Best Show Ever? 8 Complex Staffers Recall Their Collective Yeezus Experience

Image via Complex Original

Staffer: Cedar Pasori
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 19 and MSG / Nov 23
Seat Number: Section 19, Row 18, Seat 17 (Barclays) / Section 210, Row 18, Seat 6 (MSG)

Favorite Part: Watching Kim in VIP watch Kanye perform "Cold" (Barclays) / Kanye yelling "Do you want Eric Schmidt to invest in DONDA?" then dropping "All of the Lights" after a resounding crowd "YESSS!!!!" (MSG)
Level Of Kanye Fandom: I am personally and professionally obsessed with Kanye's contributions to (and collaborations in) visual art and culture, beyond the music.
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 4 (Glow in the Dark Tour, Coachella, Watch the Throne Tour, Governor's Ball)
Overheard: "Twerk team!" x 10 said by guy struggling to put on one of the free ponchos given at the entrance of MSG (that no one ended up needing)

No one excites me in popular art and music more than Kanye West. I previously saw him during the Glow in the Dark Tour in San Jose, at Coachella, during the Watch the Throne tour in Los Angeles, and at Governor's Ball, so going to Yeezus at both Barclays and MSG was a no-brainer. I had to. I had to see what he would do to top the futuristic, Technicolor spaceship journey of the Glow in the Dark tour, the red suit and ballerinas of his festival shows after MBDTF, the lavish, Givenchy-clad Watch the Throne tour, and the pared down yet vibrant set at Governor's Ball just before the release of Yeezus.

At the Barclays Center show, Kanye brought up Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorosky during one of his rants (or as he calls them, "visionary streams of consciousness"). He said, "saying Jodorowsky's name and ya'll don't know who the fuck he is when everybody copied off of him." After publishing The Design Evolution of Kanye's Live Performances on Complex only a few days before seeing him at Barclays, I wondered what was actually uniting the Margiela masks, mountain, installation of women in nude masks and body suits, and religious overtones (the Jesus actor, a procession). Our Pop Culture editor Ross Scarano and I responded by discussing how Jodorosky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain was the obvious thread, making Kanye's stage setup and narrative a tribute to the surreal, mystifying story of a fallen thief attempting to climb the Holy Mountain.

The impressive stage met Kanye's athleticism, screaming, and interactions with the installation of women (I assume that artist Vanessa Beecroft choreographed them) to provide the five-part story of Fighting, Rising, Falling, Searching, and Finding. It was, at times, very painful and sad to watch. At MSG, he screamed, "I need your help! I NEED MONEY!" in a way that elicited equal parts empathy and pity, and many parts of the show were at that exact emotional intersection. You felt bad for him but also joyful with him. You could relate to his frustration but also couldn't understand how someone who says he is "a god" could have and articulate so many limitations.

Beyond the The Holy Mountain comparison, the multiple visionary streams of consciousness, and the borderline assaulting brilliance of the spectacle that was his stage design, Kanye said two things during his three-part "rant" at MSG that sum up what impressed me the most. He said, "I wanna build mountains, I wanna give you more." Then he added, "Don't ever let them tell you I'm crazy, because I believe in you." You realize that his message is ultimately positive and matter-of-fact. His show and his message have undeniable urgency, and you didn't have to be there to realize that we need more.

Staffer: Karizza Sanchez
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 19
Seat Number: Sec 13, Row 1, Seat 7

Favorite Part: Kanye performing "Jesus Walks", "Good Life", and even "Through the Wire" because two hours of Yeezus would've been too much.
Level Of Kanye Fandom: High, if we're talking about pre-Kardashian Kanye. Otherwise, medium.
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 1 (WTT)
Overheard: Can't remember. Too busy watching Kanye.

Up to this point, I had missed every single one of Kanye West's solo tours. I saw him on the Watch the Throne tour and that was fucking amazing—but that may have been more Jay than Kanye. So I was ecstatic about finally seeing West do his own thing. Except, the week before the show, I was less excited than I had thought I'd be. His rants had gotten annoying, I was still waiting for Yeezus to grow on me, and the tour merch wasn't particularly great.

That said, I still enjoyed the show. I can't say this was my favorite, but you have to really appreciate the effort West put into the production-the elaborate set, the dancers (if we can call them that), the fake Jesus, the mountains, those Maison Martin Margiela masks, and the stage equipment that caused the cancellation of a few shows. Every bit of it was reflective of what he's trying to do with DONDA and Yeezus. I was glad he also performed some of his old material. All in all, he did things in that show that not many, if any at all, artists do—he put on an experience for his fans, not just a concert. Maybe Mark Parker, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci should give him a call.

Writer: Sasha Hecht
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 19
Seat Number: Section 25, Row 7, Seat 6

Favorite Part: Glaring evidence of the mind-melting level of Kanye megastardom when the entire stadium erupts at the first piano plink to "Runaway."
Level Of Kanye Fandom: Medium, but I knew I had to see Yeezus or the FOMO would eat me alive.
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 0
Overheard: "Who's that little kid? Awww look at him go!!" Overheard during Kendrick Lamar's opening set.

I like Kanye West. I'd like to be able to say that I lo0o0o0o0ove Kanye West, but I'm not going to lie and claim I've been a fangirl since College Dropout days or that I dropped 150 bucks on plain white "Hip-Hop T-Shirt" t-shirt. At the end of the day, Kanye is great, Yeezus is one of the best albums of the year, and I knew that if I didn't get my ass to the tour, the FOMO would consume me from the inside-out.

Yeezus isn't a hip-hop concert in the same way that the Superbowl isn't a football game. Yeezus is a savvily-crafted experiential spectacle for the Post-Social Media Age; every aspect of the show is designed for optimal tweeting, Vining, and Instagramming—if you weren't there, Kanye will make you suffer for it. But the most surprising thing about the Yeezus live show was how much of it was Kanye, arguably the world's most revered narcissist, giving back to his fans. The setlist was accessible to everyone from the deep cuts enthusiasts to the suburban parents accompanying their groups of wily tweens, Kanye hyped up every far-reaching corner of the stage, and despite shrouding his face for most of the performance, every lyric Yeezy spat felt personal, confrontational, and piercing.

Also, goddamn it if I'm not a sucker for some solid pyrotechnics. Burn, baby, burn.

Writer: Jake Woolf
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 20
Seat Number: Section 19, Row 12, Seat 9

Favorite Part: "Coldest Winter" because singing along to it while seeing that no one else knew the words made me feel like I'm better at attending Kanye West concerts than everyone else. Also the snow was made out of bubbles! And dude was basically hanging off a clif while singing! What more do you want? Also "Blood On The Leaves" pyros.
Level Of Kanye Fandom: I got pissed after seeing mad people who aren't as big of Kanye fans (Stans) as I am post backstage photos on Instagram.
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 3 (Glow In The Dark, Revel, Governors Ball)
Overheard: Two dudes, one of whom was wearing a hat that read "Ratchet" and the other wearing a hat that said "Turn up" (CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP) referred to my Supreme x Loro Piana topcoat as a "Kramer coat." Fuck those guys.

If you attend this show and you don't believe in Kanye West when you leave, then you might need to get your feels checked out by a licensed medical professional. Anyone who says they didn't enjoy this spectacle is a liar at best and miserable asshole at worst. Kanye's energy, his conviction, and his ability to control a crowd are simply the best in the business, and this is coming from a dude who literally just said that James Blake put on the concert of the year at Terminal 5. I don't think Yeezus is a perfect a show, and I don't think Yeezus is perfect album, for that matter. But both are downright inspirational, and that's the point.

When Kanye—a superstar with seemingly so much to lose—says "Fuck you and your corporation" in front of 15,000 people, it makes you believe that the world isn't totally fucked, if only for a fleeting moment. You're not supposed to leave this show saying it's a perfectly executed event, you're supposed to want to make something of your own.

This show will make musicians, writers, artists, and creatives in general want to be better. As for things like "White Jesus," I mean, I'm cool with it because I'm a Jew and we're not even allowed to write the word "God" (I'm a bad Jew). In fact, if there's anything "sacrilegious" here, it's that in 2013, Yeezus stands to inspire more change and good than the deity he admires so deeply.

Writer: Insanul Ahmed
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 20
Seat Number: Sec 24, Row 8, Seat 5

Favorite Part: Watching Kanye perform "Coldest Winter" off a fucking mountain top while it snowed indoors. It was pitch black but there were blinding bright lights at the same time—life and death as a matter of light and dark.
Level Of Kanye Fandom: Medium. I love "New Slaves" and "Black Skinheads," but I don't like Yeezus.
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 4 (Governors Ball, Adult Swim Upfront, WTT, and the times Big Sean and Jay Z brought him out)
Overheard: "You can tell Kanye is into S&M, just look at that mask." - Some hilarious dude in front of me who taught my friend how to use their G-Pen.

While performing "New Slaves," Kanye West repeats the lines "You see there's leaders, and there's followers," four times, just so the audience can scream back, "But I'd rather be a dick than a swallower." It was clear then, we were Ye's followers and that this was the Cult of Ye. Despite the appearance of "White Jesus," this isn't like Christianity—the pyrotechnics, the stagecraft, the theatrics were obvious triumphs of technology, not holy miracles. This was more like the Cult of Mac—delivering a product so good you can't stop preaching about it to your friends. (Ahh, now the Steve Jobs comparisons make sense.) This is the new consumerism—America's true religion—and we were the new slaves building the pyramid for this Roc Boy.

Though Kanye's occasionally breathless vocals weren't always perfect (like Bain in The Dark Knight Rises, his voice seemed hampered by his mask), the show made me wish that Jay Z (or really, any other rapper) would put on a show this elaborate. There's symbolism throughout the show—the Yetti represents his demons, Ye's long, tattered-looking jacket is reminiscent of Jesus' rags, the naked girl covered in hair is his Eve. There's constant praise. He's not just praising himself, either, but praising the MPC, praising Jay Z, praising his fans and paying it all forward.

Best of all were all the moments he posed for pictures like a true celebrity. There are lots of great photo opportunities, giving us—the adoring fans—a moment to not only remember Ye, but to show off to our friends that we're at the show, to immortalize him in a positive light. We're not the paparazzi trying to get a flick of him beating someone up or running into a sign. If you wanna read the Book of Ye, just check Instagram. There's no stained glass, but oh so many filters.

Writer: Jacob Moore
Venue / Date: Barclays Center / Nov 20
Seat Number: General Admission (Floor)

Favorite Part: "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
Level Of Kanye Fandom: High
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 1.5 (Governors Ball, once at a Big Sean album release party)
Overheard: "Was that Lindsay Lohan?"

Yeezus in concert makes other concerts look trivial. By now, you've probably seen Instagrams of the mountain, the masks, the dancers, and Jesus, but that doesn't make it any less impressive when you see it in person. Comparing Kanye West's live show to other rap concerts isn't even fair—the showmanship and production of Kanye's concert will make you walk away wondering why you spent so many years thinking it was cool to see rappers jump around stage with a mic and a crew. Yeezus may diminish your ability to enjoy all basic rap shows in the future, but it's totally worth it.

Writer: Alex Gardner
Venue / Date: Madison Square Garden, Nov 23
Seat Number: Section 210 / Row 10 / Seat 3

Favorite Part: Kanye teasing the crowd with the opening notes of "Runaway."
Level Of Kanye Fandom: High
Number Of Times I've Seen Kanye Before: 2 (MBDTF UK festival headline show, WTT)
Overheard: "Look, look, it's a mini piano!" - As the MPC was unveiled prior to Runaway

Tickets to stadium tours are expensive nowadays. Very expensive. But if there was one single person who left MSG feeling as if they hadn't got their money's worth...well, then don't bother going to a live show any time soon.

A Kanye West show is a mixture of the predictable and the gloriously, wildly, unpredictable. What is predictable is that you'll see an energetic, intense show absolutely packed full of hits (the run of "Cold," "I Don't Like," "Clique," "Black Skinhead," and "I Am a God" was especially well received by the crowd). One that is focused on a consummate performer, a showman who uses all the tools available to him (including the now obligatory rant/speech) to make sure he's not delivering "shit product."

All those elements make this live experience one of the very best in any genre. But what took Kanye's MSG show to the next level was the intrusion of the unpredictable into a streamlined show. The unhinged, anti-Hedi Slimane diatribe came out of nowhere, and the crowd participation call and response—encouraging Google founder Eric Scmidt to invest in DONDA—is not something you'll get at any other live show. Whether or not you see them as "rants" or "visionary streams of consciousness," one thing is certain—when Kanye gets to talking his shit, we all sit up and listen.

The Yeezus tour is Kanye's biggest, most grandiose to date. With its mountains, masks, ladies in robes, pyrotechnics (and lots, lots more), it feels as if West is trying to give us some sort of Wagnerian hip-hop opera. But what is interesting to note is that amidst all the elaborate stage set-up, Kanye West himself—his body, his movements—is still the most theatrical element. It's easy to forget how physical a performer Kanye is, how truly and fully he commits his whole body to the performance, bounding across the stage, limbs flailing, muscles straining, giving his all to put on a unforgettable show. How he puts on such a demanding performance night after night I do not know, but as a consumer, I'm just happy I can see a performer like Kanye in his prime.