Complaints about mainstream rappers’ inability to deliver in a live setting are often grounded in ignorance but there’s often a degree of truth in the accusation. If some of them don’t work hard enough at it, Kanye West, is an exception. This is a big production and a lot of thought has gone into it. And yet, perversely, the show never fully takes flight.
West is something of an anomaly; his primary flair is as a producer, rather than as a performer or rapper. Purely through the undeniable excellence and swish populism of his music, he has ascended to the status of superstar. And yet, on occasions like this, it becomes apparent that he’s a backroom sort of guy at heart.
There’s a somewhat forced air to proceedings; the stage is mocked up to resemble the interior of a spacecraft, and a host of intergalactic between-song visuals and pre-recorded verbal snippets give the show a feel of a voyage into deep space. But at times it feels like these gimmicks are a substitute for, rather than a complement to, real showmanship.
West opts to spend almost the entirety of the show as the sole presence on stage. Not a good move: he is something of a frosty communicator; off-script between-song banter is basically non-existent throughout the evening.
The music does hit the mark. From the lush, soul-soaked ‘Through The Wire’, through to the blank, beautiful new single ‘Love Lockdown’, via the epic drama of ‘Diamonds From Sierra Leone’, there are enough fab tunes here to ensure the gig is, at the very least, decent. But it’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that Kanye wlll have to bring more of his high-profile studio collaborators on the road with him, if his live shows are to match the instant brilliance of his recorded work.