The Yeezus Tour
World tour by Kanye West
Associated albumYeezus
Start dateOctober 19, 2013 (2013-10-19)
End dateSeptember 15, 2014 (2014-09-15)
Legs3
No. of shows45
Kanye West concert chronology

The Yeezus Tour was the fourth concert tour by American rapper Kanye West, in support of West's sixth solo studio album, Yeezus (2013).[1] The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis Scott, and Pusha T served as opening acts on select dates. It had the second highest grossing leg of a tour in 2013, behind Paul McCartney's Out There! Tour.[2] It was the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of 2013, at $31.8 million from 33 shows.[3]

Background

After the release of Yeezus on June 18, 2013, rumors began circulating that West would embark on a solo tour. Co-producer of the album Mike Dean reported that there would be a tour for the album and that he would be a backing producer for the show.[4] On September 6, 2013, West tweeted the word "TOUR" along with the promotional picture of the tour. All of the dates for the opening tour performances (all of which were in North America) became available via his official website.[5]

Kendrick Lamar served as a supporting act through the majority of the tour, with "special guests" replacing him on the dates he missed. At the October 25, 2013 show, GOOD Music signee Pusha T served as the opening act.[6] On October 15, 2013, it was revealed that two of the four New York shows would feature A Tribe Called Quest as supporting acts instead of Lamar.[7] These concerts were stated to be A Tribe Called Quest's final performances ever, which ultimately proved untrue as they reunited two years later.[8]

Stage and equipment

West performing as part of the tour, with LED screen and mountain visible in background.

West said that the initial idea of The Yeezus Tour came from him thinking about the end of the world, which influenced explosions, fire, mountains, masked beings and Christian symbolism as prominent imagery during the show. Fashion was an important element of the tour's visual identity. Family New York, Vanessa Beecroft, Es Devlin and John McGuire created the scenography. The stage used during the tour heavily resembled a fashion catwalk.[9] Maison Martin Margiela and West worked together to create fashion pieces and outfits for the tour. Another influence for the stage setup, according to West, came from the 1973 film The Holy Mountain, a "biblical redemption story". This can be seen with one of the stages main features; a 50-foot high mountain, called Mount Yeezus by some,[9][10][11] that could change its appearance into that of a volcano. The foot of the mountain then lead to a secondary stage that elevated up to the pointed main stage, which was also motorized. Above the mountain, a 60-foot wide circular LED screen was placed along with a custom sound system by DONDA.[9]

The performances were separated into five parts, Fighting, Rising, Falling, Searching and Finding. The division serves to frame it in a theme of redemption. All performances featured 12 female dancers.


On October 30, 2013 while on the road to Vancouver, a truck carrying custom-made video screens and equipment for the show was involved in a car crash; the crash damaged the equipment beyond repair. Def Jam issued a statement on the issue saying,

"This gear is central to the staging of The Yeezus Tour, and central to the creative vision put forth by Kanye West and his design team at DONDA. As a result of this event, it is impossible to put on the show and The Yeezus Tour will be postponed until these essential pieces can be reengineered and refabricated. Kanye West will not compromise on bringing the show, as it was originally envisioned and designed, to his fans. The Vancouver, Denver and Minneapolis dates have been postponed."[12]

West lying on the triangular main stage accompanied by dancers; all shown on a circular LED screen above Mount Yeezus.

The tour picked back up on November 16, 2013, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The missed Chicago and Detroit shows were rescheduled however, the rest of the missed dates were cancelled, Def Jam cites routing logistics as the reason.[13] On January 7, 2014 Kanye West added 9 new dates to the tour, starting on February 13 in University Park, Pennsylvania and concluding on February 23 at Uniondale, New York.[14]

In February 2014, dates were announced for an Australian leg of the Yeezus Tour, beginning May 2 at Perth Arena.[15] However, in early April West postponed his Australian leg until September, using the months in-between to work on his seventh studio album, which later became The Life of Pablo.[16] The performances in Australia had a significantly more minimal visual production, compared to the previous shows.

Reception

The tour was met with rave reviews from critics.[17][18] Rolling Stone described it as "crazily entertaining, hugely ambitious, emotionally affecting (really!) and, most importantly, totally bonkers."[17] Writing for Forbes, Zack O'Malley Greenburg praised West for "taking risks that few pop stars, if any, are willing to take in today's hyper-exposed world of pop", describing the show as "overwrought and uncomfortable at times, but [it] excels at challenging norms and provoking thought in a way that just isn’t common for mainstream musical acts of late."[19] NY Daily News wrote that "the show wasn’t about crowd-pleasing. It was about unyielding beats, hellish textures and a brusque flow, all delivered with an impact every bit as stunning as West's ego itself."[20] In 2019, Vivid Seats named it the 68th greatest tour of all time.[21]

Set list

The tour told a story of redemption through 5 stages. West performed every track from Yeezus, along with some songs from his previous records.[22]

Fighting

  1. "On Sight"
  2. "New Slaves"
  3. "Send It Up"
  4. "Mercy"

Rising

  1. "Power"
  2. "Cold"
  3. "I Don't Like"
  4. "Clique"
  5. "Black Skinhead"
  6. "I Am a God"
  7. "Can't Tell Me Nothing (Remix)"
  8. "Coldest Winter"

Falling

  1. "Hold My Liquor"
  2. "I'm In It"
  3. "Guilt Trip"
  4. "Heartless"
  5. "Blood on the Leaves"

Searching

  1. "Lost in the World"
  2. "Runaway"
  3. "Street Lights"

Finding

  1. "Stronger"
  2. "Through the Wire"
  3. "Jesus Walks"
  4. "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"
  5. "Flashing Lights"
  6. "All of the Lights"
  7. "Good Life"
  8. "Bound 2"

The tour featured the unreleased track - "I Am Not Home", which was used as an opener for the sets, along with part of Mozart’s Lacrimosa.

Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening act, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Opening act Attendance Revenue
North America[23][24][25]
October 19, 2013 Seattle United States KeyArena Kendrick Lamar — —
October 22, 2013 San Jose SAP Center Kendrick Lamar
E-40		 10,557 / 10,557 $670,603
October 23, 2013 Oakland Oracle Arena Kendrick Lamar — —
October 25, 2013 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena Pusha T
Travis Scott		 10,183 / 10,183 $748,055
October 26, 2013 Los Angeles Staples Center Kendrick Lamar 28,332 / 28,332 $2,875,505
October 28, 2013
November 16, 2013 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center — —
November 17, 2013 Boston TD Garden
November 19, 2013 Brooklyn Barclays Center 25,062 / 25,062 $2,349,202
November 20, 2013 A Tribe Called Quest
Busta Rhymes
November 21, 2013 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center Kendrick Lamar — —
November 23, 2013 New York City Madison Square Garden
November 24, 2013 A Tribe Called Quest
November 27, 2013 Nashville Bridgestone Arena Kendrick Lamar
November 29, 2013 Miami American Airlines Arena
November 30, 2013 Tampa Tampa Bay Times Forum
December 1, 2013 Atlanta Philips Arena
December 3, 2013 Kansas City Sprint Center
December 5, 2013 New Orleans New Orleans Arena
December 6, 2013 Dallas American Airlines Center
December 7, 2013 Houston Toyota Center
December 8, 2013 San Antonio AT&T Center
December 10, 2013 Phoenix US Airways Center
December 13, 2013 Anaheim Honda Center 12,503 / 12,503 $940,846
December 17, 2013 Chicago United Center 30,010 / 30,010 $2,687,476
December 18, 2013
December 19, 2013 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills 11,228 / 11,228 $832,947
December 22, 2013 Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre — N/A
December 23, 2013
February 13, 2014 University Park United States Bryce Jordan Center —
February 14, 2014 Baltimore 1st Mariner Arena
February 15, 2014 Newark Prudential Center
February 17, 2014 Montreal Canada Bell Centre 6,173 / 7,437 $504,130
February 18, 2014 Hamilton Copps Coliseum — —
February 19, 2014 Albany United States Times Union Center
February 21, 2014 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
February 22, 2014 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall 7,789 / 10,018 $507,157
February 23, 2014 Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum — —
Australia[16][26][27]
September 5, 2014 Perth Australia Perth Arena Pusha T 12,902 / 12,902 $1,421,860
September 7, 2014 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre — —
September 9, 2014 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena 22,635 / 22,635 $2,557,370
September 10, 2014
September 12, 2014 Sydney Qantas Credit Union Arena 22,159 / 22,159 $2,426,320
September 13, 2014
September 15, 2014 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre — —

Members

The following individuals were involved with the production:

Film

In February 2014, West uploaded a trailer of a film connected with the tour to his website.[39] In October 2023, Hype Williams in a interview with Complex explained why the film was never released:

So we decided we're gonna do a partnership. His job was to clear everything and then get it a distributor. My job was to shoot it. So we went and shot it. And it's based on the tour. We shot in two cities, Chicago and Toronto. And then a dress rehearsal where we were allowed to film the entirety of the concert, but with no people in the stadium. So I was literally able to shoot the details and close-ups of every costume and of every part of the show as if it was a video. I had free rein to do it, and we filmed all these things and it kind of got lost in what he was meant to do in terms of the agreement. I had to deliver the film, and he had to deliver some things that fell by the wayside. So by the time we got together, he already did The Life of Pablo. And he was like, “Yo, let’s just make this part of Life of Pablo.” So then we went and shot an additional bunch of stuff, which was the “Highlights” video. We shot a “Waves” video. We shot in Scotland. All over Iceland.


Scooter Braun and I spent six months with IMAX to release it, and when it came to the signing of it, that’s exactly when all that shit happened with Kim in Paris, and he got lost in himself and the whole thing fell to the wayside again. So no one, even Kanye, has seen Yeezus. We shot it in 2014 by the way. This is like us having like The Rolling Stones concert or some shit, or like The Beatles’ A Hard Day's Night. Like, that’s the level of movie Yeezus is, and no one has even seen it. So it may come back in a big way because that Kanye doesn’t exist anymore. So it’s historic. And by the way, it's flawless. Like, this Yeezus movie is mind-blowing like. It’s like some Pink Floyd shit. I'm lucky he allowed me to just do it. Me, him, and Drake was onstage together in Toronto for that show. It was 2014. So it'll come up in some capacity, but now it's really rock ‘n’ roll history.[40]

References

  1. ↑ Amaya, David (September 6, 2013). "Kanye West announces the "Yeezus" Tour and dates". Def Jam Recordings. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ "McCartney Tops Hot Tours With $40M Gross From Japan Shows; Kanye Lands in Runner-Up Slot at $25M". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "2013 Top 100 Worldwide Tour" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Michaels, Sean (June 19, 2013). "Kanye West will go on tour, says Yeezus co-producer". The Guardian. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Yeezus". Kanye West. September 6, 2013. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Q-Tip Hints A Tribe Called Quest Will Play Their Last Shows On Kanye Tour – XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  7. ↑ "A Tribe Called Quest Is Set To Reunite For Kanye West's Tour – XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  8. ↑ "A Tribe Called Quest Last Show NYC Yeezus". Complex. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  9. 1 2 3 "INTERIORS: The Yeezus Tour". Arch Daily. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Kamer, Foster. "Live Review: Kanye West as Yeezus Christ Superstar in Brooklyn". Complex. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "A Night on Mount Yeezus: The Kanye West Experience". Dead Curious. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Kanye West Cancels Tour Dates Because Of Truck Crash – XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  13. ↑ "Kanye West Announces Revised Tour Schedule – XXL". Xxlmag.com. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  14. ↑ "Kanye's 'Yeezus' Tour Rises Again". Rolling Stone. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Vincent, Peter (16 February 2014). "Kanye West brings Yeezus tour to Australia". Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  16. 1 2 Vincent, Peter (April 2014). "Kanye West postpones Australian concerts on Yeezus tour". Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  17. 1 2 Ringen, Jonathan (22 November 2013). "11 Reasons Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Tour Is Actually Incredible". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  18. ↑ Staff (15 February 2014). "It's Happening: Kanye is Bringing the Yeezus Tour to Australia this April". Acclaim Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  19. ↑ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. "Kanye West Makes His Own Artpop On Yeezus Tour". Forbes. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  20. ↑ Farber, Jim (20 November 2013). "Concert review: Kanye West startles, appalls during 'Yeezus' show at Barclays". NY Daily News. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  21. ↑ "The Top 100 Greatest Tours of All Time". Vivid Seats. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  22. ↑ Jim Farber (November 20, 2013). "Concert review: Kanye West startles, appalls during 'Yeezus' show at Barclays". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  23. ↑ North American box score:
  24. ↑ Young, Alex (September 23, 2013). "Kanye West adds even more dates to 2013 Yeezus tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  25. ↑ Special guests:
  26. ↑ Vincent, Peter (February 17, 2014). "Kanye West brings Yeezus tour to Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  27. ↑ Box score:
  28. ↑ Rys, Dan (November 11, 2016). "Russell Simmons' All Def Digital Announces Partnership With Che Pope From Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  29. ↑ West, Kanye (April 20, 2015). "Kanye West: In His Own Words". PAPER. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  30. ↑ Saponara, Michael (August 29, 2018). "6 Things We Learned From Kanye West's Chicago Radio Interview". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  31. ↑ Penrose, Nerisha (September 28, 2016). "Kanye West Collaborator Elon Rutberg Talks Yeezus Tour Narrative Inspiration". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  32. ↑ Woolf, Jake (November 15, 2013). "Meet Ibn Jasper, Kanye West's Barber Of 19 Years". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  33. ↑ William Cowen, Trace (March 4, 2019). "Virgil Abloh Reflects on DONDA, Off-White, and Been Trill Legacies in Revealing Interview". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  34. ↑ Brooks, Dave (March 28, 2018). "Kanye West Splits With Longtime Manager Izzy Zivkovic: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  35. ↑ Leach, Alec (April 19, 2017). "Ex-DONDA and Been Trill Designer Matthew Williams Speaks on Alyx Studio". Highsnobiety. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Cruel Summer (2012) - Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  37. ↑ Danforth, Chris (June 30, 2015). "The Kanye Touch: 10 of the Best DONDA Consulting Projects". Highsnobiety. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  38. ↑ Bray, Arthur (May 5, 2017). "Justin Saunders on JJJJound's Vans Collaboration & His Internet Moodboard". Hypebeast. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Kanye West Yeezus Tour Film Coming to Theaters, Watch Trailer". Pitchfork. 27 February 2014.
  40. ↑ "How Hype Williams Became Hip-Hop's Most Important Image Maker". Complex. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.
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