Kanye moves to late night

[Whispering Pines]

I know he's a tool, so don't start, but I'm pretty excited about this news (http://bonnaroo.com/news/2008/06/09/kanye-west-late-night-set.aspx). The "Glow In the Dark" tour is supposed to be pretty incredible. Don't know how I feel about seeing Rihanna, I suppose she'll be there, but that seems like a great late night show. I may have to find a place to rest up before the show.

[jeffx]

i would be more excited if it didn't create yet another really terrible schedule conflict for me. now i have to decide between the super-awesome light show (kanye) or the far superior mc (talib kweli).

and like all the other bonnaroo conflicts, i'd say it qualifies as a good problem to have. but i swear, every year it's as if whoever sets up the schedule lines up all the shows i'm really excited about and puts them on at the same time just to mess with me. i reckon that's just how it goes when you've got too much great music to cram into one extended weekend.

[Whispering Pines]

i would be more excited if it didn't create yet another really terrible schedule conflict for me. now i have to decide between the super-awesome light show (kanye) or the far superior mc (talib kweli).

I agree. I hope that Kanye's show won't be totally cheesy, though some of the youtube clips suggest otherwise. Where I'm coming down is that by 2:30 am on Sunday I am either a) going to be ready to chill somewhere or b) enjoy some pretty, pretty lights. Given that, I think I have to go with Kanye.

My bigger problem with scheduling is how some of the Which Stage shows have changed. I'm definitely going to Gogol Bordello and had planned on catching some of Mastodon, now they are starting at the exact same time. Ahh, the problems of Bonnaroo.

[catpinw]

So did anyone actually end up seeing the Kanye show???

[Hi Top]

I heard it did not go well.

[Whispering Pines]

When I said he was a tool in the first post, it was before I realized he was a mega-tool of historic proportions. I tried to stay up, but ditched at 4 a.m.

C. stayed through the whole thing and was waaaaaay less than impressed. Perhaps she will give the run down later.

[skirob]

So did anyone actually end up seeing the Kanye show???

I didn't. When I was too late to get into Christmas on Mars, I headed back over to catch some of Kanye. By 2:15 there was no way I was going to make it. Glad I didn't ride it out. What's the point of the "glow in the dark" show if you don't start until just before daybreak?

[catpinw]

I didn't. When I was too late to get into Christmas on Mars, I headed back over to catch some of Kanye. By 2:15 there was no way I was going to make it. Glad I didn't ride it out. What's the point of the "glow in the dark" show if you don't start until just before daybreak?

Shit, 2:45 is a stretch for me in the first place! But 4:30??? I remember waking up to the music and it was getting light out and I thought, wow, he's still playing? But no, he had just started. Whatever...

Supposedly it was due to a delay in stage set-up because Pearl Jam went over their set time about an hour... so it took them that long to set up Kanye's stage. I'm not sure if I buy that. I think it would've been MUCH cooler if he had just played at 8 on the Which Stage as originally planned. But whatever.

[Apeville]

Didn't see Mr. West- I was fast asleep by then.

Some highlights- in no particular order

Zappa Plays Zappa. Ray White was in the band! Lots of Joe's Garage stuff-just fabulous and the audience went NUTS. Great setlist played by people who love and understand the music.

Abigail Washburn- disclaimer, I work with her- but she turned in a beautiful set- actually two, one of the sonic stage as well that was just as good as the first.

Chris Rock: That's entertainment!

Morning Forty Federation- Surprise of the Festival for me. Never heard of them, walked in, they completely blew me away. If CVB was from New Orleans and were better musicians. Just groovin and feeling perfect.

Avett Brothers- never seen them before, really enjoyed their energy and interaction with crowd.

Erick Baker- went up against a loud Umphreys next door and still managed to pull away with a standing ovation.

everybodfields- wonderful set and lovefest with fans.

Metallica- The last thirty minutes devolved into punk rock- it was rockin and lots of fun. Missed the first half of set.

Superdrag: Kind of surreal seeing the original lineup again. Always missed that Greek 'fro on stage. Loved the new stuff, too-

American Plauge- just right- enjoyed them more than their opener the Racontuers. AP has better songs.

The Duhks- never seen them either- though records were just 'ok' - but their live show put a smile on every face in the tent. Great spirit.

Willie Nelson- couldn't get close enough- but sounded really great with a drummer again (using full drum set)

Random Sights and Sounds- little jam sessions- people who I forgot the name of- etc.. wandering into Live Ambient Puppet Show was surreal. So was sitting by Olson Twins.

Lots more I enjoyed- didn't really see a bad set anywhere, every performer brought their A game. Weather best yet- great vibe overall. Exhausted. zzzzz

[pages]

A friend's college-aged daughter waited for Kanye with great excitement -- she and her friends had even bought some of those silly "glasses" that look like venetian blinds -- but she wasn't impressed with the show. But if you are 19 staying up all night is just part of the adventure.

[jeffx]

i stayed for the whole thing. that whole situation was a spectacular failure the magnitude of which i could not have imagined. in fact, it was such a legendary clusterfuck that i'm now kind of glad i was there to witness it.

the real tragedy was that it probably would've been a fun show when it was originally scheduled.

[chyna]

I saw it.

I am not a big Kanye fan, but I figured it would be a spectacle. I was fine when I heard it would be delayed an hour - Pearl Jam did run an hour long (and for good reason, my God did that show fucking rock), so it made sense that there would be a similar delay.

By 4:00, the natives were restless. The guy behind me was trying to convince everyone to boo Kanye off the stage when he finally did appear. I was worried that booing would cause him to have a hissy fit and call off the show.

The "Kanye sucks" and "fuck Kanye" chants were in full force and it was getting a little hairy. I was in the bleachers, where people were bitchy but having fun with it - but I worried that the tens of thousands of people on the ground - who had been STANDING for a couple of hours packed in like sardines - were going to lose their shit and start a riot. They were truly, amazingly good, though. Although they were obviously annoyed, they mostly stuck around and had the best attitudes they possibly could.

Around 4:10ish, a guy who had been sitting near me walked right in front of me. He was on his cell phone and said things like, "We need to meet by Artist Relations" and "This can't happen, we have to fix it." His call ended, and he turned toward me and said, "Kanye's done. He's cut." Then he walked away.

We were all kind of in disbelief. A few minutes later, the crew abandoned the stage and every single light was turned off. Not in a "the show is about to begin" way, but in a "this shit is over" way. No announcements had been made and the screens still said that Kanye was coming up next.

We asked our security guard if she could call anyone to find out of the show was off. She called, and her contact knew nothing. So we stayed for a few more minutes, REALLY concerned about riots by this point.

About 10 minutes later, the lights came back on and the crew went back to work.

I'm pretty sure it was closer to 4:45 than 4:30, but it finally fucking started. Although people booed when he walked out and there was some definite heckling, the majority of the crowd tried to give it their best shot. The audience was pumping their glow sticks in the air and trying to have a good time.

So, the performance. I don't know where to begin.

First, Kanye started out laying on the stage with his face covered. There was a prerecorded VO in which he explained that he'd been flying a spaceship for 12 years, 9 months, something weeks, days, minutes, whatever. And then he had a crash landing on "white earth." And he didn't know what planet he was on, so he was asking his spaceship to help him figure it out. Oh yeah, and his spaceship's name was Jane.

The first song was a bit ironic. As the Glow in the Dark show was beginning at 4:45 am and the sky was getting a little brighter because the sun was just about to crest the horizon; as we all sat/stood there after having been there (most of us) since at least 1:30 because we'd wanted good seats, his first song was - I shit you not - "Good Morning." To which everyone in my general area yelled, "Fuck you!"

To add insult to injury, it was very apparent that Kanye was rapping along to background music that was not played by musicians on the stage or even a dj, but fucking recorded. As in, it looked like Kanye was doing karaoke. I will say that he performed the music well - but the background music was really a letdown . . . like so many other aspects of his show.

Between each song he advanced the "storyline" with some "acting." He was alone on the stage but Jane had a voice and interacted with him. Each little vignette was supposed to link his next song with the overall storyline. Very loosely, apparently, because most of the songs seemed like they didn't fit AT ALL. Also? The man cannot act. A bit.

I should note that the special effects in this show, with maybe one exeception, sucked. Maybe they would have been cooler if it had been dark, but I really don't think so. There was really nothing that would have ever glowed in the dark. The graphics on the screen looked very low budget (think 1970's B movie with asteroids and explosions). I've seen high school students make better films with better special effects than this.

People were streaming out pretty regularly, with more and more leaving after each song. About 3 songs into the show, Kanye did something that just took everything down to an even lower level.

See, those of us who had stayed could deal with the crappy special effects. We could deal with the awful acting. We were mostly okay with the cheesy storyline and even crappier dialogue. We had already ruined an entire night and we weren't going to get any sleep as it was, so why not stick around for the whole thing? Plus, even for a non-fan, Kanye had a surprising number of songs to which a lot of people knew the lyrics, which always helps make a show more enjoyable than it might otherwise be.

However, when we came to this particular point, we all died a little bit inside. And then laughed. Not in a good way, because I don't think it was supposed to be funny.

Kanye (woodenly): "Jane, I been away from home for so long. I ain't had a woman in so long, Jane. What am I going to do? I just need some pussy, Jane. Are you all getting pussy out there?"

Audience: Uh, no. We've been standing here all night.

Kanye: "How can I get some pussy?"

Jane (robotically): "Maybe I can help with that, Kanye."

Audience: Uh . . . wtf?

Kanye: "Really, Jane? Okay."

So, up on the screen, a CGI woman appears. She's, you know, scantily clad and kind of ho-esque. And here's the part where we all felt a little dirty - Kanye caressed her ass. On the screen. And then the CGI girl sprung another CGI girl from her back and they started fondling each other, and it was just creepy and weird.

And don't get me wrong, I'm good with sexual content, but that particular delivery of the whole thing, after such a lackluster show (not to mention the delay), just seemed really tasteless and strange.

So, the show goes on and the story gets even stranger and makes even less sense. It was pretty obvious that major parts were cut because there was absolutely no continuity. Maybe if we'd gotten the whole show in context it would have worked, I'm not sure. But this didn't.

And maybe my favorite part - the second (and last) time he addressed the audience (or maybe he was talking to the aliens in his story, I'm not really sure): "Is this what you've all been waiting for?"

Us: No.

At the end, the sun was completely up and there was, you know, light. Which caused problems not just because the show was supposed to glow in the DARK, but also because Kanye's exit was flawed. See, at the end there were these banging sounds, and Kanye flinched a lot as though he was being shot as each pop occurred. Then he collapsed to the ground. But wait! He's special and he survived eight bullets! Because he's "Stronger" (cue song)! Then, he went back to sleep because he had somehow solved his problem (I don't know if he repaired the spaceship, or found his way home, or conquered another planet, or what - because that part was cut). So he lays down on the stage, covers his face, and sleeps. And I guess this is when the lights would generally go off so he can exit. But, um, the sun is up. So he stands up, walks over to a ladder in the "spaceship," and descends. And we all wait for a minute because we aren't sure if this is the end, or if he's going to make the spaceship do something and maybe we finally get to see something glow, or what. And then some different music comes on by a totally different artist, so we get the hint and leave.

Through the whole show, even though most people really tried to have a good time, the vibe was just off. There were never cheers from the audience. There was some clapping, but no one seemed to have their hearts in it.

As one of my neighbors said back at camp - if the show had been an hour late and that was what we had gotten, it would have been decent. Not great, but decent. Two hours late, it was a joke. But it could have been better if he'd only broken character for 30 seconds to thank us for coming. It just struck a wrong note. In a weekend where most of the performers seemed overwhelmed by the support that they received, Kanye came off as someone who expected us to be thrilled that we had been graced with his presence. And I'll take part of the blame, because we certainly weren't the best audience that we could have been . . . but I do have to say that I was blown away by how hard the audience tried to push their issues aside and enjoy it. At most festivals, the vibe isn't that positive, and I think it says a hell of a lot about the people who attend Bonnaroo that they are such fans and so dedicated to maintaining a peaceful vibe that they tried as hard as they did. It was disappointing that we weren't met halfway.

But here's the thing. The show was odd, and not that good from a production and acting standpoint, and Kanye was egotistical (of course). The music was canned except for his portions of it - but his portions were great. So I'm not able to say that I hate Kanye or I'll never listen to him again or anything. But I don't want to give him a dime of my money. I won't pay to see him. I won't pay for one of his albums. And the sad part is that he had such an opportunity, and if he could have been gracious I think 99% of the people there could have overlooked the absolute weirdness of the show. He had that opportunity, but he lost it the minute he decided - for whatever reason - that it wasn't worth acknowledging us. And that kind of sucks.

[Apeville]

I have read that he had a band hidden from view. I have no independent confirmation of that.

All that being said- I wimped out early. Kind of regret I didn't see at least a minute of it, Ed Richardson called it A MR ROBOTO experience.

[Randall]

I have read that he had a band hidden from view. I have no independent confirmation of that.

All that being said- I wimped out early. Kind of regret I didn't see at least a minute of it, Ed Richardson called it A MR ROBOTO experience.

Surreal idea for next year's Bonnaroo: actual Styx actually doing Mr. Roboto.

[Hi Top]

Kanye Klusterphuck:

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/61281870

[mar]

I'm glad I didn't even try to go. Especially after Chyna's description. I would've been PO'd.
We were at Robert Randolph on Sunday, and he sort of off-handedly said something about Kanye. The entire crowd started chanting "Kanye sucks". Robert then made a comment about how people spent a lot of money to get to 'roo, and folks like him, and T Bone (who was on stage at the time) and several others loved playing for the crowds there, and that maybe Kanye's ego was just a bit too big.
I totally loved all the home made anti-Kanye shirts I saw on Sunday.

[trancendyce]

Kanye Klusterphuck:

sounds like a good name for his next recording. i can envision a whole theme around it ;)

[JohnnyB]

I was awoken at about 5 with loud synths and explosions. I looked outside and it was light. Later when I got out of the rack the fence was covered with Kanye Sucks and Fuck Kanye grafitti. Glad I went to bed after Sigur Ros.

Highlights for me:
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings- my favorite performance of the festival
Rogue Wave- I didn't expect much from them but they were very good.
Death Cab For Cutie
My Morning Jacket- great set in the rain. Worth getting soaked for.
!!!- never heard them before and I danced my ass off
Porter Batiste and Stoltz- phantastic phat phunk till phour in the morning (danced my ass off there too)
Sigur Ros

[patmiller]

I heard that Kanye read the lyrics from a TelePrompTer. There was even a bouncing ball so he could get the rhythms right. I have no independent confirmation of that.

[DanceDiva]

Wow, thanks for the commentary! Now I know who to skip at Lollapalooza. It's too bad. . . I always heard such great things about Kanye but the past couple of years reviews of his live performances have been worse and worse.

There's no excuse for that kind of attitude. Based on TV footage the rest of the performers were very cool and appreciated the crowd.

I am very excited about seeing Gogol Bordello live.

[Whispering Pines]

I am very excited about seeing Gogol Bordello live.

Yes, yes, yes! Emphatically, yes! They are such a great band live. "Think Locally, Fuck Globally" was a highlight of the festival for me this year. And the lead singer did a full on stage dive, which you just don't see that much at Bonnaroo in my experience. He was high fiving everyone in the crowd as he surfed over them. I'm pretty sure he smacked several in the face, but they didn't look like they cared.

As for Kanye, by the time I turned in at 4 a.m., the only way I would have watched that asshole would have been if he had brought the entire set over to my campsite, had Madonna (rumored), all four Beatles and Jesus (Kanye's imagined alter ego) on stage and plied me with frosty beverages while I lay in my tent, brooding like Achilles. By that time of the morning, there was no one on earth that I wanted to continue sitting up for.

[catpinw]

I am very excited about seeing Gogol Bordello live.

They are great, you'll love it! Get close to stage so you can watch them though, it's way better when you can see their craziness up close.

[Rocky Hillian]

I am very excited about seeing Gogol Bordello live.

As anyone should. They have more energy on stage than anyone in the free-world!

[mar]

They are great, you'll love it! Get close to stage so you can watch them though, it's way better when you can see their craziness up close.

Do y'all know who the "extra" folks on stage with Gogol were? I think one was Steven Marley. But who was the DJ/Mexican guy who stage dove?

[Raincrow]

They are great, you'll love it! Get close to stage so you can watch them though, it's way better when you can see their craziness up close.

Yeah, you need to see the expressions on their wicked gypsy faces. Especially those murderous looking Chinese opera banshees that come out and sing, bang percussion instruments and generally caterwaul like wild animals.

[DanceDiva]

They are great, you'll love it! Get close to stage so you can watch them though, it's way better when you can see their craziness up close.

Fuse showed one song Sunday night. I was glad for that, at least, even if they didn't capture stage-diving antics.

[F-Stop]

Thanks for the rundown, Chyna. I didn't go to Bonnaroo this year (stupid work!)

Anyway, Kanye has posted about the hot 'roo mess on his blog:

http://perezhilton.com/2008-06-24-kanye-ate-it-and-barfed-it-all-up

http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=196808_-1__0_~0_-1_6_2008_0_0&em3161=&em3281=&entry=196808


"I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall… Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want…. arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of…. BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES… WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK… THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE … I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM… BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY… SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE… I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT… HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF… CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!"

[DanceDiva]

2 KaNyE:

D00d, WTF? U SuK

Ok ThX ByE














































He said it was clear he was "dealing with ... idiots who didn't really have the capacity to really put on this show properly."


I've never even freakin' been to Bonnaroo but even I know how ridiculous everyone has to think he is for putting down Superfly and AC. I think their track record (ticket sales?) speaks for itself.

[Whispering Pines]

I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!!

U IDIOTS @ APPLE OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW HOW 2 BUILD A MAC BOOK AIR!!!!!!!!!!! STEVE JOBS IS A PUNK-AZZ BITCH!!!!!!!

[nicole]

Yeah Kanye's a little bitch - but I gotta love him! "It's that crack music..."

[trancendyce]

Yeah Kanye's a little bitch - but I gotta love him! "It's that crack music..."

heh!truedathebedelastestjerkymaxboyezanzillustrell inez