Yeezus just rose again. Nov. 17, 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston, Yeezus rose.
The show started with ominous, low bass notes and heavenly, high choral voices. Next thing I knew, Kanye West himself walked out and I got slapped with the dreadful synth from “On Sight.”
The set consisted of a triangular, iceberg-esque stage jutting into the general admission area. Behind it was a thin, black walkway leading the centerpiece of the set: a huge, white mountain with a skinny walkway climbing the rock, complete with dancers in revealing naked body suits and Kanye’s signature lights and pyrotechnics.
Kanye changed costumes every few songs. He began the show with an American flag tank top, then resorted to being shirtless for “Power,” and later wearing an array of different jackets and t-shirts; there was nothing too crazy.
What did make Kanye’s attire unique were the masks he wore for basically the whole show. Kanye had four different full-face, eccentric, reflective masks that he would rap through, definitely sweating the entire time. The distinctive features of Kanye’s face made it apparent to any fan of his that it was actually Yeezus himself on stage.
After “On Sight,” and two other tracks from his sixth studio album Yeezus, Kanye switched to some of his other newer crowd favorites, “Clique,” “I Don’t Like,” and “Cold.”
Interestingly and in classic Kanye form, during “Mercy,” Kanye changed his lyrics from “most rappers’ taste level ain’t at my waist level” to “all rappers’ taste level ain’t at my waist level.”
I had my most emotional moment when the tip of the iceberg stage rose up with Kanye standing in a sprinter’s stance at the top. He then belted out “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” I cried.
Then the show slowed a bit, but then picked right back up again as soon as we heard Nina Simone’s voice from “Blood on the Leaves.” Pyrotechnics exploded at the classic Hudson Mohawke drop and it was too awesome.
But the best part of the entire show came right after “Lost in the World.” One of the dancers rolled a table with a cloth over it onto the stage, a cloth that Kanye ferociously ripped off, unleashing a MIDI controller, which sparked my excitement because I knew what was coming.
Kanye West, 2013
Kanye held his hand high in the air for a few seconds then brought it down upon the pad and played a single “E” note—the first note to “Runaway,” then walked away from the pad. The crowd went nuts. Kanye proceeded to tease us and do this twice more before beginning the song. During “Runaway,” Kanye also gave a ten-minute speech about how he “loves to talk shit” and how when he was in high school, “they” said he would never be “right here.”
A few songs later, after “Through the Wire,” the crowd received an unexpected visitor: Jesus himself. Kanye was still while Jesus approached him. Jesus put his hand and Kanye’s head, brought him to his knees, and finally took off his mask. As Jesus walked back to the mountain, Kanye sang “Jesus Walks.” It was magical.
Much to the crowd’s disappointment, the show was almost over. After “Flashing Lights,” “All of the Lights,” and “Good Life,” Kanye closed the show with “Bound 2,” his newest single.
All in all, the show was absolutely amazing. From the way the crowd absolutely worshipped Yeezus, to the light show and the new high-tech sound system, every aspect was stunning.
Jake Dmochowski 