“I’mma let you finish, but” Kayne West has never been one to play it safe. From interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to marrying Kim Kardashian, West always has people talking. Back in 2008 he stirred up controversy when he performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
2008 was the year of West’s hugely successful “Glow In The Dark” tour. Originally scheduled for 2:45 am (already extremely late in the night), West didn’t take the stage until almost 5 am. Because a large part of West’s show was supposed to, well, glow in the dark, the rapper had to cut his set short when the sun started coming up. There appeared to be fault on everyone’s hands however. Pearl Jam, who performed before Kanye, closed their set an hour late so stage attendants had less time to set up the stage for West. West blamed the Bonnaroo staff for stage problems in an angry all-caps rant he posted after the performance, screaming “WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH F***ING IDIOTS WHO DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY”.
Because of this debacule, everyone was shocked when West was among the headliners announced at B.L.A.M., Bonnaroo’s announcement event. Angry fans flooded social media complaing about the rapper’s selection. How did West get selected after 2008? Rick Farman, the promoter for Bonnaroo, explained the choice in an interview with Relix magazine:
‘First and foremost, we think Kanye is one of the most prolific and groundbreakin g artists of this generation. He’s hugely influential. His albums are as great and as acclaimed as they get. He’s also a great live performer. He takes a lot of chances and he’s adventurous with the live space. All those things are what Bonnaroo performers are about. That’s why we booked him [in 2008]. Everyone has moved on—it’s in the past. We’re happy he wants to come back to Bonnaroo and is embracing this. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to look forward, and we think it’s a great opportunity for the Bonnaroo community to show what it’s made of. It goes back to what Bonnaroo stands for: It’s about having good time, radiating positivity and that whole message. We couldn’t be more excited about what we think has the potential to be another historic Bonnaroo moment.’
Although Bonnaroo’s organizers have faith in the Yeezus artist, many fans are still on edge. West will perform on Friday, June 13th at 10 p.m. We will have to wait and see if the King of Controversy lives up to his nickname.