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Kanye West‘s recent performance at the Philadelphia leg of the 2014 Made In America Festival bodes well for his Australian fans, with a universal consensus that the performance was one of the rapper’s best ever. The ever-divisive hit-maker is set to kick off his Down Under tour this Friday at the Perth Arena.
West’s performance at the festival was a career-spanning spectacle that saw him take on older cuts like Jesus Walks, All Falls Down, Can’t Tell Me Nothing, and Stronger, as well as an extensive airing of his recent output. He opened the show with the brooding, caustic tones of Yeezus cut Black Skinhead.
The rapper recently pared back the highly conceptual and ostentatious stage set that he’d been using for much of the Yeezus tour, eschewing the famous mountain set pieces and actors playing Jesus Christ in favour of lights, giant LED screens, and projections to swathe himself in shadow and silhouette.
The performance was also remarkably rant-free, with West’s Runaway monologue — when he normally lets loose on his gripes with the media and the fashion industry — instead used to tell the audience, “I’ve got love for everybody in the media and all the tabloids. I know everybody is doing their job.”
During his encore — a reprise performance of the popular Yeezus cut Blood On The Leaves — West urged the crowd to form a mosh pit, imploring crowd members to “push motherfuckers next to you”. As readers can see in the footage below, the crowd promptly followed Yeezy’s instructions.
Unfortunately, the set did not feature any new music, though West’s recent comments indicate that fans can expect his new album soon. The rapper postponed his previous Australian tour dates in order to work on his seventh LP and it’s possible West could make it up to fans by airing some new tunes.
Watch: Kanye West at Made In America Festival 2014 – Part 1
Watch: Kanye West at Made In America Festival 2014 – Part 2
Kanye West Made In America Festival 2014 Philadelphia Setlist
Black Skinhead
I Don’t Like (Chief Keef cover)
Mercy
Cold
Can’t Tell Me Nothing
New Slaves
Power
Blood on the Leaves
Stronger
Runaway
Run This Town (Jay-Z cover)
Diamonds from Sierra Leone
Heartless
Jesus Walks
All Falls Down
Touch the Sky
All of the Lights
Good Life
Bound 2
Blood on the Leaves (Reprise)
Kanye West Australian Tour Dates
Friday, 5th September
Perth Arena
Sunday, 7th September
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tuesday, 9th September
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Wednesday, 10th September
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Friday, 12th September
Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney
Saturday, 13th September
Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney
Monday, 15th September
Brisbane Entertainment Centre