4/30/2014 Kanye West at United Center: photos and review

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/music/kanye-west-at-united-center-photos-and-review 1/3

Tweet 0 0

Photo:  Josh  Mellin

Kanye  West  brings  mountains  and  masks  United  Center  in  Chicago  on  his  Yeezus  Tour  of  North  America,  December  18,2013.

Kendrick  Lamar  and  Kanye  West  presented  quite  the  juxtaposition  in  their  concert  last  night.  Where  asthe  opening  Lamar  focused  on  a  small,  three-­person  band  and  a  short  film  of  friends  in  his  hometownof  Compton  to  back  him  up,  Kanye  went  as  expected—not  big,  but  huge.

Lamar’s  performance  was  good,  gushing  energy  in  his  hits  from  his  latest  album,  good  kid,  m.A.A.dcity,  like  "Backseat  Freestyle"  and  "Bitch,  Don’t  Kill  My  Vibe."  The  live  band  does  not  do  his  recordsjustice,  as  touches  of  a  jazz  flute  float  in  at  one  point.  Unfortunately,  the  arena  was  just  starting  to  fill  atthe  end  of  his  set.  For  those  of  you  going  tonight,  get  there  early.  It’s  worth  seeing.

Following  an  hour-­long  set  swap,  West  was  ready  to  present  himself.  His  12  babely  apostles  walkedcultishly  onto  the  glacier-­like  stage  and  patiently  awaited  West's—ahem—Yeezus’s  explosiveappearance  onstage.  Donning  four  different  bedazzled  S&M  masks,  he  energetically  whipped  theaudience  through  a  two-­hour,  marathon  synopsis  of  his  rap  career.  Whether  he  sang  "Flashing  Lights"from    Graduation  or  angrily  spat  "Black  Skinhead"  from  his  most  recent  creation,  Yeezus,  West  broughttons  of  electricity  and  crowd-­pleasing  beats.

SEE  MORE  POPULAR  CONTENT  IN  MUSIC  &NIGHTLIFE

Most popular in Music &Nightlife

1.   Our  100  best  photos  from  Coachella2014

2.   Depraved  New  World

3.   Boxing  Gym

4.   Maria's  Packaged  Goods  andCommunity  Bar

5.   Angel  Olsen  'Burn  Your  Fire  for  NoWitness'  album  review

6.   Anna  Thorvaldsdottir  -­  Rhízoma  |Album  review

7.   Beck  'Morning  Phase'  album  review

8.   Cloud  Nothings  'Here  and  NowhereElse'  album  review

9.   Metronomy  'Love  Letters'  album  review

10.   MØ  'No  Mythologies  to  Follow'  albumreview

10  best  Lollapalooza  acts  you  mightnot  know

10  sets  to  see  at  Lollapalooza  2014

11  must-­see  acts  at  Pitchfork  MusicFestival  2014

The  50  best  songs  from  ’80s  movies

Concerts  in  Chicago:  April  live  musiccalendar

By  Sofia  Carlson Thu  Dec  19  2013 CommentsAdd  +

Kanye West at United Center:photos and reviewHoly Yeezus! Kanye West brings brings fire, sweat, snow and tears to his

hometown. Check out our review and photos

0

Be  the  first  of  your  friends  to  like  this.Like

Follow us

                                   

Read more Music & Nightlifefeatures

Choose your city Don't miss a thing: sign up to get the latest from Time Out.

Sign up   Sign in

Search

What

Things  to  do  or  see  in  Chicago

When

All dates

Where

All areas

4/30/2014 Kanye West at United Center: photos and review

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/music/kanye-west-at-united-center-photos-and-review 2/3

The  entire  performance  was  reminiscent  of  the  passion  of  the  Christ,  with  each  jewel-­encrusted  maskappearing  to  signify  a  point  in  his  life  as  Yeezus.  He  began  in  a  colorful  mask  with  a  gold  jawline  tostart  the  show.  A  black-­and-­ruby-­toned  face  cover  displayed  his  angry,  angsty  side,  performing  songslike  “Blood  On  The  Leaves”  (complete  with  flames)  and  “Coldest  Winter,”  a  song  in  honor  of  his  motherwho  died  in  2007,  lying  on  his  back  as  fake  snow  drifted  into  the  crowd.

A  disco-­ball  mask  represented  resurrection,  with  songs  like  "Stronger"  and  "Through  the  Wire."  Mixedwith  his  Indian-­inspired  Sherwani  coat,  he  fantastically  looked  a  bit  like  a  luchador.  Finally,  a  whitemask  announced  his  angelic  side  (yes,  he  has  one),  with  "Runaway"  and  an  entrance  processionaltypically  reserved  for  Roman  Catholic  masses,  with  incense,  crucifix,  Virgin  Mary  statue  and  suchregalia.

He  ended  the  show  face  uncovered  (finally,  unlike  with  MF  DOOM,  we  could  be  sure  it  was  him)  andblasted  through  his  older  hits  like  "Jesus  Walks,"  after  an  apt  blessing  from  White  Jesus,  and"Diamonds  From  Sierra  Leone."  Finally,  West  closed  with  "Bound  2,"  passing  the  mic  into  the  throngfor  audience  assistance,  as  flames  and  flares  fired.  However,  no  naked  Kim  Kardashian  on  amotorcycle.

But  wait,  what  would  a  Kanye  concert  be  without  a  15-­minute  rant?  The  self-­proclaimed  new  SteveJobs/Michaelangelo/Walt  Disney  let  off  steam,  kvetching  about  the  media’s  attempt  to  control  him,  thathe’d  have  to  care  in  order  for  that  to  be  possible.  Yeezus  encouraged  others  to  stop  caring  whatothers  think,  because  “you’re  only  as  good  as  you  think  you  are."  (Spoken-­sung  in  Auto-­Tune.)  He  wasadmittedly  tame,  confessing  he  had  calmed  down  since  the  beginning  of  the  tour.  (Sorry  to  those  atearlier  dates.  Or  should  we  say  sorry  to  those  in  Chicago?)  Aside  from  this  gentle  tirade  against  themedia,  he  remained  fairly  mild-­mannered  and  almost  coy  for  the  entire  night,  joking  at  point,  “At  leastI’m  fucking  up  in  my  own  city,”  when  an  A/V  hiccup  brought  a  moment  of  pause.

The  best  quote  of  the  night:  “My  baby  mama  is  Kim  K!  I  am  from  Chicago  and  my  baby  mama  is  KimKardashian!  The  media  can’t  find  a  better  headline  than  that.”

Whether  West  was  accompanied  by  his  12  apostles,  a  scary  mythological  creature  with  glowing  redeyes,  Tony  Williams  on  vocals  or  Jesus  himself,  he  overwhelmed  with  character  and  enthusiasm.Despite  having  his  face  covered  for  approximately  75-­percent  of  the  set,  noticeably  dripping  sweatthrough  the  contraption,  he  continued  to  jump  and  sprint  about  stage,  imbuing  each  tune  with  adifferent  emotion,  driving  fans  out  of  their  very  expensive  seats.  You  got  what  you  paid  for.  Did  wemention  he  went  non-­stop  for  two  hours?  The  man  is  one  hell  of  a  performer.

You might also like

Lorde  at  Aragon  Ballroom  (PHOTOS)

The  50  best  drinking  songs

Pharrell  Williams  interview

The  50  best  breakup  songs

The  50  best  love  songs  ever  made

The 10 sets tosee atLollapalooza2014

The 10 bestLollapaloozaacts you mightnot know

11 must-seeacts atPitchfork MusicFestival 2014

Lorde at AragonBallroom(PHOTOS)

The 50 bestsongs from ’80smovies

Photos: MileyCyrus's bonkersBangerz tour

The 50 bestdrinking songs

The 50 bestbreakup songs

Things To Do Food & Drink Theater & The Arts Film Music & Nightlife Shopping & Style City Guide Blog