I go for mine, I got to shine, now throw your hands up in the sky

I guess I like guys who say what's on their mind. The politically outspoken and often controversial hip hop performer Kanye West took the stage last night at GM Place along with an all female strings section, a group of uber talented backup vocalists and a few keyboard players for a 90 minute set full of passion. My friend Kristina and I were there, both totally pumped, rocking it side stage with our dancing boots on. Personally, I tend to favour acoustic shows and rock concerts to the hip hop variety, because honestly, I find that most music of this genre does not translate very well into live performance. It is for this reason that I was not overly impressed by the opening act, Ludacris even though I'd say that I'm a fan and I bop along to his songs at the gym quite frequently. If there is an exception to this theory though, it certainly is Mr. West. The show did not disappoint; he demonstrated the brilliance that truly makes him stand out from other artists. Dressed suave as always, he did not take off his sunglasses for the entire set, nor did he remove the green scarf tied around his neck, which appeared to be cashmere....and must have made him pretty hot as he sprinted and strutted from one side of the stage to the other. It was clear that he has mastered that 'self indulgent, oblivious to his surroundings' aspect of rock stardom. In my opinion though, his ability to spit out rhymes with flair and his charismatic, compelling presence on stage more than make up for what is regarded by some as 'the arrogance factor'. If you ask me, his resolve is clear; self conscious perfectionism that can become obnoxious at times. I still like him. Perhaps his volatile and unpredictable nature are precisely what make him such a fascinating artist to follow.

I knew that the 'people watching' in this crowd would be killer and I was stoked to observe the fans who gathered last night. It was definitely a cross section; teeny boppers, hip hoppers, wangsters sporting their mad chains, yo... plus loads of girls with expensive purses, overexposed cleavage and mini skirts, stiletto heels, too much makeup and tons of bling. Kristina and I were approached by a couple of kids who asked us to buy booze for them. Thankfully we were off the hook because they stopped serving alcohol (much to most of the inebriated crowd's dismay) at 9:30pm; a whole half hour before Kanye even took the stage. The funniest thing about the night had to be the guy sitting next to me. I'm sure that Kanye is his idol and that he feels like a rapstar trapped in the body of a 17 year old white kid. He danced and rapped along to every song and seriously must have phoned every person he's ever met in his entire life during the concert. He had a joint in one hand, and his cell phone in the other at all times. If he wasn't talking on it, he was holding it up for whoever was on the other end to hear the tunes, video taping or snapping photos of the stage with the camera feature or sending a text.

Here is my buddy in the next seat, holding up his phone so his friend at home can hear the show.

All in all, it was a super fun night. The atmosphere was high spirited and I danced my little booty off the whole time.

Top left photo courtesy of Steve Bosch/ The Vancouver Sun