Kanye West got back in the saddle this weekend, flying to Paris for a scheduled performance. But then he kind of fell off the saddle when he had a crying breakdown after trying to dedicate a song to his mother. And then, in true “Stronger” form, he got back on, and, according to an audience member, made concert magic.
“He said the word, ‘Mother’ and just couldn’t go any further,” Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire said. “A back-up singer, the DJ and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn’t continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying while the band continued playing.”
After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire says, the audience of 5,000 reacted by offering calls of encouragement, which grew into applause. The band restarted the song, but West left the stage, returning after 10-15 minutes to conclude the concert with a rousing performance of “Stronger.”
“He was very nervous, seemed to have gathered himself up, and had a lot of energy,” Magloire says. “He kept shouting out to the audience, ‘I need you… I need you right now.’ and the public was screaming back. It was magic.”
I wasn’t expecting him to get back into performing so quickly, but it’s obviously pretty cathartic for him.
all i can say is ‘wow’. this brings tears to my eyes. blessings to kanye.
::tear::
“He kept shouting out to the audience, ‘I need you… I need you right now.’ and the public was screaming back.
that gave me chills.
The loss of a mother is the most heartbreaking thing a person can go through. When I saw this footage I wanted to give him a big, long hug and tell him that this to shall pass. He stood there for so long just crying. It’s rare that you see that side of anyone. I think everyone should call their mothers today and say I love you. Seriously.
I recently lost my mother (4 months ago).
That pain is all too real and horrible.
Yep…he needs a long hug.. no words, just a major hug.
Lola - I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you are holding up well?
Can’t even imagine how horrible this is. I’m just now coming to the realization that my nan and pa will eventually die though I’m still in deep denial. I can’t even imagine how horrible it would be to lose a parent.
Even in his grief, he has to have his ego stroked.
ego stroked? i’m sorry, solitaire, but i have to disagree. i’ve lost a parent, so i know that pain. and it seems to me that in his grief kanye was crying out for comfort. i don’t see anything egotistical in that.
Everyone loses a parent at some point, and it’s always painful. We all go through it, or certainly will at some point. That’s called life.
Most of us don’t have the luxury of taking the stage to seek “comfort” in the arms of thousands of screaming anonymous fans to make us feel better.
Screaming “I need you right now” speaks voulumes about his tackiness, and EGO.
solitaire i have to disagree. he’s a popular performer…he’s supposed to play to crowds and forge a relationship with them, it increases his popularity. why wouldn’t he continue to use that relationship to his benefit at this time? of course he would want to feed off of the crowd’s energy and support. wouldn’t you? maybe you’d reply that you’d just not be in concert quite so soon after the death….and if so that’s a valid point perhaps…but to say that everyoone loses a parent and that’s life and he shoudln’t engage the crowd in that manner is a horrible point, in my opinion. and to call it tacky is likewise ridiculous. who are you to say that?
also, are you forgetting that those are the actual lyrics to the song? he really didn’t go that far out of his way there, i’m sure it had more meaning when he said it, but he didn’t change the words.
“why wouldn’t he continue to use that relationship to his benefit at this time?”
Because it’s tacky, but you obviously disagree.
“of course he would want to feed off of the crowd’s energy and support. wouldn’t you?”
No, i’d mourn my loss is private, like a normal human being.
“also, are you forgetting that those are the actual lyrics to the song?”
Of course not. That’s what made the whole display even more tasteless.
I stand by my opinion.
“I need your right now” - words to Stronger
WTF are y’all whining about? Everyone’s always got something to say about how someone’s grieving. If they’re not at home screaming, curled in the fetal position or throwing themselves into the grave, it’s not enough. People grieve differently. I recently lost an aunt. Almost 3 months later, I’m just starting to really get it. It was surreal before and I wasn’t even upset. Randomly last week, it hit me. There’s no one way to go about things. We all have our own way of grieving and coping.