Putting on a show! Kanye West held his second large-scale listening event for his upcoming album, Donda, on Thursday, and made the most of his time in the spotlight.
At West’s first listening party/launch event, held on July 22, a number of fans said the artist essentially just vibed to his own music in the middle of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, in front of a sold-out crowd of thousands.
Two weeks later — after having not actually released the album and then reportedly living at the stadium in a small room the whole time — West decided this second listening event should include more theatrics.
This time around, West’s set-up in the middle of the enormous stadium included a small mattress with a blanket. During the event — which was not a concert, but featured his recorded album playing over the loudspeakers — West made a lot of use of his bed, blanket and spartan accommodations.
As documented by fans, West spent his time during the event doing push-ups, dancing around to his music, and even making some phone calls. At one point he was surrounded by a large group of people as he paced around.
Fans also noted that West’ attire was notably different. Instead of the red jacket and beige mask, West wore all black, including a black vest with “DONDA” written on it, and a black mask.
During the event, West sat down, pulled the blanket over his shoulders, and then ran around with the blanket draped over himself. At one point, reportedly during track 15, West laid down and took a nap on his small bed.
The highlight of the big event came at the end, when West pulled off a feat that surprised many in the stadium and watching on the live-stream: he levitated.
The artist was raised into the air on wires in a dramatically-lit moment of true theatricality that left many fans impressed.
