Laser K. West

03/07/07

I've got to testify, we didn't come up in the spot looking extra fly. Our jeans, frankly, not nearly low enough, our hoodies more Reiss than Rocawear, our diamonds certainly not from Sierra Leone. The crowd swayed, knowingly, as we prodded the air; they formed diamonds with their fingers as we wildly threw shapes. And yet, it didn't matter. “The view alone”, as Kanye preached in 'Jesus Walks' left us “breathless.”

Whilst West is talented in many ways – his lyrics solid, the melodies impossibly catchy, the production big, brash, show-stopping - he's a hit-machine – it was the view that choked us. West has a commanding presence and provides a truly magnificent, arm-raising, batty-shaking, shirt-drenching show. Literally, shirt-drenching; by the end his silver shirt was a dripping charcoal. West simultaneously jousted and glided about the stage, tirelessly covering every inch of his set, sweating like a man determined to earn the love of a crowd far too accustomed to the bored, arrogant swagger of many of his contemporaries.

The lighting, moreover, was incredible. Lights, lasers and strobes collided and combined in a startling cascade of chaos and colour. The orchestra of ladies accompanying Kanye, his harem of harmonious hotties, seemed to seethe in a deluge of red; their hair extensions singeing like burning eyebrows. Kanye's aura was neon. I ain't saying he's a flame tricker, but he ain't messing with no broke flickers.

That's not to say the music wasn't great, it was. The crowd ignited in particular by the biggest hits - 'Jesus Walks', 'Touch the Sky', 'Golddigger', 'All Falls Down' and the chipmunk chic of 'Through the Wire'. But no matter what one's music taste, choice of hood-wear or general preconceptions a showman is a showman and Kanye West puts on one hell of a performance.

Every now and then there comes a time when, inspired by such a showman, you can but shut your eyes, raise your arms in the air, form a diamond and, momentarily, find your inner G. That's what we did; we got down girl, go 'head get down.    

By Paul Bentley