On the inaugural night of Passover, Ye – the celebrated rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, who once infamously tweeted a threat to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” – performed to what appeared to be a capacity crowd at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
Wednesday’s event, the first of two Ye concerts scheduled this week at the colossal NFL arena, took place two months after the 48-year-old artist issued an apology for his prior antisemitic remarks. He attributed his conduct to bipolar disorder, which he stated developed from injuries sustained in a 2002 car crash.
Perhaps more significantly, the performance followed last week’s release of “Bully,” Ye’s first solo album since 2022’s “Donda 2.” The music industry publication Hits anticipates it will debut at No. 2 on the album chart, immediately behind the newest release from BTS.
In essence, Ye is aiming for a comeback – and judging by the enthusiastic reception he received at SoFi, he appears to be on a path to potential success.
He refrained from addressing his recent controversies on stage Wednesday night, which included expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler and selling T-shirts adorned with swastikas. In fact, Ye spoke very little during the two-hour concert, aside from several corrective comments directed at his stage crew.
“Is this like an ‘SNL’ skit or something?” he quipped at one point after repeatedly requesting the “vibrating Vegas lights” be turned off while performing his track “Good Life.”
“We went over this in rehearsal,” he added.
Nevertheless, featuring a blend of classic hits and new tracks from “Bully,” the show – Ye’s initial full live performance in his adopted city of Los Angeles since a 2021 collaboration with Drake at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum – served as a potent reminder of the immense musical talent that propelled Ye to stardom, from which he has often seemed intent on descending (though never quite fully doing so).
It also showcased his talent for elaborate spectacle: Ye performed Wednesday atop a colossal, orb-shaped structure positioned on the stadium floor. For much of the evening, digital projections transformed the orb into a rotating globe, creating the impression that Ye was quite literally surveying the world from its summit.
Early in the set, he determined the globe was spinning too rapidly and instructed the crew to “make the earth move slower” – an instant Kanye West classic quote to add to the collection he has amassed over the past twenty-five years.
Beginning with a selection of songs from “Bully,” accompanied by what sounded like prerecorded backing tracks, Ye’s new album attempts to strike a balance between the soulful, sample-rich sound of his early output and the darker, synth-infused atmosphere of more recent works like “Donda” and his collaborations with Ty Dolla Sign, “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2.”
One would hardly describe “Bully” as particularly strong; the beats are polished yet uninspired, and Ye’s vocals lack the emotional depth that distinguishes his most acclaimed creations. (A recurring topic in discussions surrounding the album is the extent of AI involvement in its production.)
However, during the live performance, tracks like “Father” and “All the Love” possessed a certain dark appeal as they resonated through a stadium enveloped in smoke from what appeared to be numerous machines.
Or at least they did until Ye delved into his vastly superior older material, which continues to impress with its emotion, wit, and inventiveness. With the somewhat melancholic new material aside, he seamlessly linked snippets of timeless tracks such as “Father, Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” “Mercy,” “Black Skinhead,” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” with the audience rapping along to almost every word. He also performed “Bound 2,” a highlight from his Kardashian-era confidence, and “Heartless,” a powerful testament to his pioneering role in emo-rap.
He also delivered his and Jay-Z’s enduring 2011 smash hit – the one containing the N-word in its title – which brought to mind how both he and his former friend-turned-rival are staging comebacks concurrently: Jay-Z’s as a celebratory lap for a seasoned veteran, and Ye’s in an effort to overcome the repercussions of his own past missteps.
Ye, whose return will continue with a series of European performances this summer, welcomed two guests at SoFi: Don Toliver, with whom he performed “Moon” and Toliver’s “E65,” and his 12-year-old daughter, North, who performed “Talking” and “Piercing on My Hand.”
Yet, as he concluded the concert with a solo run through some of his most cherished hits – “All Falls Down,” “Jesus Walks,” “Through the Wire,” “All of the Lights” – the impression Ye seemed eager to convey was that of a man facing a disapproving public entirely on his own.
Except no one in the audience was against him.
He finished with “Runaway,” his dramatic 2010 cautionary tale to anyone imprudent enough to contemplate falling in love with him.
“Run away fast as you can,” he sang, and the crowd erupted.