Holy hip hop, Batman! Never has Rogers Arena seen a crowd more sick with power than on Sunday December 18th as Jay-Z and Kanye West brought their Watch The Throne Tour to a thundering close with a nearly three hour set that squeezed every ounce of animal ambition out of every single solitary person there.
In an alpha male showdown that both showcased the distinct and individual artistic voices of both names on the ticket as well as the formidable and ballsy power they hold these days, HOV and Yeezy led the lions to the slaughter and the audience was battle ready to say the least.
The tour has been such a monster hit and you can tell why when you hear the pitch perfect King Kong delivery of the tracks from the solid gold hit machine that is the Watch The Throne album. This meeting of minds created a piece of art that didn’t so much dissect the notion of power and kings as it did boil it down to its more flavourful and rich thickness. Translated live, this album is almost intimidating in its beastly influence. These songs do something to you, and seeing the brains behind them perched atop 5 story cube shaped stages rising out of the floor draped in video screens that show the fearless snarling faces of Doberman pinschers makes it even more affecting.
These video Dobermans turned to stoic great white sharks which seemed to be lurking with eerie purpose beneath the feet of the two rappers as they burst into Who Gon Stop Me, a chest-out hard hitter from the Throne album. This song, amongst the pounding live sound and the crackling strobes made putting face forward and owning it something that would be impossible to shy away from. And these men have done it. Especially the incomparable Kanye West. Jay-Z is definitely the prez, but Kanye is the fallen angel.
I, like a lot of people, went through my phase of thinking he was just an arrogant prick. From spouting off god complex rants during live performances to drunken microphone bogarting at award shows, he just seemed like he was a pain in the ass. Then came 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an absolute masterpiece of an album that showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was indeed an artist and if you pay attention, he was saying something, both on the tracks and off, that had never been said before. And in such a stylish way. Lyrically he is top notch, whether he’s talking about the fruits of his position (“so much head, I woke up in sleepy hollow”), to calling out with humour (“too many Urkels on your team, that’s why your Wins low”…get it?) to acknowledging the balancing act that is his strength, personality, and cultivated flow (“Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses, Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive”). Slick. Righteous and slick.
As for the judging, who was I to judge drunken buffoonery? Why even the night I saw this show came on the heels of a drunken night 48 hours previous where I decided to jump up on the proverbial stage, take the mic from the metaphorical Taylor Swift and tell the world a piece of truth I felt strongly about. And that shit is rough to live down, but the thing is you either live it down all the while forging forward or you lay back and become the victim of your own choices; Kanye West is the former, he “found bravery in his bravado”. Addressing the crowd, when speaking of things he had overcome, he said.
“2 years ago people thought I had lost my mind”.
And yet here he is, back on top, full of rare talent, laughing last. Consider me spun. So let’s toast to the douchebags and hope all our pain be champagne.
And then there’s Jigga. Jay-Z moves with a distinct New York strut. He bounces with the energy coming off the ground, a trait that seems paramount in all people born and raised in New York. The show featured a back and forth that enabled each of them to have blocks of their own solo material to perform. When Jay-Z had the floor, you could feel a much more steady power to his work than to that of Kanye West. Jay-Z is less temperamental, more focussed, and more certain. His work is precise, delivered to you with a rifle scope, and it wears the impact of something earned by someone who knows his own game inside and out. He is a force to be reckoned with, even from the second balcony seat I had. During 99 Problems, flames shot into the air with every guitar roar; that’s fire and brimstone confidence right there and it has served. him. well.
When the two of them held the stage together though, THAT was when the people were really chomping at the bit. I have never seen such a hyped crowd in my life. Everyone’s hands were in the air; everyone’s. I haven’t seen that many to the sky since Aerosmith in 2005 when Steven Tyler got us all waving for Dream On… though I think we all complied because we were afraid he was going to eat us. This was different: we were invited to the feast this time.
There were those moments in the set when you hear the first few notes of a song NOT on the album they’re touring with and you feel jazzed to be hearing it. I was juiced right up to hear All of the Lights and Power from Fantasy and On To the Next One from Blueprint 3. And it was nice to see some artistic licence with tunes like What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong which accompanied various stock footage of shitty deals resulting from humans and their various faiths and fears that served as an intro for a mean and bassy No Church in the Wild, and of course Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness that jump starts the glitzy single Otis from Throne. Both tunes sounded incredible live, especially No Church which has a bass line that will chase you for miles while breathing hungry hot breath down your neck.
The real testament to the balls swinging between these guys’ legs was the big finish that NO ONE saw coming. They busted out Niggas in Paris, a creeper hit from the Throne album that everyone loves. Everyone. After polishing it off once, they ran through it again much to the delight of the crowd. Then, after circling each other on the main stage like a couple of hungry dogs, they called for it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Ten times! Each time building up more hopping intensity not only in themselves but in the crowd which was overcome with not only disbelief but an overwhelming sense of ravenous desire to have the show never end. To my surprise, only about 2% of the crowd left during the repeat performances of the closing number. The rest of us stayed to throw our heads back and chime in every time Yeezy said “and show me why you deserve to have it aaaallllll”.
By the time they finished, having let us know we tied LA for most repeaters of Paris, we were out of our ever loving minds. We all knew we had been part of a big ass finish, not only of a big tour but of a seminal tour for here and now. When it comes to the now, these guys have it by the short and curlies. What a fucking rare treat to be dancing with the gods when the rewards are fruitful and the empire is strong. Makes a girl forget about that night she “stormed the stage” full of vodka and helps her brush the dirt off her shoulder. I guess I got my swagger back. Better enjoy it while it lasts like these guys do cause it never lasts forever, “But we probably spend it all ’cause the pain ain’t cheap.”
Review by: Jennie Orton
