MY PUBLISHED REVIEW OF DALLAS' KANYE WEST CONCERT (R.I.P. DONDA)....

[soulsister72]

 

Kanye West grows stronger at Reunion Arena

 

01:11 AM CST on Saturday, November 10, 2007

 

By LORRIE IRBY JACKSON / Special Contributor

 

It's a well-documented fact that Kanye West's ego is over-the-top, but it was likely forgiven when the Grammy-winning rapper earned his hype by enthralling over 10,000 fans when he closed out the second annual LG Action Sports Championships event at Reunion Arena on Friday night.

The Chicago native performed a bit later than expected, but that certainly didn't damper their enthusiasm throughout his hourlong set. Mr. West can no longer be considered a "producer turned rapper" – he kept his flow and the band's interpretations razor-close to the recorded renditions and has definitely stepped up his rhyming prowess.

In khakis, a blue denim jacket over his black T and his ginormous "Jesus Piece," Mr. West stalked, trotted and whirled across the stage, barely pausing for breath as he ripped through "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Through the Wire" and "Everything I Am." What also added to the performance was the band's interpolating its instruments with scratching flourishes and tracks with smooth, nearly imperceptible seamlessness.

It was revealed that Mr. West is in rehearsals for an upcoming tour to promote his latest smash CD, Graduation, so he thankfully still has time to work out the few kinks that plagued his set; half of the show had passed before he personally addressed the crowd with "Are you having a good time this evening?" and he never once removed his pitch-black shades.

The first half of the performance also felt top-heavy, since it was overloaded with tracks from the latest CD – ones that many of the fans still didn't know well – and displayed an odd reluctance to use his more popular earlier material. The energy waned considerably, but he picked it right back up when he dropped faves like "All Falls Down," "Touch the Sky" and "Gold Digger," which earned an audible roar of satisfaction from the arena and his most enthusiastic rendering.

He even spoke about why he was "so crazy" when he failed to win awards: "I am so serious about this rap game, it's not about the superstar [expletive] for me!" He also questioned aloud why folks doubted his worthiness: "If my [expletive] ain't killing everybody else's out there, then why did I come in at No. 1?"

Not that the crowd disbelieved him – the deafening chants and waving fists during "Good Life," "Jesus Walks" and "Stronger" couldn't have done anything less than cement his confidence in his reign as King Kanye.

Lorrie Irby Jackson is a Dallas freelance writer.

[Lb128f]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 3:13 AM Sweet! Great review! Was I there? :-) Have to check myself...you always make me feel like I was with you!! Have a great weekend! Night!!

[J_Bird]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 7:42 AM Great Review....as usual.  Sometimes, I cant stand Kanye's arrogance but then again I have to respect what he has done. 

[nappyprincess]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 10:18 AM that was a great review!

[LuvinMyBaby]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 12:08 PM awesome review!

[jakeandkymom]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 3:24 PM Awesome review and I love his new song. However.....his whinning is taking a toll on many people. I don't blame him for wearing those shades. I often wonder how they can perform with all of those lights!

[MoniqueMarie]

Nov. 10, 2007 at 6:06 PM Love it, just loved it

[k_hall1784]

Nov. 11, 2007 at 6:25 PM great review. You write so well. No wonder that you ended up doing it as a career. And I am happy to hear that kanye is doing big things.

[Jodiboo]

Nov. 11, 2007 at 8:43 PM Im so sorry  to hear about  Kanyes mom,prayers go out to the family.R,I.P.Donna West

[Lovnmomma]

Nov. 14, 2007 at 1:05 PM Very nice review..I'm not a real fan of his but I must admit he has some nice tracks..I'm definitely Feeling I'm Good~~~~