Kanye West’s ‘Saint Pablo Tour’ Floats Over Fans at The Forum

Joseph Baura

Throughout Kanye West’s “Saint Pablo Tour,” word about the spectacle has been spreading through social media. From the floating stage design to Kanye’s rants about Kid Cudi and Jay-Z, each night fans made their way into jam packed stadiums expecting – and getting – an over-the-top show.  With the release of his album, “The Life of Pablo,” earlier in the year, Kanye easily added another solid album to his career while also providing a platform for artists such as Chance the Rapper to take their places as his protégés. Amid his ultra-celebrity exploits, including the recent robbery of Kim Kardashian’s jewelry in Paris (which forced the cancellation of a few tour dates), and beef with Taylor Swift over the lyrics in “Famous,” this year has been a high point for the rap star.  

With a floating stage slowly lowered over the frenzied crowd in the general admission section of the concert floor, Kanye opened up the third night of his stay at The Forum with his track “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” which drew chants from the crowd of his famous adlib, “If Young Metro, don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you!” Kanye continued chronologically through “The Life of Pablo” by then going into “Pt. 2” and “Famous.” On the latter, he asked his DJ, Mike Dean to repeat so that he could emphasize the lyrics referencing Taylor Swift.

The elaborate stage design of Kanye’s floating platform is remarkable. While simple in its look, the sight of the stage float around the massive venue was extraordinary, and made every seat in the house worth the high ticket prices.

With each of Kanye’s album having number one hits, it was easy for fans to find their favorite song in the boisterous 32-song set list. One of the loudest moments of the night was when Kanye performed his hit single, “All of the Lights” and encouraged to crowd to keep jumping until the song ended, as the fans obliged by leaping and singing along. An intimate moment occurred when Kanye knelt down over the crowd and sang his single, “Only One,” which was written from the perspective of his late mother, Donda West. In another personal moment, Kanye dedicated a video tribute of the Kardashians to his wife, Kim for her recent birthday.

In signature Kanye fashion, he ended his show with a climactic visual display as he performed “Fade” and then closed with the intro to “The Life of Pablo,” “Ultralight Beam.”

When a fan attends a Kanye West concert, they are in expectation of witnessing outstanding visuals and hearing a bit of braggadocio. This is what makes Kanye West concerts so entertaining and what made this particular night so memorable.

Kanye West brought his “Saint Pablo Tour” to Los Angeles’ The Forum on Oct. 25-27, with two more L.A. dates left on Nov. 1-2.