This Saturday Kanye West was the headlining act at The Big Chill's main stage, complete with pyrotechnics, overly enthusiastic smoke machines, and fireworks.
Lucky for us, West's massive ego was there as well, which had apparently been prepped, primed, and marinated in some sort of self-indulgent, angry, defensive grease before West hit the stage, 30 minutes late.
Despite his ego, his lateness, and "anti-Big Chill" nature of his act - I quite enjoyed West's performance on Saturday night. Although I appear to be in very limited company.
Kanye West is an innovative, passionate and intensely creative musician. He is emotional, defensive, and egotistic - dare I even say narcissistic. Live TV has never quite agreed with him, and neither have award shows (or the paparazzi) - yet his music sells. His music resonates with people. And the crowd on Saturday - the true Kanye West fans that were pushing and thrashing to get closer to the front of the stage, not the dubious that Big Chill regulars who sat on the fringes of the crowd - seemed to be loving every song, every dramatic dance move, every auto-tuned note.
In three different acts, West played newer material like "Power", "Dark Fantasy", and "Monster", his hits from two or three years ago - "Stronger", "Heartless" - and many of his older hits, like "Touch the Sky" and "Gold Digger". In fact, he even performed his raps from songs such as Katy Perry's "ET", that he's merely featured in. West performed hit after hit and put full energy in to his performances. His stage was over the top, yes, but it was beautiful to look at. (Who doesn't love fireworks?!)
His downfall on Saturday night, however, was the rant he launched in to towards the beginning of his performance. West's voice wasn't at its best, it was scratchy and he continually had to clear his throat mid-note, and he started off his speech to apologize for losing his voice, and for being late. Which, I thought, was quite polite.
And then he had to explain that both of these failings were due to him "screaming to make this perfect for you". West explained that he's a perfectionist, and he just wanted to give the Big Chill the best show possible as the UK is "one of my homes now", and that this performance was the most important of the summer to him.
But then, oh then, West explained that his "screaming" to make things perfect is always misconstrued. It's always used against him! And then he went on, and on, and on about how people take was he says and does out of context! He blamed "the media". Those bastards! They just don't understand him. He explained that he's not a bad guy, but he just won't apologize for being such a bastard because he's real! He's not a phony, and he's not going to pretend to play the game because, god damnit, he's an artist! ARTIST! He does all this for us. He's being real, for us. He won't bullshit us. And all of the money he makes he puts into his show (and his front teeth)?! FOR US!
And then the crowd began to yawn and boo, so he promised he's shut up and sing, and sing he did.
He performed his controversial hit "Monster", the video for which featured dead women, severed female heads, and disturbing images that most of us agreed were pretty misogynistic. Kanye West then launched in to another diatribe after "Monster" about how everyone thinks he's a monster because of the video. He explained how "women's groups" said it was misogynistic and asked "how someone who lost the most important woman in his life" could then go on to do such a misogynistic video. Disgusted, Kanye says that this video was artistic and that the "hanging models" were inspired by the images of Helmut Newton. He feverishly explained how all of these people just jump to the conclusion that "Mosnter" is misogynistic, and just assume that a hip-hop artist is incapable of do creating something above or more intelligent than misogyny.
Kanye, oh, Kanye.
Even if you're not misogynistic ("put the pussy in the sarcophagus"), doing a hip-hop video with images that could be quite easily misconstrued as misogynist may not be the best way make people think you're above stereotypes. Casually propping yourself up against the wall with a woman's head hanging from your paw and rapping about being a "Monster" isn't going to make people think, "Wow, we've really go Kanye all wrong!"
Reveling in people's misconception of you isn't always the best way to make them think different. Kanye, do different and we'll think different. Sometimes less is more, and if you just get on with it and do the best you can do, perhaps we'll all notice and it will have a much greater effect than if you're constantly telling us how different you are and shouting at us that we should be grateful you're such a perfectionist ego mantic because you do it for us.
Kanye West makes incredible music, and his latest album- a collaboration between himself and Jay-Z - is a brilliant example of this. But all Kanye needs isn't "pussy and religion", all he needs is to set his ego aside and let his art speak for itself.
All images © Iain Buchanan for BitchBuzz.com