As promised, Kanye West’s impromptu 808s & Heartbreak concert went down yesterday evening (September 25) at the Hollywood Bowl and he pulled out all the stops as he revived Auto-Tune for good reason.
The 2008 critically acclaimed album paved the way for the likes of Drake, The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR (and that’s just Canada) to develop illustrious careers while blurring the lines between Hip-Hop and R&B, and it was unceremoniously performed in full as it approached just its seventh anniversary.
Yeezy’s set included being dressed like Pinocchio in a burlap bodysuit for the grand closer “Pinocchio’s Song,” a two-story-high pyramid-style stairwell, an eight-person choir and accompanying orchestra, half-naked Black Mandingo performers, fireworks and 75 percent of the album’s guest features, Entertainment Tonight’s Chris Lee wrote.
In chronological order, Kid Cudi appeared for his backing vocals on “Welcome to Heartbreak;” Jeezy for his “Amazing” verse (despite technical difficulties with the sound where he joked, “This is the best dress rehearsal I ever had”); and Mr. Hudson showed up in eons to assist with “Paranoid.” Only Lil Wayne was absent during the performance of “See You in My Nightmares,” although there is still a shot he’ll be present for tonight’s encore 808s & Heartbreak concert.
It was also the first time Yeezy performed the obscure gem “Bad News.”
Check out the various fan-made videos on the entire show down below.
“Say You Will”
“Welcome To Heartbreak” w/ Kid Cudi
“Heartless”
“Amazing”
“Love Lockdown”
“Robocop”
“Street Lights”
“Bad News”
“See You In My Nightmares”
“Pinocchio’s Story”
—
Photo: J Pimentel/YouTube
