Kanye West

[ghostdancer1]

My sincerest apologies for not having been there at the front of the pyramid stage with a notebook writing down every mistake.

well you're the one claiming that so many of them happened...

maybe your memory is as bad as Mike's...

[SonOfTroyMcClure]

I’m glad we decided to leave – we had a much better time at the Glade with Public Service Broadcasting.

 

100% this. I don't dislike Kanye, I think he could have structured his setlist better, but I definitely don't regret leaving to watch PSB. Saw them at the Roundhouse a few months ago and it was amazing, and it was amazing again at Glastonbury. 

[Winslow Leach]

Care to comment on anything else I said? 

 

Why? I wasn't responding to anything else you said. 

 

Since you haven't mentioned the other songs i bolded, I assume you agree they weren't exactly hits. 

 

Well as it happens I wouldn't class any of the rest of them as hits, but some of them are still more recognisable than you were suggesting. Black Skinhead was in the Wolf of Wall Street trailer and did get some airing in clubs around the time, although to nowhere near the same extent as Paris. As for FourFiveSeconds, it was getting fairly consistent radio play only a few months back.

 

Just let me know if there's any other points you'd like me to respond to.

[Spud001]

It was also released today that FourFiveSeconds is one of the fastest selling songs of the year

[MEGABOWL]

Just watched it on the TV. For all the debate it's, you know, alright. Glad I didn't go and watch it but it wasn't bad. I shrugged my shoulders heartily at the end.

[Zero_Newnab]

Paris, FourFiveSeconds and Black Skinhead all had an absolute shit tonne of radio time and all enjoyed significant popularity.

[Celery]

 

Well as it happens I wouldn't class any of the rest of them as hits, but some of them are still more recognisable than you were suggesting. Black Skinhead was in the Wolf of Wall Street trailer and did get some airing in clubs around the time, although to nowhere near the same extent as Paris. As for FourFiveSeconds, it was getting fairly consistent radio play only a few months back.

 

Just let me know if there's any other points you'd like me to respond to.

Nope, all good now. Thanks for the reply. I think we just have a different definition of casual fan and that's fine. Certainly was not aware of Paris being as played as often as it apparently is so happy to accept i was wrong on that one. I am so out of the loop with what the masses listen to. 

I still think it was a very poor setlist though. Why play Clique over something like Flashing Lights or School Spirit (2nd one v unlikely I know). 

[FloorFiller]

aye i will admit i'm not a huge fan of the Cruel Summer trio of songs (Mercy, Cold, Clique) as well as the I Don't Like cover - definitely would've preferred Flashing Lights instead of one of those. but ah well, can't win em all. apart from that i think it was just right. maybe the ordering could've been changed a bit to include more 'hits' in the middle, but it didn't bother me at all being a huge fan

[Guest]

Nope, all good now. Thanks for the reply. I think we just have a different definition of casual fan and that's fine. Certainly was not aware of Paris being as played as often as it apparently is so happy to accept i was wrong on that one. I am so out of the loop with what the masses listen to. 

I still think it was a very poor setlist though. Why play Clique over something like Flashing Lights or School Spirit (2nd one v unlikely I know). 

School Spirit sounds like something you personally just like rather than something that is a big hit. True that there are bigger hits he could play than Clique, but I think that the amount of hits he did play, and the fact Clique landed really well with the crowd around me, means I can't fault him for playing it. Never enjoyed that song on record, but I had a blast live, even though my initial reaction to the song was to cringe and wonder why he was played so much Cruel Summer, it ended up working for me.

[Celery]

School Spirit sounds like something you personally just like rather than something that is a big hit. True that there are bigger hits he could play than Clique, but I think that the amount of hits he did play, and the fact Clique landed really well with the crowd around me, means I can't fault him for playing it. Never enjoyed that song on record, but I had a blast live, even though my initial reaction to the song was to cringe and wonder why he was played so much Cruel Summer, it ended up working for me.

I dunno if SS is a hit. Most of my mates love it but we're all around 30 so that may have something to do with it. It's a fucking great tune though and a lot easier on the ears for those not particularly into the genre. Which is probably why he didn't play much like that. 

My mate, who is a massive fan (not in the fat way), said the whole setlist was basically a big F-YOU to everyone who criticised him. It's certainly less accessible that other gigs he has played recently and those were for his own fans. 

Anyway, can't be arsed to discuss it anymore. Truth is somewhere in between all these comments. He wasn't great, but he wasn't shite either. Just a bit unprepared and unlucky with a few things. Certainly didn't bomb though but could and should have been better imho. 

 

edit: oh, and Can't Tell Me Nothin' was an unexpected highlight. Fucking loved that

Edited July 1, 2015 by Celery

[St.A.to.Z]

Just re watching the set... It actually works better on TV... Some of the shots are absolutely fantastic. Maybe I was too close, got right to the front and just felt a tad bored and underwhelmed the whole time.

As people have said you can't argue with the setlist, but the man's got tune after tune, you wouldn't expect anything less.

[kingbadger]

Blurred Lines.

 

Have you heard of a song called "Get Lucky"?

 

After exhaustive internet research, I did mean Blurred Lines.

[The Placid Casual]

It was also released today that FourFiveSeconds is one of the fastest selling songs of the year

It's a fucking brilliant song though.

[ltfckimbo]

Just catching up with some of the coverage, I'm sure for people there who are into Kanye anyway it was good fun. Just looked a bit sloppy and one dimentional to me. Even Jo Whiley said "some bits didn't really work" coming from someone like her, that's pretty damning!

When you see what the likes of Patti Smith and Brett Anderson put into their sets, it just doesn't cut it as an entertaining 'live' performance for me.

[frostypaw]

please name 5 of these numerous fuck-ups.

Mike Dean forgetting things and fucking up isn't really Kanye fucking up, but as I said, we might as well include it as it's part of his performance.

if my manager in work asks me to do something and I forget to do it, it isn't his fuck up, it's mine.

when I first came to Glastonbury in '03 one of the acts I was most looking forwards to was Moloko. Saturday sunset slot, One World (now West Holts). That night is burnt in my mind like a brand.

With the band already playing when Roisin came out to begin the mike wasn't working - she got a line in and clocked it made apologetic sign language, dashed back to get it fixed. It took a few minutes and in that time the band ad-libbed a whole new acoustic introduction to the song. She came back out and they got back into the song as if it never happened without a single glitch or pause.

I thought wow. That's proper musicians.

Just saying.

Edited July 1, 2015 by frostypaw

[Guest]

Even Jo Whiley said "some bits didn't really work" coming from someone like her, that's pretty damning!

"Even Jo Whiley" mate, behave.

[Bradders]

Truth is somewhere in between all these comments. He wasn't great, but he wasn't shite either. Just a bit unprepared and unlucky with a few things. Certainly didn't bomb though but could and should have been better imho. 

 

edit: oh, and Can't Tell Me Nothin' was an unexpected highlight. Fucking loved that

 

I actually almost completely agree with that. I just enjoyed it more because I'm a bigger fan, particularly of his last two albums (never liked him till Runaway came out). I thought most the problems were Mike's fault, or the way in which the set was prepared so as that Mike couldn't ad-lib his way out of any problems. Black Skinhead, for example. Kanye tried to carry it on but the music was wrong/no longer in time so he had to start all over again.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Bradders

[Spud001]

It's a fucking brilliant song though.

Dude, It's a banger

[ltfckimbo]

"Even Jo Whiley" mate, behave.

Point being, she's so fucking dull she never normally says a bad word against anyone.

[FuzzyDunlop]

Watched it all back earlier today, pretty much confirmed my decision to not see him was correct (for me)

He doesn't engage me in any way. I dont like his style or voice and get bored by what he has to say. When he was announced I made an effort to listen to him. It was better than I gave credit for, but ultimately Moz hits the nail on the head:

"The music he constantly plays, says nothing to me about my life"

I just find him pretty boring. That is a subjective thing though.

He was definitely the best headliner Glastonbury could have picked. An icon. Just because I don't enjoy what he does, doesn't stop him being one.

[CTO]

I went to see him at the pyramid.

Was a doubter before hand and hoped I would be proved wrong. When he opened with stronger I thought fair play,he's gonna smash it. Went downhill from there for me and left about 20 minutes later when it became apparent that, for me at least, it wasn't going to get any better.

Glad the people that like him enjoyed it, I thought it was fecking awful

Never mind, always next year and Glasto is meant to be about diversity and challenging common perceptions.

[Rose-Colored Boy]

I just look forward to the "Kanye isn't in the spirit of Glastonbury" bores jizzing when Oasis/ACDC/whichever up-themselves white men with guitars headline next year, that's all.

[paulmuchmore]

This thread is just going round and round in circles. I did laugh though that FourFiveSeconds featuring Paul McCartney and Rihanna which reached 3 in the charts this year doesn't count as one of his popular songs.

 

It seems like most of the people who didn't like it on this here forum thought it was the worst thing ever. Was it really THAT bad?

[topmarksbri]

the same question could be asked about Boyzown and Westlife.

Popularity only means popularity, nowt else.

 

That's what the original argument was about though, how popular 'urban' (horrible phrase, not mine) is. It's the predominant cultural movement at the moment like it or not. 

[topmarksbri]

How do you explain how shit like "titanium" sits at the top of the charts for so long?

I think you're slightly missing my point still - I'm not saying some of these acts don't sell well, but that's not the whole story when it comes to an act being good fun music that a lot of folk will dance to and enjoy as a headliner spot, nor does it translate to being good live.

I'm sorry you think I chat shit. Let's take your suggestion that "the majority of the people young and old who regularly buy music seem to like 'urban' music" so let's check that last.fm top artists in the UK

It's far from conclusive evidence, but unless I'm mistaken there's just a smatter of 'urban' music there. Just because a lot gets played on radio1 doesn't actually mean it's popular, just because a single sells well doesn't mean the artist is popular, and none of the above mean their live show is up to scratch to be a pyramid headliner.

If you have the time you can scroll all the way through amazon music's top 100 in the UK. There's more there, but it's still just a portion, not huge. There are fans, but the majority it is not.

You may disagree, but I think you'll find I can back my point up again and again - I'm not talking shit, you just don't like the conclusions. I'm also not saying you don't have any point at all, look he's right up there in last.fm's list, but singles sales is not enough. Comparing that set with all it's blanks and pauses and lack of interaction to the non-stop rollercoasters I've seen with an audience whooping and roaring and dancing around for joy all the way back to the tree... well there's little point.

 

But you're being selective in the statistics that you're using just by using last.fm rather than using the charts which accounts for all streaming? It's not that I don't like your conclusions, if I genuinely thought that the majority of the music that was being listened to by the general public was not in this 'urban' genre that you've made I'd be fine with that, there's plenty of space all over Glastonbury for all kinds of music but I genuinely think that the contemporary music scene in Britain and in the world is based around a vague urban genre. If Glastonbury is going to continue to be at the forefront of music it will have to continue to book acts like Kanye and stop booking The Who and frank the stones. I definitely agree that what works on record doesn't necessarily translate to being good live but those are the risks that they SHOULD take. I don't really think you're chatting shit mate but it's just frustrating when you see someone trying to do something genuinely different and booking different guests and they get shut down for it. Of course it won't always work but it's kinda the name of the game right? If they don't branch out into other genres then they'll be stuck in a download like rut where they essentially are booking the same bands over and over again because IMO frankly rock and roll is pretty much dead in the modern music scene. 

 

With the Kanye set I've watched it over again and it's really interesting seeing how polarizing it is. Clearly his fans love it and those who don't care for it don't like it. I don't think this is necessarily indicative of anything other than Kanye is a hugely polarizing figure. He loves his fans and panders for them and has never been one who wants to appeal to those who don't like his music. This probably makes him a poor choice of headliner at a big music festival but at least it got us all talking. He's a fucking fascinating person on every level. I'd be interested to know in all honesty how those at Jay Z thought Kanye compared?