Kanye West

Male of the year, Kanye West kicked off his very first full UK tour in 2007, when he was signed to arguably the best record label around- Roc-A Fella. His first album 'College Dropout 'has since gone multi-platinum bumping his success with a potential six-figure money making tour. Whilst many wondered whether the show would go on after his late mothers 'recently unexpected death, Kanye made it to the stage. The show began with two Brooklyn MCs, who unsuccessfully tried to hype up the crowd, and of which scuffled off the stage after about three songs! It was Talib Kweli who got the real show underway. Along with his DJ Hi-Tek, they injected life into the crowd with their truly exhilarating new mixes of 'I Try 'and 'Broken Glass 'and the old classics of 'The Blast, 'and 'Shock Body. 'They it was back to old school where they mixed some old time favourites whilst inviting people to the stage to break dance. The new British talent Estelle received a huge warm welcome and the crowd rocked out to her soulful R&B hits which included '1980. 'Rumours of Jay-Z performing as the special guest were later confirmed as rumours, as Comon took to the stage. But nevertheless, amongst various tracks, his duet hit with Lily Allen 'Drivin 'Me Wild, 'got the crowd fired and dancing, ready for the man himself. So Kanye ' s support acts were overall not a bad start to the evening- minus the Brooklyn MCs.

After the break the lights dimmed to darkness and the audience waited in anticipation for the show to commence. As the white curtain dropped to the floor, the roar from the audience erupted. But Kanye was no where to be seen. The stage set up was immense, with the LED-lit back-drop which curtain credited all members of the tour, the futuristic stands and costumes, and immense strobe lighting which illuminated the stage consequently for his 'Glow in the Dark Tour. 'The standing ovation continued as the entire crowd repeatedly chanted his name in anticipation and desperation. Finally the action really began when Kanye took to the stage, appearing from nowhere and arriving to intro of Stronger, which soon faded into Jesus Walks. The crowd was ecstatic and the atmosphere was immense from the roar of around 5,000 hip-hop hungry revellers. West then ripped his way through his ultimate classics including, Touch the Sky, All Falls Down and Through the Wire with the fiercest emotion and dedication from his soul.

Half way through his 'highly charged 'show (quite literally,) Kanye performed his heart-felt, emotional tribute Hey Mama, to his late mother Donda West, who died from plastic surgery complications. With his head bowed low, the crowd showed their respects, as he shed a tear in her memory. The two gigantic television screens on either side of the stage were turned off for the first time, so that all focus was on him as he softly rapped. He emotionally told the tale of his single mother ' s life-long support for her only child and their struggles they battled through. The whole centre was almost silent and the image of an angel was created from the LED lit curtain. It was a truly memorable moment as the crowd, in awe and with respect, erupted into a song as Kanye reached the last chorus which included the lyrics: 'Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, coz I ' m so proud of you. 'As he wiped his eyes and clutched his head with his hands, the audience erupted into a standing ovation.

West then sorted himself out, shook away his problems and continued the show with his more chilled tunes from his third album, including 'Gold Digger 'and 'Diamonds fro Sierra Leone, 'becoming edgier with his passion as the lyrics oozed the greater meaning of his bereavement. He dazzled his way through, and carried on with the show as if he hadn ' t a care in the world, showing his true professionalism.

As the show drew to a close the crowd knew which hit he was going to end with. None other than his chart-topping single 'Stronger. 'The crowd were wild, glow sticks in full flow, not only was the stage a buzz of lights, but the crowd a sea of flickers too.

Forget the rumours of Jay-Z, who cares if they were only rumours? Kanye didn ' t need anyone else. He more than delivered by himself. The £30 tickets were definitely worth it- you could actually call them a bargain. We can only hope that his next tour will live up to his already highly set expectations.

Waited along time to see Kanye West in concert and still having to wait! After having to sit through a performance by support artist who I still don't know the name of we left at 9.45 before Kanye came on stage (he should have come on stage at 9pm), the sound was terrible and the seats scarily high (do not buy tickets over block 100 if you don't like heights!. Really feel Kanye should have canceled last nights gig, no one would have blamed him after recent events with the death of his mother and the funeral the previous day, however it wasn't canceled and we didn't pay full price for tickets to get half measures, came away feeling let down and after listening to fans around us whilst waiting for him to come on we were not alone, quite a few people got up and went home which is a shame, I'm hoping that those who stayed enjoyed the concert was supposed to come on stage at 9pm didn't come on till 10pm.