kept things simple, like the foot-stomping version of Flashing Lights, the Chris Martin-guested Homecoming, and a smokey, stadium-rousing rendition of Can't Tell Me Nothing - all from 2007's Graduation album.
Touch the Sky became a message of positivity thanks to its acapella ending, and it was impossible not to dance along to tracks like the synth-heavy Good Life.
Then there was the predictable highlight of Gold Digger, delivered as the stage was bathed in - what else? - bright yellow lights matching West's self-designed jacket.
But - perhaps resembling West's patchy year - there were plenty of missteps, like the fluffed opening to the show, several mumbled lyrics and the frequent instructions West barked at his backing band of militant-dressed drummers, keyboardists and back-up singers.
Like 808s, West spent much of the night playing around with voice distortion techniques, with the spooky vocals of Get 'Em High distorting West's voice into a rap version of Darth Vader.
West told the crowd he used Auto-tunes "because it's fun" - but it sure can get tiring to listen to.
And it was a stop-start affair, with a lengthy encore break turning into a neon stick-throwing frenzy that made one punter holler, "Come on - we're running out of neon!"
During the first encore, before West bared his soul with the 808s showcase, the rapper told the crowd during Stronger to "bow in the presence of greatness".
You're not there yet, Kanye. But if you lose the Auto-tunes and mend that broken heart, it's not out of your reach.
Earlier, Queens Bridge rapper Nas ripped through around 50 tracks in an hour during a breathless set of what he called "real hip-hop".
Nas and his energetic live band won the crowd over quickly during their first New Zealand visit by playing plenty of tracks from the classic, genre-defining album Illmatic, including It Ain't Hard to Tell, Life's a Bitch and The World Is Yours.
There's no denying Nas has got flow, and he hardly took a breath during the Barack Obama-celebrating Black President and the acapella close to Made You Look.
West may have given up on hip-hop on his new album, but Nas proved that when it's done right, it can be just as scintillating as any other form of music.
* What did you think of the show? Post your comments below.
29 Comment(s)
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This show was definitely a Nas feat Kanye gig for me.... Nas was absolutely amazing, and as expected spit fire and sometimes left you wanting more after only performing one verse and a hook.... My only disappointment was not seeing him open (we arrived to Hip Hop is dead, anyone know what I missed????) and I did not get my wish of Bridging the Gap. But you cant complain when you get 5+ songs from Illmatic...... A great mix of old and new.
After seeing Mr Jones perform, I felt bad for Kanye, because he would have to be AMAZING to beat it, and unfortunately he was not. I don't know what his first 3-4 songs were, because the sound quality was RUBBISH... It did improve and he made up for up with some solid songs/verses in the middle, but again, dragged some songs far beyond their required length. Where Nas had earlier left you wanting more, Kanye had you asking when will this song end/where is this going???
For a big fan of College Dropout and Late Reg, I was disappointed not to get a few more songs like "get em high" where he just spat the one verse... The crowd was obviously feeding and going off when these songs came on, but obviously he was quite content in his own set-list to change or recognise this...
I did enjoy American Boy, as I expected him to lead in perhaps some sort of collabo section (Common, Rhymefest??) but no, he started to play some obscure songs that no-one really knew, and when 'Love Lockdown' finished (felt he was going to bring the house down with something, but wondered what he had left?? Two Words, Gone would've been great), it did come to my attention how Nas had varied his set with great tempo and changing the pace, and Kanye had yet to master this skill. He also could have added some classic deeper songs or string arrangements - roses, fly away, bring me down etc... Kanye will have to go back to hip-hop before I will ever 'bow in the presence of greatness'
Seeing the Queensbridge (one word Chris, tutt tutt) native at Zen afterward was amazing too! If you knew he was there before everyone else in the bar, he was quite accommodating to acknowledge your appreciation, all I got was 'peace', in reply to my own 'one love', all I needed tho. But once the cameras started flashing the security closed and deaded this, apparently he was keen to perform before being bumrushed and grabbed by guys and girls alike.... (mad homo and spoilage for true fans) Hopefully he saw that NZ hiphop is strong in its roots, and has a sense of identity, unlike its American counterpart at the moment.
Hopefully touring with Nasir will rub off some history and love for the art of hip-hop, and we will see some hunger and drive from (wake up) Mr West ala Stillmatic..... I would not be surprised to see Nas return in the not to distant future, with his own entourage and QB crew.
Nas: 9
Kanye: 5.75
I feel bad with anyone who says Kanye > Nas last night. God damn hip-pop lovers are killing a great genre and many sub-genre with their iTunes and auto-Tunes loving neon wearing culture.
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#1 Posted by mighty mosdef — 07:01 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
wicked gig, kanye was better than i expected. He put on a great show. And Nas was off the hook! That was badass.
Jimmy
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#2 Posted by Jimmy St James — 07:25 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Really good concert but wished Nas had performed longer. One of the best rappers ever was apparently on for less than an hour and I caught the last few minutes of his final song, bummer dude! If your reading this Nas please make a return trip to our shores to show the people why you are a legend! Anyway big props to Kanye he did his thing and showed how good he is as a hip-hop performer!
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#3 Posted by etienne — 09:18 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kayne is the man.. Last night was so sweet. Welcome to the good life baby
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#4 Posted by Crazy Dog — 09:20 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
daim, can't wait till tonights show in wellington!!!! so psyched, kanye is the man!
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#5 Posted by david b — 09:20 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kanye was a MAJOR dissapointment. Have been a big fan since College Dropout but his set was a bit of a bore with the major use of auto tone and dragging his songs on till no one wanted 2 listen. The only time i really ever got into it was when he played 'get em high'. Meanwhile NAS was meeeeeeeeeean!! Wish he played longer but am still happy with his performing tracks all the way from illmatic. His 'black president' performance got me amp'd!!!! lol His band wernt too bad either!! Totally glad I caught his first ever live performance in NZ. Hope 'God's son' comes back again soon!! :):):)
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#6 Posted by Tasha — 11:03 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kanye was a MAJOR dissapointment. Have been a big fan since College Dropout but his set was a bit of a bore with the major use of auto tone and dragging his songs on till no one wanted 2 listen. The only time i really ever got into it was when he played 'get em high'. Meanwhile NAS was meeeeeeeeeean!! Wish he played longer but am still happy with his performing tracks all the way from illmatic. His 'black president' performance got me amp'd!!!! lol His band wernt too bad either!! Totally glad I caught his first ever live performance in NZ. Hope 'God's son' comes back again soon!! :):):)
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#7 Posted by Tasha — 11:04 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Mighty,
Thanks for the post bro, on same wavelength, at least I know I'm going to hear the NaS I was amped for earlier on in the year (he cancelled a Wellington gig). When Hip Hop is Dead comes on (I hope he does Get Down too) will bring the house down. I expect a mix of Kanye fans and hip-hoppers who know and love what NaS does. Am looking forward to hearing West bust a few of the goodies you mentioned, doubt he'd change the list much for a NZ gig.
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#8 Posted by Serbinhio — 11:14 AM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Yes I am definitely more amped to see Nas then Kanye - so thanks for the heads up guys. I wont even waste my breath with Scribe.
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#9 Posted by Random — 12:47 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
loved the concert, love kanyes new style, can feel the passion. he was energetic and entertaining. definitely worth payin full price for. would go again in a heartbeat!!
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#10 Posted by toni k — 13:19 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kanye should have definately brought out Ryhmefest. That guy deserves more props, considering he co-wrote Jesus Walks and his album Blue Collar's brilliant.
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#11 Posted by el che — 13:20 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Man he has some ugly hair
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#12 Posted by alastair Ross — 13:35 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
I thought it was a dissapointment, Nas was great - stage, lighting and sound all fell short of expectations for Kanye.
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#13 Posted by TB — 13:55 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
If anyone saw the performance Kanye did in 2006 at the St James... They would have left last nights gig early like I did. I couldn't bare to listen to Love lockdown...
He barely played any of the great tracks off his earlier albums (far superiour than the latest) and the ones he did play he ruined with what can only be described as drug induced dribble.
Stick to rapping and good beats Kanye lose the whingey sing songs.
Nas made the night, New york state of mind...
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#14 Posted by Steph — 15:53 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Chris - isn't it Auto-tune (singular), rather than Auto-tunes?
From the always 100% accurate and reliable Wikipedia:
While Auto-Tune is a specific product, auto-tune is frequently used in the media as a blanket term to describe any audio processing with a similar effect, perhaps because it was the first product allowing pitch correction in real time.
Also: Nas rules. Word to your mother.
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#15 Posted by A Retentive — 16:30 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kanye rocked it like no other, he is the "the man" when it comes to autotune. Cya later T-Pain!
Yes, he is now "pop-music"... all the haters... sorry! Or just don't come next time.
He and his music sounded better than a CD. That is what I'm talking about. He can have my $140 bucks anytime.
Nas was wicked "hip hop". "I Can" was really direct! Awesome night. Come again both of 'em!
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#16 Posted by Simon — 19:05 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
this was an amazing show, the start was fantastic with p money and scribe , good to hear all of his old songs especially his rapping he could still rap fast even after he did 10 starjumps! it was great to see the rest of dirtyrecords come out vince harder, pnc, david dallas.
nas was absolutely amazing! good to hear the REAL hip hop, though i was dissapointed he didn't sing the whole song of " i know i can" but he was just off the hook!
kanye west was brilliant! this is a concert i will not forget, the lights, the atmosphere and kanye rapping amazing! though his voice had been auto-tuned it was still cool like he said " i like it because its fun to use!" fav song would have to be stronger and all falls down while but yep its was a awsome concert, i wish i was going agen 2nyte! 9 1/2 out of 10!
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#17 Posted by betz — 19:17 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
it sucked!
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#18 Posted by Ashlee — 20:22 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
The show was great. Nas and Kanye were both great and so was Scribe/P Money who also featured Vince Harder for P Money's hit 'Everything'.
However, I am appalled with the quality of the review written above. "Bow in the presence of greatness" are part of the songs lyrics?, what else would you expect him to say. It is also stated that Nas played many songs from his Illmatic album, including Life's A Bitch, It Ain't Hard To Tell and Who's World is This?. 'Who's World is This?' is not a song of his at all. 'The World Is Yours' is a song off this album and features the lyrics "Who's world is this?" but is named otherwise.
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#19 Posted by Lyle — 21:07 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Kanye is very original, certainly has avoided going pop like Lil Wayne etc, but his rhyme is still a bit systematic, and sounds more like they was meant to be written, not spoken.
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#20 Posted by Sam — 22:51 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Nas absolutely stole the show for me - I would have been happy going home after seeing him. Kanye, as Kanye does, put on quite the stage show, but I was really disappointed with the sound quality. 11pm the next night and my ears are still ringing. Lots of distortion is not good!
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#21 Posted by Ben — 23:00 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
Man that show was wicked.I said it from the beginning that i wasnt going for Kanye but Nas!! and indeed he left me feeling very satisfied, mainstream hiphop is killing real hiphop with a message but Nas made me realise real rap lives. Much love to Nas for real man. He kept it real, moved the crowd like no other. Kanye west was ok but boy does he need a haircut.
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#22 Posted by godson — 23:01 PM | Tuesday , 02 December 2008
wellyz concert was of the chizzang!!! nas was amazing and Kanye blew everyone's minds. played all the songs i wanted him too. think he saved his best for us!
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#23 Posted by kanye4eva — 08:46 AM | Wednesday, 03 December 2008
i got there late and saw about 30 seconds of nas, it was far better than the endless crap kayne dropped.
infact the huge load of drool i saw fall from kaynes mouth was probably the best thing to come out of it.
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#24 Posted by sarah — 09:08 AM | Wednesday, 03 December 2008
In response to #23
Her certainly didn't blow my mind. I couldn't wait for him to finish that 20 minute freestyle crap halfway through the show. If it weren't for Nas, it would have been a complete waste of my time.
No doubt, the favourites were performed very well but I can't say I'm a fan of his new sound.
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#25 Posted by Random — 13:43 PM | Wednesday, 03 December 2008
I went to the wellington show and was very disappointed!
I felt kanye was very arogant and dragged out the songs way too much.
I thought Scribe was the hit of the night, i should've gone home after his performance!
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#26 Posted by Liv — 12:48 PM | Thursday , 04 December 2008
Ive been a fan of NAS since 1993, 15 years later he turns up on our shores and absolutely delivered the goods with me yelling for more. Kanye on the other hand underperformed. His singing direction is not there yet, but his flow and Beat making is mean. Nas made that concert for me. Come back soon NAS!!
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#27 Posted by APIK — 13:03 PM | Thursday , 04 December 2008
great concert! they were both awesome and couldnt ask for n e thing more..hopefully they come back and do sum more gigs and spend more time in nz..10/10 for me!
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#28 Posted by Rory — 18:38 PM | Thursday , 04 December 2008
Nas > Kanye that night for sure
As for the dude who posted the first review, i have no idea what ur talking about. You say ur a big fan of Kanye, yet you didnt know what songs he was playing? I aint even a huge fan and I knew every single track on his set. All were hit single mind you.
Nas absolutely set the crowd alite, tho a lot of the things he said would be r18 and also would have triggered some kind of search if the narcotics department was present.
The strong smell of **** was definitely in the air when Nas said "This one's for all my **** smokers out there"
Definitely got my moneys worth and I wouldnt mind going again.
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#29 Posted by Luichi — 02:46 AM | Saturday , 06 December 2008