Jay Z & Kanye West (Watch The Throne) - MEN Arena, Manchester - 11th June 2012 (Live Review)
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Wednesday, 20 June 2012 |
Written by Jaspreet Kaur Takhi
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I have to admit when I purchased tickets to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘Watch the Throne’ concert in Manchester I felt a mix of both excitement and scepticism. I am an ardent fan of both rappers and have seen them both individually on three separate occasions. Their lyrics are intelligent, their melodies are infectious and they have seduced a whole generation of hip-hop lovers with their tales of rags to riches. However, the concept of the of the two of them performing together on the same stage presented, to me, an opportunity for them to exhibit their own unique brand of self gratifying narcissism that pervades across their music and that waiting for me was a titanic clash of egos of two of hip-hop’s biggest stars that would have no rapport together on stage. I doubted that the camaraderie and magic created in the studio when recording ‘Watch the Throne’ would not be possible to recreate on stage...how wrong I was.
 Everything about the show was nothing less than mind-blowing. From the enormous luminous cubes that were erected at the front and back of the stage to the lasers and moving graphics of panthers, lions and wolves that formed a backdrop syncing with the pace of the rapping.
What struck me initially was the sheer professionalism both West and Jay-Z. Ok, I suppose this would be expected at the cost of £55 a ticket, but being a regular gig-goer I have seen artists just as popular who have kept fans waiting by thrusting mediocre support acts on stage followed by a further tedious wait resulting in a lethargic and anti-climatic performance that leaves you wanting to report these offenders to the musical equivalent of trading standards! West and Jay-Z proved why they are amongst the upper echelon of the hip-hop hierarchy and a force to be reckoned with. With efficiency that would make the Germans take note they belted out hits from their collaborative album, opening with ‘H.A.M’, followed by alternate solo sets showcasing their greatest hits from their solo catalogues. Tracks from their highly politically-charged album that oozes with the celebration of black power were peppered across the set and formed the glue that bound the two together. Dripping with gold (and sweat) Jay-Z stole the show and although Kanye’s performance was exemplary, overall it was the veteran who stole the show and showed West how it was done. By the end of the two and half hour set I felt as though I had actually underpaid for my ticket! Their biggest hit from ‘Watch the Throne’, ‘N***as in Paris’, closed the show, no less than FOUR times. By the fourth performance I had secretly become tired of the repetition, but I think I was the only one in the room that thought this as it went down a storm, with the standing crowd in particular. Only the King and his co-ruler could be confident enough to perform the same song over and over again and not only did they get away with it but they blew the roof off the arena in the process.
Jay-Z and Kanye West put on a stellar performance and showed a charming ‘bromance’ that put smiles on the faces of the spectators in awe and admiration. Overall there would be only one expression to justify how amazing this show was; “that s**t CRAY!”
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