For years now, critics have snickered that Kanye West lives in his own world.His latest tour seems hellbent on proving them right.
At Tuesday night's Madison Square Garden stop on his national "Glow in the Dark" tour, West rapped and roamed around an otherwise empty stage, assuring that all focus would land entirely on himself.
The vast staging mimicked a lunar landscape in a world far away, underscoring "Glow's" intergalactic theme, which served the star's ego as well. At one point in the night's "Lost in Space" scenario, West met a female space alien who, naturally, recognized him.
"You're the biggest star in the universe," she exclaimed.
Perhaps he is, because on this tour West is getting away with an order - no pictures taken by the press - that has been decreed by just one other musician, Bob Dylan.
The comparison may not flatter West as an artist, but on his own level, he deserves his kudos and hits. As emphasized by the repertoire in his 90-minute show, his songs are full of originality and hook appeal. Unfortunately, last night's bizarre presentation of them took away from their zest rather than adding to it.
By appearing as a solitary figure on a blank expanse - with his band banished to a place literally beneath him - West seemed remote, static and even lonely. Your average production of "Waiting for Godot" sees more action than this. Couple that with the dark lighting and heavy use of fog, and fans had little more to behold than a shadowy blur, relieved only by repetitive videos of explosions to simulate drama.
That's a shame because, as a rapper, West delivered his material with deftness and force. He worked his way around the staccato gospel chorus of "Jesus Walks" with amazing grace and took daring liberties with the beat in "Champion," adding cool a cappella breaks. His music ably ran the gamut from the soul of "All Falls Down" to the lounge R&B of "Gold Digger" to the synth-pop of "Stronger."
Next time West may want to take a cue from one of his three opening acts - Lupe Fiasco - who came out all the stronger for letting two singers sometimes upstage him. A little humility goes a long way.
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