Don't Act Like I Never Told Ya

Kanye West really knows how to put on a show. He may not be the best rapper out there (Hova?), but he is by far one of the best entertainers.

The night started off simply enough with Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., and Rihanna. They were okay. Not particularly amazing, but definitely not a bad way to start the night. Of note: Rihanna performed an M.I.A. cover. And of course, who can resist the pop hooks in "Umbrella" (ella, ella, ella)? But Kanye... well, Kanye stole the show. It was more of a theatrical production than a concert. Or, maybe it was something along the lines of "Movin' Out" or "Mamma Mia!"

The story is that there's no more creativity on Earth, so Kanye has to travel into the depths of outer space to try to find some. His spaceship is guided by a female-version of HAL (her name was Jane) and to be honest, I was kind of hoping that she'd go crazy and take over the spaceship. That didn't happen, but his ship did crash land on an alien planet. The orb-like aliens tried to help him, but unfortunately couldn't muster up enough star-power to get him back home. And then, just when things were looking bleak and Kanye would have to spend the rest of his life wasting away on the fringes of the universe, "Don't Stop Believing" (yes, the Journey song) starts pumping through the speakers. As one of my friends put it, "He clearly knows his demographic."

That was apparently enough for him to pull it together and to realize that yes, he, Kanye West, was actually the brightest star in the universe and that was all he needed to get home. Like Dorothy, he always had the power to get back home within him. The night ends with him triumphantly back on Earth, and he closes with his duet with Lupe Fiasco.