Kanye West

[st dan]

Can't work out if he was trying to be all cool and in control like, 'Yeah, this doesn't phase me' or if he just couldn't be arsed being there.

Seemed like a bit of both at times. I wonder if he actually enjoyed it? It shouldn't be a chore to headline Glastonbury.

[willutalk]

I agree with Winslow Leach!!

It wasn't the standard set that most headliners seem to put on.

I knew so many songs! The crowd around me were awesome and also my friends loved it.

Spent quite a bit of the set confused, but I really feel like I've seen Kanye in Kanye form!

[TiZuff]

he was incredible. i was at the front and thought he was foooking immense. just got home ,watched it again. bloody fantastic.  

[Babyquack]

If the race thing isn't an issue, why would Oasis be the most popular booking they could make, with their universe-sized egos? Why is Liam or Noel branded a "legend" everytime they throw lazily a banal stock insult at some celebrity, but Kanye does something, outrageous, amusing, entertaining, or something that actually means something, he's a nob? I think if Kanye was the frontman of a rock band, people would love and accept him, it's the hip-hop element that means the po-faced NME readers can't swallow what he says because they don't respect rap, and that is the racial element.

 

I'm no 'po-faced NME reader' but I'm not sure I like lyrics such as 'It's too many hoes in this house of sin' or 'We got this bitch shaking like Parkinson's'. You can't just hide behind the argument of 'this is art' either as you know what, by doing that you're endorsing what he's saying as being okay. Your generalisation that people dislike him because of his ego is confusing. People that think like that are clearly blinded as it shouldn't be about the musician but about the music. And in this instance, I felt his music showed him to be outrageously ignorant and senseless. Does this make me a 'po-faced' person who doesn't respect rap and therefore have a racial problem? 

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Did you watch it on TV or were you at the festival?

I can understand why people watching it on TV may have enjoyed it. I'm not a fan in the slightest but the live show was intriguing. I thought it was more like a piece of performance art that anything else. From the comfort of my couch, with a joint in one hand and a beer in the other it was great viewing. If I had paid 20 quid to go and see him as some unknown I would have probably came away raving about how interesting and unique it was as a show.

Saturday night waiting to watch a headline slot at Glastonbury it was not. I believe the blackout periods were heavily cut down on the BBC coverage and even worse for the crowd. I would have been seriously pissed off had I been at the pyramid stage for him.

I was at the festival, surrounded by people having a good time, admittedly not the best performance I've seen by Kanye but overall it worked for me & those I was with. (Some of which were not Kanye fans in the slightest)

[rjb94]

No, I think he was goading us into thinking he had fucked off so we'd boo him, then feel like lemons. It fucking worked.

Ah fair enough. Should have stayed for longer really, but needed to be blown away to prevent the allure of Jon hopkins

Edited June 29, 2015 by rjb94

[TiZuff]

No, I think he was goading us into thinking he had fucked off so we'd boo him, then feel like lemons. It fucking worked.

 

 

People around starting moaning and the hate started to come out/ I knew he would nail the set and it was all a ploy. I even said it to the girl and she was swearing at him. then he turns up hovering over the crowd and i just laughed. 

Only yeezy.

[stuartbert two hats]

For reasons I still can't quite fathom I saw kanye west, by the sound stage in amongst the yoof, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone around me was really going for it which helped a lot.

I thought the low lights and just him on stage was the best possible way for him to go about it. I thought it was a brilliant visual effect, it really appealed to me. No messing about with pointless live bands or any crap like that to appease the crowd.

I only knew one song, the very first one, and while I wont be going out and buying any of his records, I didn't mind what I was hearing.

Overall it was miles and miles better than the awful jay z gig from the other year and I'm glad I went.

Wow. I didn't expect that. So, should they ever have another hip hop act headlining? What about Eminem? Edited June 29, 2015 by stuartbert two hats

[Andeeroo]

I didn't think it was a trainwreck, but nor did I think it was sensational.

He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands at times and at others a large portion of the crowd seemed disinterested.

The Justin Vernon segment seemed to last an age and just meandered into nothingness and he cut off two of his major crowd pleasing songs half-way through (not to mention missing out Through The Wire). Having said that, I like an artist to have the stones to do what they want, rather than chug out stuff they're not interested in doing. I thought there were enough hits in there to satisfy.

The blackouts killed momentum, but having thought he'd had enough and walked off stage, the crane spot was pretty cool and a 'moment.'

My own opinion is pretty divided so i'm not surprised the reaction is split!

Edited June 29, 2015 by Andeeroo

[Amy Lawn]

I'm no 'po-faced NME reader' but I'm not sure I like lyrics such as 'It's too many hoes in this house of sin' or 'We got this bitch shaking like Parkinson's'. You can't just hide behind the argument of 'this is art' either as you know what, by doing that you're endorsing what he's saying as being okay. Your generalisation that people dislike him because of his ego is confusing. People that think like that are clearly blinded as it shouldn't be about the musician but about the music. And in this instance, I felt his music showed him to be outrageously ignorant and senseless. Does this make me a 'po-faced' person who doesn't respect rap and therefore have a racial problem? 

Nah, I can see you've listened to and considered his music, without prejudice, which I respect you for. I'm referring to the w*nkers who petitioned against him, they'll all be against him because they made their minds up that they didn't like him. However, your point about his lyrics is an interesting one, and one I think of quite a lot. There's a lot of problematic lyrics in Kanye's music, you can say that for a lot of other artist's who've headlined in recent years. I did read a very interesting article about a year ago, which was about whether you can love We Love Deez Hoes by Outkast and still be a feminist.... I forget what the arguments were actually. But with Kanye, I think his real-life persona does seem anti-sexist (or has become such since hitting the big time, I've started skipping a lot of the songs on The Collage Dropout, even though I used to love them, the sexist lyrics really grate and I can't enjoy them now), and anti-homophobia, it's uncertain ground, but I chalk it up to Kanye using different sorts of characters in his raps, which loads of rappers do. It doesn't excuse it fully, but for me the good in his music vastly outweighs the sometimes problematic lyrics, which I do believe he will continue to improve and become more aware of over time as he has up to now.

[aidenlangan95]

Left after a few songs, but that was mainly to do with where we were standing. I couldn't see or hear much at all.

Reactions from our group were mixed, but none of them hated it. I'm baffled by the crane thing though. When he initially started touch the sky, did he just forget that he'd hired a great big fuck off crane to perform it on?

I think it was the guy doing his backing track who didn't realise. (Lack of preparation etc)

But that guy has made mistakes constantly during tours so I don't know how it keeps happening, especially in his biggest show in the UK!

[ryan.smith]

Just re watched it - still loved it.

I don't know what people are going on about with him not remembering the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody? The bit he didn't even sing that you could only tell he got a bit flustered by if you watched it on the TV? What a pathetic thing to try and pick him apart about!

[FloorFiller]

Wow. I didn't expect that. So, should they ever have another hip hop act headlining? What about Eminem?

 

Eminem definitely won't ever do it. he's just far too past it i feel. and i doubt Glastonbury has the money for him either. but now that both Kanye and Jay Z have done it i can't think of another rapper suitable/big enough to headline. Drake maybe, but that just doesn't seem right. think it'll be a while before we get another hip hop headliner - maybe Kendrick in a few years time

[Amy Lawn]

Just re watched it - still loved it.

I don't know what people are going on about with him not remembering the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody? The bit he didn't even sing that you could only tell he got a bit flustered by if you watched it on the TV? What a pathetic thing to try and pick him apart about!

I know, I laughed out loud when I got a text grumbling about that.

[aidenlangan95]

Eminem definitely won't ever do it. he's just far too past it i feel. and i doubt Glastonbury has the money for him either. but now that both Kanye and Jay Z have done it i can't think of another rapper suitable/big enough to headline. Drake maybe, but that just doesn't seem right. think it'll be a while before we get another hip hop headliner - maybe Kendrick in a few years time

Also, didn't eminem mime at his Reading headline slot and his Wembley shows? Great songs but miming a set is wrong in my opinion. So unless he does it all live, no from me.

[topmarksbri]

As much as I like your sentiment, I'm not sure I can agree.

it was a man talking / shouting / gesturing over a recorded track.

His pitch needed auto tune, and he came in at the wrong time at least three times.

It would have been a poor , poor show on any stage, at any time.

An insult to actual real musicians old white men playing guitar working hard in the industry.

 

ftfy

 

I don't think he won over any new fans but I love him to death and I thought he smashed it, but I presume that a lot of the posts on here are from older generations and the music just isn't written for them. No shame in that. 

[EighteenSixty7]

I thought lowering the roof lights was genius. Simple but very effective.

[stuartbert two hats]

Eminem definitely won't ever do it. he's just far too past it i feel. and i doubt Glastonbury has the money for him either. but now that both Kanye and Jay Z have done it i can't think of another rapper suitable/big enough to headline. Drake maybe, but that just doesn't seem right. think it'll be a while before we get another hip hop headliner - maybe Kendrick in a few years time

He seems the only rapper big enough now. Rap God was a pretty big wasn't it? He's certainly not in his prime, but I can't think of anyone else. If he did play, surely headline is the only slot?

But I agree, a new star, or someone getting bigger is probably more likely for the next rapper for the Pyramid.

Edited June 29, 2015 by stuartbert two hats

[FloorFiller]

Also, didn't eminem mime at his Reading headline slot and his Wembley shows? Great songs but miming a set is wrong in my opinion. So unless he does it all live, no from me.

 

yeah i think he did, or at least has a backing track for large portions of it where he couldn't keep up anymore. Dolly controversy aside, i don't think Glastonbury would want to fork out a ton of money for an act who is doing fuck all for large portions of the show

[st dan]

I thought lowering the roof lights was genius. Simple but very effective.

Yeah I really liked what he did there. He must have been bloody roasting though!!!

[thewayiam]

Eminem definitely won't ever do it. he's just far too past it i feel. and i doubt Glastonbury has the money for him either. but now that both Kanye and Jay Z have done it i can't think of another rapper suitable/big enough to headline. Drake maybe, but that just doesn't seem right. think it'll be a while before we get another hip hop headliner - maybe Kendrick in a few years time

 

He won't unfortunately, you're probably right. But I don't think it'd be a money factor, Eminem isn't silly enough to not know what a major opportunity Glasto would be but when you can sell out Wembley twice as quick as he can it is telling. I don't think there is another rapper out there that can, I feel Jay-Z would come closest and I don't think he would. I would imagine instead of a run or 02 arena dates he'd do it.

[russycarps]

BLOODY HELL!

This is unexpected. Not the "Russy accidentally ends up at a popular artist he didn't want to see", because you seem to have a knack for that, but you enjoying it. To tell the truth, I was sort of looking forward to a hilarious diatribe about how much of a fist you thought he was, but I will take this. If ever again I doubt whether it really was good, now I know, Russy said it was good, I am right.

Ha well I was smashed so it may well have been a load of old bollocks, but I loved it in the moment and that's what it's all about.

I don't think I'll watch it back on iplayer though as I suspect it wont come across well on the telly.

As an aside did anyone see that flag that was a photo of his wife giving a blow job? I found it sickening and by far the most offensive flag I've ever seen. Not cool.

[russycarps]

Wow. I didn't expect that. So, should they ever have another hip hop act headlining? What about Eminem?

I dunno much about eminem really, but his time has passed hasn't it? May as well have someone more youthful I reckon. But yeah why not have more hip hop. This seemed much less shouty than jay z

[thewayiam]

Also, didn't eminem mime at his Reading headline slot and his Wembley shows? Great songs but miming a set is wrong in my opinion. So unless he does it all live, no from me.

 

Yeah, ages and voice speed and al.

 

He seems the only rapper big enough now. Rap God was a pretty big wasn't it? He's certainly not in his prime, I can't think of anyone else. If he did play, surely headline is the only slot?

But I agree, a new star, or someone getting bigger is probably more likely for the next rapper for the Pyramid.

 

Hard to say, is last album was massive and matched by sales. He defo only headlines and his crowd would be shockingly big, one of the biggest ever I'd imagine.

[paulmuchmore]

Just starting to watch it back on the telly. A few songs in so will probably add more reflections later.

 

Firstly, I really loved the staging. Unique and so different to the video screen that seems standard these days.

Performance does lose something though when you can't feel the bass as much - makes the track sound a bit too flat. It's definitely a "be there" performance.

 

On the point of sound in general, I found the sound quality on the Pyramid superb, better than all other festivals I've been to, but was slightly confused at the delay between the screens and the speakers. When I was nearer the front, there was no problem, but further back they were a second or so out of sync. Is this standard at Glasto? Is it simply the principle of light travelling faster than sound? Surely the sound should be coming out of the back speakers at the same time as the front ones? Didn't experience this at any other stages, or at any other festivals! If anyone could explain it I'd be very appreciative