Kanye West Angers: Bonnaroo Audience Chants "Kanye Sucks"

MANCHESTER, Tenn. — Kanye West's late night performance at Bonnaroo was delayed nearly two hours, angering the festival crowd who responded by chanting "Kanye sucks" and pelting the empty stage with glow sticks.

West had been scheduled to take the main stage at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival at 2:45 a.m. Sunday morning. While the sleepy thousands in the audience waited, a message on the jumbotrons told them West's show would be delayed until 3:15 a.m., and when that didn't happen, that he would start at 3:30. West didn't hit the stage until 4:25 a.m.

The delay was caused by problems setting up West's elaborate stage set, which included an interplanetary landscape of a wavy black platform with a slanted floor in the middle and a video screen above. West performed a spectacular galactic-themed concert complete with interaction with his spaceship, a disembodied female voice named Jane (a kind of sexier HAL).

Ken Weinstein, a spokesman for the annual festival held on a 700-acre site south of Nashville, said the delay was simply a matter of unloading the Pearl Jam stage (the band went an hour past its scheduled end time, playing until about 1:15 a.m.) and loading the West stage.

The festival, which boasted more than 150 acts spread out over four days, was otherwise very punctual. The West delay was all the worse because of its already very late schedule, and many campers lost energy before the concert and returned to their sleeping bags. Midway through his performance, the morning light showed that the crowd had dwindled substantially.

West had originally been slated to perform at 8:15 p.m. Saturday night, but requested a late night performance. At least in the first hour of his performance, West didn't address the crowd regarding the delay.

Later Sunday, the Bonnaroo crowd was still upset. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph criticized West for disappointing his fans. His comments inspired a "Kanye sucks" chant.

A spokesperson for West didn't immediately return a request for comment.

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On the Net:

http://www.bonnaroo.com

Comments

[jaybone23]

I will never understand his popularity anyway. Hip-hop is just such CRAP anymore. It's all the same. It hasn't evolved AT ALL over the last several years. It was good to see the gradual demise of Gangsta rap, but Kanye's stuff, despite the media hype and white-guilt music critic raving, is mediocre at best. And live hip-hop just doesn't work. I've never seen a hip-hop show that was more exciting than hearing a good song in a club with a great sound system. Blahhh, I say. Kanye does indeed suck!

[Big0725]

n

[pizzmoe]

Just curious. What are the odds Kanye issues an apology?

[pizzmoe]

I was there, and although it would have been nice for the promoters to come out and give the crowd some info from time to time, there is no excuse for the lateness, especially when it is after 4 in the AM and people are fed up. I stayed for about 3/4 of the show. If he had started on time, I think people would have enjoyed the show, but to show up that late made people really upset and for good reason. The festival isnt about Kanye, it's about great music, but as usual, he made it about him. Too bad.

[barackobama4prez]

who the hell waits that long that early in the morning for a concert to begin??

[observing]

man, I'm old. no one would ever be worth waiting into the wee hours of the morning for.

[IQ]

There has always been a generational and cultural divide when it comes to the dominant popular or underground music of the day.

With that said I can understand everyone does not like Mr. West. That is understandable.
But let us not forget that it was KANYE WEST that took a stand on National Television and spoke openly and directly to the most powerful Man/Office in the world about his and his administrations incompetence during the catastrophe that was Katrina. Was he right in his accusation against George Bush? That is between George Bush, his conscience and God. But one thing is for sure when most were standing in the darkness and cursing at ghosts, Mr West was brave enough to point out that The American Emporer was naked as a Jay Bird!!!!
.........Now we all see

[LapisLazuli]

Um, first of all, I was there and I totally DISAGREE with the HuffPost decision to post this hack-job AP story. I read this story on the AP last night and was floored by the press release ring of it. No, it wasn't a "spectacular galactic-themed concert complete with interaction with his spaceship, a disembodied female voice named Jane (a kind of sexier HAL)" and in fact, the spaceship voice was about the lamest thing I've ever witnessed. What a juvenile. If you were there, you would have laughed. I did, and no, I wasn't on drugs. I'm a serious music fan and journalist, so I was there to see what he would do.

What a complete disappointment. Anyone who says this guy is worth his salt as a person or musician is only saying that because they heard it somewhere. This display of childishness should push him off the musical map for a long while if there is any justice. What a lame-o! The show was pathetic, truly it was. I was there!

[StephenJK]

Musicians careers are not defined by one live performance. If that were the case we wouldn't have many musicians.

[peachesmahoney]

This is not a surprise. He was late at Coachella too and he didn't even have a stage to set up. The performance was terrible but at least I got to see a drunk girl slip in a puddle of her own vomit which was more entertaining than West's 20 minute set.

[krayyy]

jeer the guy because the stage guys messed up? very rich.

and you who complain about kanye being a no talent, do nba players make too much money too? bottom line, kanye is winning, you aren't.

[sanywhere]

i don't care how much the guy makes, more power to him. i still think he can't rap. he is a good producer, that is about it. he will never be jay.

[StephenJK]

And jay Z will never be an eminem. I never thought Jay-Z spit was something special. Yeah he has a smooth flow. Big deal. He didn't redefine anything. He's a smart guy who CAN rap. Eminem redefined the rap game with his spit. And still no one has come along even CLOSE to Em.

[polyesterpants]

They should have just let pearl jam keep playing.

[taketheother]

best comment and i agree wholeheartedly

[krayyy]

ewwww

[Eric8869]

Kanye left the venue rich as hell and the people chanting "you suck" went back to their menial jobs. I'm not feeling sorry for him or them.

[sanywhere]

because having money makes every think ok? stupid remark.

[AgentMacGyver]

Where in the article did it imply Kanye was the victim here? And why not go on at 8:15 PM anyway if you're one of the biggest acts around?

[gloriar8]

He's still grieving over his mom. Having been as close as they were, his only hope is that he will learn to live with her death because he will never get over it. I know. Give him a break. But I do think he needs a nice long break because he hasn't done that since her death. Grieving mugh seem sappy, but it is absolutely imperative to good mental health.

[dattexas]

...or maybe he's just arrogant.

[Tblack]

Ding!

[phantom5551]

oh please...this is nothing new - long before his mother died he was acting like an arrogant, spoiled diva.

[LapisLazuli]

You're an idiot. Really. 5 AM. That's how long he kept people waiting, all because he didn't want to play at the same time as any other band - what a freaking baby!!!!!!! I'll never listen to his crap-rap again. He's a loser, and his performance was so unbelievable juvenile and simple, pretty much no creativity or thought to it whatsoever.

[queensboro]

funny, the world loves critics

[OhComeOnNow]

What, it took THIS long for people to figure that out???