Kickin It With Kanye On His First Headlining Tour

For the first time ever in life, Sylvia actually got dressed for the concert faster than I did.

I was throwing clothes and shoes around my room looking for my heels when I heard her ring my doorbell.

“Damn! You ain’t ready YET!?” she asked in amazement as she stepped into my house.

“Man, shut up. I had to change outfits. The belt that went with the other top made me look fat.”
I quickly put on my heels and went to the mirror to apply my lip liner and lip gloss. I smiled in satisfaction. “Damn Mama. You FIIINNEE!!”

We hopped into Sylvia’s Accord and were on our way to see the Kanye West’s Touch the Sky tour which started right here in MIAMI. She had printed out Mapquest directions to the UM convocation center, but the best laid directions won’t help when you’re stuck in traffic and you have ME as the navigator.

The concert was set to begin at 7:30, but it was already 7:15 and we were lost in Coral Gables.

“I can’t believe I listened to you!” Sylvia said to me as we pulled over at a gas station to ask for directions.

“I don’t know why you listened to me. I’m not even wearing my glasses. I can’t see a THING!”

“Come on Kanye,” Sylvia pleads as we drive down US1. “Lead us to you.”

We finally find the place and find parking and walk with the crowds through the University of Miami campus. We can see students in their dorm rooms studying and hanging out.

“Ahh, the college life.” I say and laugh. “They’re probably studying for midterms. he..he…Hey, listen to this. My friend Dianna called me and told me that she was studying for midterms and I said, ‘Midterms? Ughh. That is sooo 2002. You need to graduate! Get something new to talk about. LOL! ‘”

“Uh. Uhhh.” Sylvia admonished me. “Don’t do that girl like that. You’re supposed to encourage her.”

“What the HELL ever. That bitch know I love her but the college life is soooo over.”

We finally reached the building and ask the usher to help us find our seats.

“Just go to section 113 and there is a staircase there that will take you down to the floor.”

~singing~ Floor seats! Get on down!!! Shake that thang! Pop that thang!

As soon as we step onto the staircase the lights go off and a spotlight hits the stage. We tip toe to the bottom in our heels as a woman with a long blonde weave enters the stage.

“Keyshia Cole ya’ll!” She says into the microphone as she and her two background singers/dancers walk to the front of the stage and start gyrating to the music. I laugh to myself because I don’t know her music well. What I remember most about her is the commentary Donovan wrote about her on Inciting a Riot and this picture he posted.

LMAO! Those entertainment bloggers are HILARIOUS!

When I find my seat there’s someone sitting in it. I look at him. He looks at me. Sylvia looks nervous. I ask the person sitting next to him what seat he has. “Seat 2,” the guy responds. I look at my ticket. Hmm… Row 7, seat 3. I look at the guy again and he pulls out his ticket. It says seat 6. He is STILL looking at me strangely.

I make a motion with my hand for him and his girl to to scoot down. He does and we sit down to listen to Keyshia finish her set. Before she’s done she gives all the glory and honor to God for making a way for her. Praise the LORD Girl! I feel ya.

While they are setting up the stage for the next act, out of the corner of my eye I see a woman who looks very familiar about to walk by us. “Oh my GOD!” I screech. “That’s Kanye West’s MOM!”

Ms. West stops and turns toward me and says, “Hey!” I smile and say “Hey!” and she continues on.

“Was that really her?” Sylvia asks.

“Yeah. I watched DRIVEN, like, 100 times. I know what she looks like. Kanye West IS IN THIS BUILDING! AHHHHHHHH!!!”

The stage hands drop a curtain down and it says FANTASIA. The audience claps. YAY!

I begin to sing and get all fluttery. ~singing~ “This goes out to all my Baby Mama’s!”

“I hate that song.” Sylvia announces.

“That’s because you ain’t a Baby Mama!” I say and roll my eyes.

Fantasia enters the stage and tears it up. I felt like I was back watching American Idol. She looked great. She had on some tight black shorts with black boots and rhinestones up the back of them and a white button down shirt with a black bra underneath. Her hair was and IS always on point.

Her voice is beautiful and her performance was powerful. I actually felt like I was in church. When she started singing her Baby Mama song, nearly everyone sat down. LOL! I stood up and sang along and then I looked around and noticed that the only other people standing up were Black women, waving their hands and squealing. I really don’t see what the big deal is. If you listen to the lyrics of her song, and you’re a single mother, you feel her.

You get that support check in the mail
You open it and you’re like WHAT THE HELL
This ain’t even half of daycare
You’re thinking to yourself this shit ain’t fair!

I would have added another verse though

He come round flossin his nice ass Jag
Talkin shit bout what you can’t provide
But that’s okay you Black Gorilla
At least I ain’t riding with that ol nappy headed hoe you UNCIRCUMCISED BASTARD!

Yeahhhh….

I am so happy for Fantasia and extremely proud of her too.

The concert breaks after she leaves the stage. Everyone is thinking Common is going to be on next. But when they play a video of Kanye West and his friends pledging a fraternity called Broke Phi Broke, we all know that Kanye is about to hit the stage.

~sigh~

I was in awe during his extremely, extremely long performance. I think dude sang like 100 songs.

Fine ass Common came out during Kanye’s performance and Kanye announced that he wouldn’t be a part of the tour because he was going to be in a movie. But he performed his hit ‘Go’ anyway and had the audience vibing. If he wanted me to, I’d have, like, 3 of his babies. Ok, maybe 4. Dude is GEORGEOUS!

But back to Kanye. He looked GREAT! All sweaty and masculine like. He has great energy. Great delivery and you can tell he was just getting warmed up.

When he sang ‘All Falls Down’ and he got to the part that goes:

Drug dealers buy Jordans,
Crackheads buy crack
And the white man get paid off of all a dat

He changed it to say:

Drug dealer buy Jordans
Crackheads buy crack
And GEORGE BUSH gets paid off of all a dat

Everyone laughed and said, OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!

He performed all of his hits and a new favorite of mine was a song that he rode out on called ROSES.

I LOVE KANYE WEST!

After the show ended I turned to Sylvia. “Girl, wait a minute and let me go give Kanye’s Mama a hug.”

She laughed at me but I didn’t care. Kanye’s Mama was sitting 5 rows in front of me. I walked up to her and waited while other fans took pictures with her. She turned to me and smiled.

“May I give you a hug?” I asked her and smiled.

“Sure,” she said and hugged me tightly.

“Your son is such an inspiration to me. I’m raising two young boys myself and I hope that they turn out to be phenomenal men like Kanye.”

She smiled.

“Enjoy your time in Miami,” I said to her and turned away to find Sylvia.

When I found Sylvia I asked her if she has seen me talking to Kanye’s Mom. “No.” she replied. “Did you really go up to her?”

“HELL yes I went up to her! I can’t believe you didn’t see that! I needed you to see so no one can say I was lieing.”

“Girl, we all know you don’t lie about stuff like that.”

“Damn right I don’t.”

When I got home it was just after 11pm. My little sister was on the couch listening to music.

“Was it good?” she asked me.

“Sure was!”

“Was Fantasia there?”

“Yep. She sang B-A-B-Y M-A-M-A!” I sang to her.

“Girl, I wonder who told her how to spell Baby Mama.”

“SHUT UP!” I laughed. “You are so rude!”

I had a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL time and I was so close to Kanye I could have spit on him.

Thanks Ryan!