Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) returned to the stage on Friday (Jan. 30) in Mexico City, marking his first concert in the Latin American country in nearly two decades since his debut there in 2008. He was joined by his daughter, North West, in an emotional moment that highlighted the duality of the controversial hip-hop superstar: the innovative artist navigating the intersection of evolution and controversy in his personal life, and the dedicated family man.
With his eldest daughter — whom he shares with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian — he performed “Only One” during the first of two nights at the imposing La México (formerly Plaza de Toros México) in front of nearly 40,000 attendees, according to organizers. There was also room for four additional songs alongside the teenager with long, blue hair, including “Piercing on my Hand,” marking her debut in music. Watch the moment here.
The show began with Ye dressed in a white tunic, accompanied by a group of men resembling monks who escorted him to the center of the venue. Then, the first beats of “Heartless” started playing, kicking off a musical ritual packed with hits, including standouts like “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “N—s in Paris,” “Mercy,” “Blood on the Leaves,” “On Sight,” “Black Skinhead,” “Power,” “Bound 2” and “STARS.”
Ye opted for a minimalist stage design, using a circular platform without structures or screens, to make full use of the arena’s space and provide 360-degree visibility for the audience. The stage design resembled a giant moon that sometimes felt like the boiling crater of a volcano, with red lights and fireworks exploding over the arena and lighting up the night sky.
Ye, who had little verbal interaction with the audience, focused on delivering hit after hit, stopping the music only occasionally to listen to the roar of the crowd, which maintained a high energy from start to finish. Anthems from his discography like “Power” and “Black Skinhead” ignited the audience’s excitement, many of whom weren’t even born yet when the American artist first debuted in Mexico with his Glow in the Dark Tour in 2008.
And the experience was a collective one: Friday’s concert, as will be Saturday’s (Jan. 31), could also be watched outside of Mexico via streaming on the ViX Premium platform. This was part of a project creatively directed by Ye himself, titled “YE LIVE,” which broadcasts his performances simultaneously in other countries.
On his first night, the special guests speculated about on social media for days did not appear, despite the hints dropped by Andrés Charvel, the promoter for Ye’s concerts in Mexico, who had suggested to Billboard they might join. These included rapper Travis Scott and Mexican regional superstar Peso Pluma, the latter of whom recently recorded a song with the American rapper that could potentially be part of his new album, Bully.
Ye’s return to Mexico comes just a few days after he published a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Monday (Jan. 26) to apologize for the antisemitic comments he made that sparked years of harsh criticism. After a long period during which his name has been more associated with his outrageous actions rather than with his musical contributions, Ye demonstrated that he continues to blur the lines between art, controversy, and family, keeping the world watching attentively.
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