What happened at Kanye West’s “Donda” concert

Last night in Atlanta, Kanye West performed his highly anticipated next album, Donna, for the second time. The scene in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has become Kanye’s new home, was broadcast live on Apple Music, with every moment of preparation. The evening opened with a choir worthy of the Sunday service and Kanye chanting, “This is kingdom, power and glory forever.

He’s the kind of artist with no separation between his own identity and his work, so there was a thread of Kanye every little bit – the wardrobe is constantly changing, the hype of street performers at one point, the next weeping, barefoot, crawling towards what looked like a church altar. Kanye stood lonely in the center, but was surrounded in a circle for most of the performance. All participants were covered from head to toe in looks symbolizing protection and “cover” for her mother, wearing choir dresses, Donda vests with face-covering masks, and vests featuring a cross on the back. center of the Star of David. All the while, the lyrics repeated Donda West’s name throughout the night, to invoke a kind of perseverance she brought to Kanye, who is forever a part of him.

Every moment and every word referred to the act of lifting up and going higher. Donda West, who tragically passed away in 2007, has continued to be an essential source of inspiration and guide for him, a fact staged in the theatrical performance at the end of the show, as he rose in the air, lying on a trapeze. son, almost as if he was ascending to heaven with spotlights around him.

Earlier in the week, Kanye announced that his close friend and artistic director of Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia, will be part of the project, and he wore a black head-to-toe look that included a spiked jacket from the fall / winter collection. 2020 from Balenciaga. And with his ongoing partnership with Gap and his commitment to making the essentials more intentional, it looks like West is fulfilling his dream of becoming the “next Steve Jobs” in fashion and culture.

Guests like Chance the Rapper, Migos, Rick Ross and a few Real Housewives of Atlanta were in attendance, as well as Kim Kardashian, while Kanye performed a new version of a song called “Love Unconditionally” which opened with Donda saying the words, “Either way, you never give up on your family,” as he repeated over and over: “I’m losing my family.” In this performance, however, he added a few lines to the song, saying, “Time and space are a luxury, but you came here to show that you are still in love with me.”

Only Kanye could ask people to come and listen to – and fully engage with – an album, without dropping an album. Still, by the end of the night, there was at least one pre-order for Yeezy Gap’s infamous $ 200 red puffer jacket online to hold people back.