For more than two hours on Wednesday night, Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, performed on a futuristic orb-like stage that was at times illuminated to resemble a spinning globe. For that finite amount of time, his half-decade stint of antisemitic and racist controversies did not seem to matter to him and his followers. Instead, he appeared on top of the world.
The smell of smoke from erupting fireworks, the glare of lights from lasers and the lyrical chants from fans to his nostalgic hits seemed to erase, if however momentarily, the sins that cost him lucrative business deals and tarnished his legacy as musician and cultural figure.
For Ye and his devotees, the concert was perhaps the first high-profile moment of a dedicated rebranding as the artist, producer and fashion designer tries to repair his image.
Ye’s performance at SoFi Stadium, near Los Angeles, was the first in a pair of concerts in the venue tied to the release of his new album, “Bully.” He will headline there again on Friday. The concert was considered his first full domestic live show since 2021, though he hosted listening experiences in 2024. Ye performed in Mexico City this year, and is scheduled to appear in England, Italy and Spain this summer. The slate is being promoted as his reintroduction to prominent stages after he became an industry pariah.
Wednesday’s show came months after Ye took out an ad in the The Wall Street Journal, saying that he regretted his recent antisemitic behavior and that he hoped to be forgiven by “those I’ve hurt.” Since 2022, he has made a series of antisemitic and racist behavior, including posting “death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” to social media and conducting an interview while wearing what appeared to be a black Ku Klux Klan robe.
His show bookings dried up, and Adidas, which manufactured his popular “Yeezy” clothing brand, terminated its contract with him. He also finalized a divorce from Kim Kardashian, who during their high-profile relationship became the mother of his four children (their eldest daughter, North West, 12, was a surprise performer during Wednesday’s show, along with the rapper Don Toliver).
In January, Ye attributed his behavior to untreated bipolar I disorder, during a period when he had stopped taking medication. During his show on Wednesday, he did not address his controversies. His only commentary came as he repeatedly scolded technicians when he did not like the speed of the stage lighting.
“Is this an S.N.L. skit or something?” Ye said, as the crowd laughed. “Stop doing the vibrating, Vegas lights, bro. We went over this in rehearsal.”
The stage, which then resembled the moon, reverted to the Earth. Throughout the night, the singer swayed to the beat of the rhythms, but he also took long dramatic pauses atop the orb, where he was harnessed, and embraced the cheers from the crowd.
The set list included songs from his new album whose lyrics could loosely refer to his previous conduct. On the track “Father,” he rapped: “Bye Bye to my old self, wake up to the new me.” But the concert also featured some of his most recognizable work, such as “Blood on the Leaves” and “Jesus Walks.” Chants of “Yeezy” echoed throughout the 70,000-seat arena that appeared largely full.
A pair of fans on the floor section of the stadium wore graduation caps, a nod to the title of Ye’s 2007 album, “Graduation,” which won a Grammy. Before and after the show, supporters lined up to buy merchandise such as clothing that were branded with the album cover art for “Bully,” — a black-and-white close-up shot of someone smiling.
In an emailed statement before the concert, David Englin, the senior regional director for Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles, said: “Ye’s apologies do not automatically undo his long history of antisemitism. We hope he uses this platform, and others provided to him in the future, for good instead of spreading hate.”
But those who stood by Ye have long said they separate his music from his actions.
“His music never did nothing to us,” said Julian Caratachea, 20, as he walked toward a stadium entrance about two hours before the show. He added that he hoped the concert would springboard Ye into more live events.
“As long as you’re here for the music and you’re not here just on your opinion of something, then that’s all that matters,” Caratachea said. “That’s what’s going bring us together — the music.”
Emmanuel Morgan reports on sports, pop culture and entertainment.
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