Flashin' Light, Light, Light

A few months ago Ronson, Kari, Tabari, and the Tall Drink of Water and I all decided to drop way too much money for floor seats at Kanye, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D. Then the show got postponed and Rihanna dropped out.

Sad. Because I had been practicing my Umbrella-ella-ella, eh eh eh cadence all summer.

The show finally came 'round Friday and it was fabulous of course, even sans Rihanna.

Kari noted the fashion - lots of Glow In The Dark tour shirts, white shutter shades and hoochy "dresses from Deb."

Kanye's theme was that he's on a spaceship that crash lands on another planet and he spends his time between songs talking to the spaceship computer trying to figure out how to get home and how he'll score with the ladies on planet wherever he landed. (There was also a talking blow-up doll at one point and a dragon/dinosaur/godzilla thingy that ate him.)

The acting/chatting with the computer was hilarious, and poorly acted Ronson thought. I was entertained mostly because I think if I was a big musician I'd probably have people sit around and think up elaborate and ridiculous things for my shows too. So it was fun.

The songs were mostly from Graduation, and Kanye brought the house down, sweating and dancing and singing and talking to his computer. I loved every second of it. But Flashin' Lights is my jam, so that was my fave.

Kanye also performed a very sweet and emotional version of Hey Mama, and I was a little choked up by the end. Afterwards he went and sat on his spaceship themed stage under a soft stage light and drank water from his canteen (in keeping with the theme, I'm sure).

Then... and this is where it gets weird (yeah, here is where it gets weird, nevermind Kanye talking to a giant projector screen that's supposed to be a computer) the piano chords from Don't Stop Believing come on. Kanye is sitting stage right under soft lights not uttering another word and a Journey song starts playing.

Everyone is feeling kind of emotional over Hey Mama and probably thinking about their own mamas and then... Journey.

Then this spacesuit clad backup singer starts with the first verse. "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world, she took the midnight train goin' anywhere."

And I look around thinking, Really? Don't Stop Believing? This is shocking. Am I being punked?

But then I start singing of course. I mean, how can you not?! It's Journey! It's Don't Stop Believing, come on! And I look and everybody is singing it, including Kanye who is still sitting alone and without a mic, just mouthing the words along with everyone else and his spacesuit clad singer.

It was definitely a highlight for how strangely awesome and random it was. Afterwards I thought, "Wow. That JUST happened."

The last was song was Homecoming, because somewhere between the talking computer, godzilla, the blow up doll and an hour and 45 minutes of songs Kanye's spaceship got fixed and he moseyed on back home to Earth.

Thanks for the ride Kanye!