I’ve been mentally preparing myself for Kanye West’s “Saint Pablo Tour” since tickets went on sale in June. The North American tour in support of Kanye’s seventh album, “The Life of Pablo” (released in February) came to D.C. just last week. In case you weren’t able to grab tickets to the event, here is my recap of everything that went down at the Verizon Center on Thursday.
My first order of business when I got to the Verizon Center was to cop some “Pablo” merch. To be honest, my main motivation of going to the “Saint Pablo” tour was to finally obtain real “Pablo” merchandise that wasn’t from Etsy. I finally made it to the merch “line,” which ended up being more like a crowd of people, causing me major anxiety. I waited 30 minutes to purchase a $65 shirt with a paparazzi photo of Kim Kardashian on her Mexico trip. Just like Kanye said in “Facts”, I felt so accomplished after surviving the “Pablo” stampede.
I finally made it to my seat in the stadium and was welcomed by trippy instrumental music and howling wolves. The stage area was dark and mysterious, all metal with spare lights.
The concert started an hour and a half late, in true Yeezus fashion. Fans could hear pumps puffing air as the stage Kanye was standing on came into view. He rose above his diehard fans that paid over $300 for floor seats. Kanye had a harness and metal cable strapped to his back so he could move around the stage safely.
He opened the show with “Father Stretch My Hands pt. 1,” and the crowd went nuts after the beat dropped. Fans lost their minds singing and dancing during “Famous”, “Good Life”, and “N***s in Paris,” causing a riot in the mosh pit. The crowd sang the hooks and verses at the top of their lungs, even causing some to pass out.
To be honest, Kanye was mostly heard and rarely seen during his performance. He disguised himself with low lighting and fog so the audience could focus on the music.
The Saint Pablo tour was less dramatic than his Yeezus tour in 2013, in my opinion. There were no dancers, characters, or props during this set. This tour emphasized human connection, as the stage design put Kanye within a few feet of his fans.
A Kanye concert isn’t complete without one of his infamous rants. He cut off “Power” to rant about the fashion industry and how people in the fashion industry doubted his success. Kanye cooed, “I’m feeling like the Cavs right now, when Kyrie Irving got hurt. I’m talking about the fashion show yesterday. When you the Lebron James, when you don’t bring home that ring it’s your fault.” His rant was the only time fans sat down during the entire concert.
He closed the show with “Ultralight Beam”, the gospel opening track of “Pablo”. It felt like being in church on a Thursday night, and I felt healed. Attending a Kanye West concert is a spiritual experience that should be on everyone’s bucket list. The man knows how to put on a great show.