Kanye takes over Charlotte

Another guest post from the Ballantyne Big Dog (read his last post here).

Kanye West has been called many things since arriving on the music scene nearly five years ago. He's turned some people off with his antics and comments, even though many are the ones dancing to his music out in the clubs or bobbing their heads in the car.

And boy, can the man put on a show.

West and three other acts brought an electricity that had previously yet to be seen in three years at Time Warner Arena. Even though it's only May, it's going to be extremely hard for any other performer(s) to top the "Glow In The Dark" tour.

First up was Kanye protége Lupe Fiasco, one of the more underrated artists out there right now. (If you haven't picked up "The Cool" yet, do so. You won't be disappointed.) Fiasco got the still-filing-in crowd going with past gems such as "Kick, Push" and "I Gotcha," then brought Matthew Santos on to sing the current hit "Superstar." Fiasco and Co. closed with an amazing version of "Daydream," which got the crowd moving in their seats.

N.E.R.D., also known as hitmaker Pharrell Williams' group, was up next. And they wasted no time putting the fans into a frenzy, with an electric set that featured a full band with dueling drummers. On the song "Mosh," Williams brought up several fans from the crowd to dance on the stage. One guy stood out more than the rest, and for good reason—it was Chris Brown,
who put on a mini-show of fantastic moves and showed why he is this generation's top dancer. The highlight of the set came during the song "She Wants To Move," when the band broke into a cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," letting Williams and bandmate Shay Haley rap over the tune. N.E.R.D. is a tough act to categorize (rap? rock?), and that's just how they want it.

After Fiasco and N.E.R.D., Rihanna (who is dating Brown, hence his attendance) took the stage. I'll admit this is the one act I was not excited about, and the mood shifted a little when the R&B singer took the stage. However, the beauty from Barbados impressed me when she covered M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," and the crowd was grooving with her as she ran through radio hits such as "Umbrella," "S.O.S.," and "Don't Stop the Music."

The stage was then set for West to enter. Actually, the stage required almost a 30-minute setup behind a curtain, which made sense once things got going. As the lights went dark, West emerged lying down with his crashed spaceship, "Jane," as they embarked on a journey from space trying to get back home. After fittingly opening with "Good Morning," West blazed into "I Wonder." From there, it was hit after hit featuring tunes from all three of Kanye's critically acclaimed albums, including "Through the Wire," "Heard 'Em Say," and "Champion."

With the crowd moving in their seats and rapping along with every word, West scored some of the best crowd responses with "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (featuring every fan throwing up the Roc-A-Fella diamond sign), "Gold Digger," "Flashing Lights" (my favorite song off "Graduation"), "Good Life," and "Jesus Walks."

The one time the show slowed down was for West to pay tribute to his recently deceased mother during "Hey Mama," a touching moment, which was followed by a stirring rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." After that, West got the fans back on their feet with a seven-minute version of his megahit "Stronger." From there, the crowd was spent, to the point that it was hard to muster energy for the two-song closing finale of "Homecoming" and "Touch the Sky" (featuring Fiasco).

As for any outbursts, well, there was a small one during one of the songs, when West told the stage director that "we need to get these flames together," referring to one of the many elaborate parts of his stage that also featured a rising platform, smoke, and a light show. The flames never appeared again, so the problem was solved in a way, I guess. West also had an incredible live band beneath the stage, which is much better than just using a DJ.

So while Kanye may have an ego as large as Jerry Richardson's bank account, he backs it up. Near the end of his set, he said, "They say hip-hop shows are boring, boring. But now I got the No. 1 show touring, touring."

And he's spot-on. It was an electrifying night, and showed why West is such a perfectionist and meticulous about every little detail. He wants to make sure every single fan has an unforgettable experience, and did just that in Charlotte on Thursday night.