Kanye West reigns supreme at Blaisdell
THERE'S no denying that Kanye West is a superstar.
The Grammy Award-winning artist proved that Sunday night at the Blaisdell Arena with a 95-minute concert that showcased his skills as an entertainer while underscoring his contributions to hip-hop and giving fans a history lesson in the process.
From the minute Hot 93.9's Jimmy Taco started the show, it was all about the headline act. Local rapper Emirc opened things up with a tight set that included "Honolulu" and "Put Your Hands Up," but the biggest response came when he asked the crowd if they were ready for Kanye.
Backed by an eight-piece string section, two backup singers and a tour deejay, the 28-year-old made his presence felt with "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and "Heard Em Say" as those in front of the stage captured the moment with cell phone cameras.
From there, West took it back to his debut album, dropping "We Don't Care" and "The New Workout Plan," with DJ A-Trak mixing in the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" after the latter, to the crowd's delight. Then it was onto tracks from his sophomore release, peppering the audience with "Addiction" and "Crack Music."
After changing into a sweater over a white-collared shirt, he returned to the stage and took everyone on a trip down memory lane, dropping bits of other artists' songs that he produced. The Game, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Slum Village and Dilated Peoples were all featured, but this segment also highlighted the concert's one drawback: the lack of special guests.
Sure, West wants the spotlight all to himself, but it's hard to ignore when buddies Common and Talib Kweli aren't there to help with "Get Em High." Without Paul Wall riding shotgun on "Drive Slow," the chopped-and-screwed vibe of the song disappears.
But West makes up for any lack of backup with his own star power and enough other hits to fill the gaps. After an hour on stage, he announced the official start of the show, then tore into "All Falls Down," "Gold Digger" and "Overnight Celebrity."
Then came the history lesson, with quick snippets of Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, followed by an extended sample of A-Ha's "Take on Me," complete with West doing his best Carlton Banks dancing (from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air") as the crowd went wild.
Finishing with "Through the Wire," "Jesus Walks" and "Touch the Sky," he thanked fans for welcoming him home after a long tour through Europe, Asia and Australia. While it felt a little too well oiled at times, Sunday's performance was a great showcase of West's talent and challenged the paradigm of what a live hip-hop concert can (and should) be.
No photos from concert
The Star-Bulletin had planned to photograph Sunday's Kanye West concert, but refused to sign an agreement that would have restricted the paper's use of the images.
Although many in the audience took photos using cell phones and digital cameras, professional photographers were required to sign an agreement holding them to one-time-only use of the photos or face a $30,000 penalty.
The situation was similar to a recent dispute with the Ladies Professional Golf Association that was resolved after several news agencies refused to cover the Fields Open at Ko Olina Resort under the restrictions.
A spokeswoman for promoter Tom Moffatt said West's production head issued the contract an hour before the concert started, and Moffatt was unable to facilitate any changes.
Frank Bridgewater, editor of the Star-Bulletin, reiterated that the paper would not agree to relinquish control of its material to outsiders. "Once again, someone wants to tell us how and when we can use our photos. No."
While the Honolulu Advertiser did not assign a photographer to the concert, photo editor Seth Jones did say that, given the same situation, their photographer would have also refused to sign. Cameramen from three local TV stations did sign (KHNL did not staff the concert), as they did at the golf tournament.
West's tour production people could not be reached due to their being in transit, at press time, for a neighbor island vacation.
Star-Bulletin staff
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