After a year that brought him three Grammy awards and a sophomore album as critically acclaimed as the first, it no doubt must have been nice to come back and show Chicago what he’s made of himself. While recent local shows on his Touch the Sky tour played a part in keeping a few dozen balcony seats empty, a large crowd greeted the rapper with arms raised, making it clear they are glad to call him their own. Against a backdrop classy enough to meet any expectations set by MTV’s hip-hop world, West couldn’t fit into any one box. With his drummer, mixer, and violinists sitting in screened off rooms on a raised platform, the audience’s attention was immediately fixed on West as he burst from the curtains with a bright fix of white light. Dressed to the hip-hop tens, with a dangling gold medallion, dark sunglasses, open white shirt and gray sports jacket, the artist jumped right into the tour-titled track from “Late Registration,” “Touch the Sky.”
Sampling from Curtis Mayfield’s 1970 hit “Move on Up,” “Touch the Sky” is definitive of a style that has set West apart since his early days as a producer for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Talib Kweli. Scoffed at by industry friends for wanting to produce his own tracks and still derided today for lack of rap talent, West used his skills with hooks sampled from R&B staples and sharp, witty lyrics to propel himself to the top of the game. Indeed, tracks that featured later in his set such as, “Roses,” and the hit off his debut, “College Dropout,” “Through the Wire” display his rare ability to tell a compelling story instead of simply rapping on recycled themes.
With a set that topped out at over two hours, West kept the performance fresh by interacting with his mixer, at one point even improvising (maybe) a new rap to the song that put him on the map, “Slow Jamz,” and talking with the audience about the hits that inspired him to start his own career. Rumored to be extremely demanding of his crew and even more demanding of himself, West showed a playful side generally reserved for his raps when he tested the audience’s knowledge of hip-hop roots with a medley of his favorite “joints.” But all of his showmanship can’t compare to the power of his music. Saving the best for last, the final third of his show was packed with songs demanding radio play, and Grammys.
Almost one after another, West broke into “All Falls Down” and “Gold Digger” even proclaiming, “This is the number one song in the world right now!” He followed these hits with more, “Slow Jamz,” then “Through the Wire,” a track literally rapped through the wire holding together his broken jaw, and the crowning critical and commercial jewel in his crown, “Jesus Walks.”
While West didn’t save this very best, Grammy winning, song for last, it nonetheless served as the de facto ending to the show. The dark sunglasses he sported all night finally became necessary as the star, preaching his political and religious battle rap from the mountain peak of a wooden chair, turned his back to stare into the full wattage of white stage lights casting his shadow deep into the sea of people below.
It was a long show, but captivating as well. Eclipsing his peers in both clarity and class, West did cast his shadow upon the audience and I don’t think they will soon forget Kanye West’s homecoming, nor his triumphant rise to the stage. By simply speaking his mind and putting it to a nice beat, West’s two albums and his Touch the Sky tour are both unique in the hip-hop world and so entertaining in their originality. West will be welcomed to Chicago whenever he comes back.
Photos courtesy of Island Records
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