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 of antisemitic and racist controversies did not seem to matter to him or 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 blot out, however momentarily, the sins that cost him lucrative business deals and tarnished his legacy as a 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 parties in 2024. Ye performed in Mexico City this year, and he 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 a little over two 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 engaged in antisemitic and racist actions, including by posting “death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” to social media and by conducting an interview while wearing what appeared to be a black Ku Klux Klan robe.
His bookings dried up, and Adidas, which had manufactured his popular “Yeezy” clothing brand, terminated its contract with him. He also finalized a divorce from Kim Kardashian, with whom he had four children during a high-profile relationship. (Their oldest 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 stage technicians when he did not like the pace of the 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 at the time was lit up to resemble 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 as he stood atop the orb (to which he was harnessed) and embraced the cheers from the crowd.
The set list included songs from his new album whose lyrics could allude to his 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.
Two fans on the stadium’s floor section wore mortarboards, a nod to Ye’s 2007 album, “Graduation,” which won the Grammy for best rap album. Before and after the show, supporters lined up to buy branded merchandise, including clothing emblazoned with the cover art for “Bully” — a tight, black-and-white shot of a grinning mouth.
In an emailed statement before the concert, David Englin, the senior regional director for the 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 have 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 before the show. He added that he hoped the concert would propel Ye to stage 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 to bring us together — the music.”
Emmanuel Morgan reports on sports, pop culture and entertainment.
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