Inside Ye’s first comeback show at SoFi Stadium

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Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, performed at a packed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on the first night of Passover. This appearance came despite past controversial statements, including a tweet where he threatened action against Jewish people.

Wednesday’s concert by Ye—the first of two shows this week at the large NFL stadium—followed his recent apology for past antisemitic remarks. He explained his behavior by citing injuries from a car accident in 2002.

Interestingly, this performance followed the release of Ye’s new album, “Bully,” just last week. Industry publication Hits forecasts that “Bully” will debut at number two on the album charts, only behind the newest release from BTS.

Essentially, Kanye West is attempting to revive his career, and the enthusiastic response he received at SoFi Stadium suggests he could succeed.

Ye’s concert on Wednesday marked his first complete live show in Los Angeles since performing at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2021. The two-hour performance included appearances by Don Toliver and Ye’s daughter, North, who is twelve years old.

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The 83-year-old rock legend did his latest underplay at L.A.’s Fonda Theatre on Friday night.

The rapper performed on a huge dome built on the stadium floor. Throughout most of the show, images of a spinning globe were projected onto the dome, creating the illusion that he was standing on top of the world.

Near the beginning of his performance, Kanye West requested his team slow down the rotation of the Earth, and surprisingly, they managed to create that effect.

Ye began his performance with several songs from his album “Bully,” using what appeared to be pre-recorded backing music. The album aims to blend the soulful, sample-rich style of his earlier music with the darker, more electronic sound found in recent releases like “Donda” and the “Vultures” albums he made with Ty Dolla Sign.

Following a longer performance of his new song, “All the Love,” Kanye played a selection of his classic hits, including favorites like “Father, Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” “Mercy,” “Black Skinhead,” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” During “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” he briefly paused the song and asked the sound team to turn down the music during the lyrics about financial success, wanting to hear the audience sing along with him.

He also produced their 2011 hit song—the one with the controversial title—which highlighted the fact that both he and Jay-Z were attempting to revive their careers. Jay-Z seemed to be enjoying a successful return after a period of relative inactivity, while Ye was trying to rebuild his reputation after facing significant challenges.

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The pop singer, age 34, explained that this is the first album he feels truly represents his musical style and vision.

Ye also performed well-known songs like “Bound 2” and “Heartless,” two of his most moving tracks. However, heavy smoke throughout the stadium created a barrier between him and the audience, making it difficult to feel connected to his performance as he paced the stage.

The concert featured performances by Don Toliver, who played “Moon” and “E85,” followed by a repeat of some songs from Kanye’s “Bully” album. North West then joined the show to perform “Talking” and “Piercing on My Hand.” Kanye and Ty Dolla Sign performed their song “Everybody,” which includes a sample from the Backstreet Boys’ hit, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

He ended the show with a high-energy performance of his biggest songs, including “All Falls Down,” “Jesus Walks,” “Through the Wire,” and “Good Life.” He playfully restarted “Good Life” a few times, joking that the stage lighting wasn’t up to par.

He asked if this was a joke, like something from ‘Saturday Night Live,’ because no one seemed to be making the changes he wanted.

The concert finished with a spectacular performance of “All of the Lights,” complete with a massive pyrotechnic display, and “Runaway,” his famously cautionary 2010 song about the dangers of falling in love with him.

“Run away fast as you can,” he sang, and the crowd roared right along.

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2026-04-02 11:31