Kanye West returned to Los Angeles for his first full live show in the United States since 2021.
West took to the stage at SoFi Stadium on April 1 to thank his fans for sticking by him, amidst the Heil Hitler incident. Eleven months ago, West released the antisemitic track Heil Hitler, and apologized to his fans two months ago.
“I want to thank y’all for sticking by me all these years. Through the hard times, through the low times. I love you for that.
In January, West occupied a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal and asked for forgiveness. The letter was titled, To Those I’ve Hurt. In the letter, he wrote,
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
Kanye West attributed his actions, which included offensive antisemitic statements and selling T-shirts bearing Swastikas, to his bipolar-1 disorder. West claimed that he developed the disorder as a result of medical oversight, after a failure to diagnose a frontal lobe injury. Kanye West opened up about his reckless behavior and mentioned,
“One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments – many of which I still cannot recall – that led to poor judgement and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-exeprience.”
He added that he regrets and is “deeply mortified” by his actions.
More about Kanye West’s SoFi Stadium concert
At Wednesday’s show, Kanye West did not address any controversies or offer apologies for his past behavior. He performed 32 tracks, including several from his new studio album Bully, which was released on March 28.
The concert also featured guest performances from rapper Don Toliver, who played the Donda track, and Ye’s 12-year-old daughter North West, whom he shares with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
As per a Los Angeles Times music critic, Mikael Wood, the show had a tense and unsettling environment, with Ye reportedly scolding his team members, including collaborators and dancers.
Variety’s Steven J. Horowitz mentioned that Kanye West’s backing vocals were louder than his and that the fog blocked the crowd’s vision. Horowitz also added,
“But that was of little concern to those who seemed to forget about the very heavy baggage accompanying the performance. It was an evening to remember the greatness of Ye as he once was, and perphaps still is: imaginative, boundlessly creative and transformative.”
Concert-goers told news outlets that they went to experience Ye’s music and tried to separate his music from his past controversies.
Edited by Nimisha