Kanye West and Rihanna illuminate Key Arena

Kanye West and Rihanna illuminate Key Arena

by Richard Kennedy - SGN A&E Writer Kanye West / Rihanna April 16 Key Arena It's a rare and exciting occasion when a superstar tour opens in Seattle, so it's no surprise that Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour" featuring Rihanna practically filled Key Arena to capacity. The energy was explosive throughout the entire evening for the mostly 20-something crowd. I expected a larger collection of Gay fans, since both West and Rihanna are two of the biggest pop stars today. The few that were there got lost in the huge crowd of college-aged hip-hop devotees. Rihanna opened the show at the top of a staircase, with a brightly flashing "R" above her. Two small cages rested at the bottom of the steps with dancers in black body suits and neon gloves that moved around their bodies in contrast to the black. The pop beauty descended in her black mini with neon accents, playing off of the "glow" theme. "Break it Off" had everyone on their feet dancing while she gyrated all over the stage in sync with her dancers. By the time she got to one of her newer songs, "Rehab," Rihanna stood with only her back up singers - completely commanding the arena with her vocals. She's a powerhouse at such a young age. It wasn't even necessary for her to rely on dancers and lighting when someone as gorgeous as her can belt with such ease. Much of the dancing was common and there was really nothing new or innovative. "S.O.S." was impressive with gigantic, glowing speakers that the dancers shot lasers off of as the Barbadian pop princess re-entered after a costume change, this time in a black jumper, high heeled boots and of course, yellow neon accents. The crowd sang along to "Hate to Say I Love You," filling in for the missing Ne-Yo, and then frenetically waved their glow sticks to "Don't Stop the Music," keeping their energy high. She thanked everyone, noting it was "an honor to start the tour in Seattle" and then introduced what she said was a very special song to her. The first few lines of "Umbrella" were sung a capella and then exploded with the sound of thunder before erupting into a full-blown dance version of the gigantic hit. Rihanna doesn't quite have the vision for a show of this caliber, but she certainly has the talent. With just a few more years of hits, she's guaranteed to put together something a little more cohesive. West, on the other hand, pulled off a feat with his presentation. It was an enormous success that proved he is worthy of superstar status that will easily put him into iconic entertainment territory with the likes of Bowie, Prince and Madonna. As the house lights went down, screaming fans filled the arena with flying glow sticks, tossing them throughout the pitch-dark venue. The audience was setting this night up to be something spectacular before the music even started! Creating a thematic story about himself lost in space, he opened with "Graduation Day" while lying in the center of an angled platform, surrounded by a landscape of dune-like hills and an outer space background. It was otherworldly and brilliantly assembled. Dressed in a sci-fi militaristic shirt, blue jeans and a bright red hoodie tied around his waist, he declared, "I've been on this journey for a long time. Earth has lost all creativity and I've accepted the challenge to find it." With that, the platform rose and turned into a makeshift spacecraft. The computer graphics behind him were quite impressive, simulating flight through space. When he crash-landed on the "planet," he worked hits like "I Wonder" and "Good Life" into his monologues, wonderfully tying together lighting, story and graphics for a visual masterpiece. He performed his entire set solo on stage. All musicians were in a pit below, dressed in black and hardly visible. During "Flashing Lights," he would stomp at every heavy bass beat, and the platform below him exploded with a circular flame that rose up to the graphics screen behind him, creating an enormous fire that illuminated half the arena. It wasn't until he actually jumped on the "landscape" that we knew it wasn't just scenery. It almost appeared to be one-dimensional but the mega-star, now covered in sweat, rapped "Jesus Walks" and ran all over the dunes to get to either side of the stage. Aside from one silly moment - a naked "Barbie doll" symbolizing a "star of the universe" floated down on stage to share dialogue with West - it was a flawless presentation. "Stronger," "Hey Mama" and "Gold Digger" were tied together at the end of the young man's journey when he returns to earth, learning that life is a gift and everyday is a miracle - a true work of art, leaving the crowd with an incredibly positive message.