The hype for Kanye West’s show has been building up for months, since the news was released that Yeezus himself would be gracing Penn State with his presence once again.
I’ve never attended a Kanye show, but heard nothing but insane reviews of his performances. After seeing bits and pieces of his tours from the Kardashian’s and other celebrities’ Snapstories it was a no brainer that I had to attend a tour that was clearly making history.
I arrived at the BJC at 8 p.m. and it was mass chaos. Hundreds of students piled up at every single gate, many sporting very Yeezy like outfits with tall boots and dresses or the large oversized sweatshirts. Upon walking into the BJC crowds of people swarmed around the Merch booths, trying to get some hands on Kanye’s exclusive tour line.
Kanye Saint Pablo Merch
Finally I was able to shuffle through the crowd and get to my seat, only to find an insane amount of people on the general floor section. At 9:15 p.m. on the dot, the BJC went black, and an ominous figure walked onto the platform on the far end of the floor on the BJC. The sides of the stage began to glow and Kanye was lifted above the floor spectators as the BJC erupted with applause and praise. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 began to blair and everyone broke out into song with Kanye as he began to float over everyone.
I heard rumors prior to the show that Kanye’s set list included 40 songs, but I thought there was no possible way he could even get close; I was absolutely wrong. He actually performed 32 songs in total, which is still a crazy impressive amount.
Not only did he hit a ton of the tracks off his new album “The Life of Pablo” but went back to his iconic tracks like “Stronger”, “Jesus Walks”, “Touch the Sky” and a ton more I can’t even begin to list. The crowd completely lost it when he did a covers including “Pop Style”, “N****s In Paris”, and “FourFiveSeconds.” Kanye’s interesting performance style made the show even more unforgettable. He stopped songs multiple times after starting them and said “eh no bring it back, bring it back,” and would restart the song.
The entire concert was more like a spiritual experience rather than a show. Everyone around me suddenly became some of my closest friends, yelling every word of each song. Kanye’s concert defying stage and lighting took the show above and beyond my wildest expectations. Each movement of the stage was set perfectly for each track, my personal favorite being when he performed “Only One.” The floor of spectators filled up with smoke and the stage began to glow with one single light on Kanye, which made him look like he was in heaven.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Kanye’s Saint Pablo Tour is easily one of the greatest tours that hit the BJC this year. Between the stage and set, his setlist, and Yeezus himself the show was an unforgettable experience that will have me blaring Kanye weeks after.
If you want to relive one of the greatest Penn State concerts this year, check out the playlist below.
