From Fluxblog
http://www.fluxblog.org/2005_12_16_newflux_archive.html
Kanye West @ Savvis Center, St. Louis, MO 12/14/2005
Diamonds of Sierra Leone / The New Workout Plan / Touch The Sky / Heard 'Em Say / Get 'Em High / All Falls Down / Slow Jamz / Through The Wire / Jesus Walks / Gold Digger
A proper Kanye West/U2 bill surely would have drawn an interesting mix of fans, but this was a regular support slot for Kanye, announced long after tickets were sold out and as such, the audience was entirely comprised of U2 fans. Lucky for him, the people close to the stage in the ellipse area went wild for him, but the reception around the arena ran hot and cold, with many rockist jackasses booing him while he was onstage and later on, when Bono expressed how happy he was to share a stage with the guy.
The performance itself was an awkward mix of expert showmanship and good ideas not quite gelling as they should. He was backed by a DJ and a full string section, but the mix was horrible throughout the set, mainly resulting in the bass drowning out West's vocals and the more nuanced parts of the string arrangements. With only a few exceptions, the songs were played in abrupt bits and pieces, rarely with any sort of graceful ending. However, many of the songs did come off well - the string interpolation of the musical hook in "Heard 'Em Say" was gorgeous, "All Falls Down" seemed particularly well rehearsed, and "Jesus Walks" came across as the sort of arena anthem it ought to be.
The most exciting and memorable thing about this set was Kanye himself, and the sheer magnitude of his charisma. Unlike other U2 opening acts, West took full advantage of their ellipse stage design, jogging along the runway and working it just as well, if not better than Bono himself. The guy is a total natural, and definitely needs to tour more often. If he starts headlining stadiums himself, he really ought to consider stealing that ellipse concept. Really, anyone playing a room that size should
"Lucky for him, the people close to the stage in the ellipse area went wild for him"
I was so part of that group. Our little group got lots of Kanye love
I know he did some snippets of some songs but I can't remember the names right now - but West was best time I had with an opening act this entire tour.
I'm really hoping he gets the opening slot in Hawaii
