It isn’t very often that rappers go on tour. It is even less likely for two superstar rappers to tour together, let alone produce an album together. This is exactly the type of experience, however, delivered by Kanye West and Jay-Z on their 2011 “Watch the Throne” tour.
The performance put on by the duo in Dallas was obviously tailored with an arena in mind. The stage itself was split into two parts, with the main part (featuring two massive screens and multiple tiers) on one side of the American Airlines Center and the smaller part (consisting of a small cube-like stage) on the opposite side. The dual stages were utilized in the performance from the very outset, as Kanye West and Jay-Z appeared across the arena from each other and began their first song together. The rappers would often cycle stages: they’d both be on the main stage for a few songs, then one would leave only to later appear on the stage opposite it, giving the remaining rapper some time to perform his solo hits alone on the main stage.
The theme of symmetry carried throughout the show and was especially apparent when the stages the rappers stood on began to rise in tandem. It was quite a spectacle to behold, although it was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of shock and awe offered by the stage show. The lasers and lights used by Jay-Z and Kanye’s crew were incredibly detailed. Although computers ran the majority of the lightshow, there were four roadies seated in spotlight “pods” dangling high above the stage that did some of the light work manually, which gave the performance the ability to flow a bit more freely.
In terms of music, the concert did not disappoint. The set list was a marathon, coming in at 41 songs long (including encores). Although Kanye West and Jay-Z performed several songs off of their new album “Watch the Throne” (the tour’s namesake), they mainly stuck to their individual hits. Nearly every single song performed by the duo was well known to the audience, which allowed for plenty of singing along and jamming out. When an artist has been popular long enough to fill an entire 3 hour concert with their own hits, it’s quite a feat to behold. The music, unfortunately, fell a bit short of a surreal experience due to the only problem I had with the performance.
My main problem with the show, unsurprisingly, was that the duo (particularly Kanye West) came across as prima donnas. This was, at some points, even written into the performance. For instance, during Kanye’s performance of “All of the Lights,” he stopped the song four times to make the light crew “turn on more lights.” Although entertaining the first time, the next three were honestly just a bit annoying. In my opinion, the song’s biggest draw is the intro keyboard hook, which Kanye’s wont to stop the track effectively ruined. It also didn’t help that the show started almost two hours late for unknown reasons, making an already marathon performance into an even longer one.
All in all, though, things like this are unfortunately to be expected with pop culture icons. In the scheme of things, it is merely a minor discrepancy next to the massive spectacle that was the entire performance. It was certainly one of the most impressive stage shows I’d ever seen and was worth attending in almost every regard. The 2011 Watch the Throne tour has established the dominance of Kanye West and Jay-Z over hip hop once again.
