Kanye West closed out the Pan Am games Monday night and introduced the audience to a fun new way of storming off stage. The rapper, who’s known for his brilliant lyrics as well as an explosive temper, showed off both during his set in Toronto, earning positive reviews for his performance but catching a lot of flack for his inability to tolerate frustration.
According to Time, Kanye’s show started on a high note—he had the entire Pan Am dome lit up for him—and went downhill from there. While critics praised Kanye’s ability to “slay the audience” with just his own physicality (the video screens were off), the ending of his performance left much to be desired. Gossip Cop reports that West abruptly left the stage after “Good Life” when a microphone issue made him soundless to the crowd of 30,000.
Here’s a close-up of the moment Kanye was done:
Gossip Cop notes that officials immediately released a statement saying that while the technical difficulties muted West’s performance at the venue, those watching at home were still able to hear him.
West’s performance was controversial even before he stormed off stage. More than 50,000 people signed a petition demanding he be replaced with a Canadian artist at the closing ceremony and while most of the audience was allegedly very pleased to see Kanye, a small number of people booed and left when he appeared.
Contact the author at mark.shrayber@jezebel.com.
DISCUSSION
*sigh* no one listens to Canadians.