Red Mosquito • View topic - Kanye blames PJ (among others) for Bonnaroo debacle

Hinny · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:26 am

For those who aren't aware, Kanye West played after PJ's set at Bonnaroo, going on stage at 4:30am to play his Glow In The Dark show. PJ left the stage around 1:15am, and played about an hour over their slot. A generic delay message kept popping up on screen while the people waited. He had to cut the show short when the sun came out. All in all, he was 1h45m late.

His response makes for great reading. If the ALL CAPS don't make your head hurt.

http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog

Quote:

UNTITLED
06.24.2008

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall... Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been... this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want.... arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of.... BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES... WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK... THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE ... I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM... BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY... SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE... I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT... HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!

He was supposedly hanging out at a radio party in Atlanta earlier during the day, and there was a considerable gap :?:

between his stage being all set to go and his eventual appearance.

Mine · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:56 am

WTF?
Seriously is that something you'd call serious? Isn't the guy supposed to do music not light or whatever?
I feel so old for expecting just music coming from a stage at a concert.

Lame excuses.

badabing · **Joined:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:50 pm **Posts:** 2792

well I guess it depends if he was late or if they really had to wait till PJ was off before they could set up...if they were f'd up by PJ then it isn't really his fault...I'm not a fan of his but this isn't really a generational thing were it should be all about the music or whatever cause I could see Roger Waters doing this 30 years ago cause he had to wait for his giant pig to inflate.

Mine · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 12:59 pm

badabing wrote:

well I guess it depends if he was late or if they really had to wait till PJ was off before they could set up...if they were f'd up by PJ then it isn't really his fault...I'm not a fan of his but this isn't really a generational thing were it should be all about the music or whatever cause I could see Roger Waters doing this 30 years ago cause he had to wait for his giant pig to inflate.

It's not that. Everything besides the music being the main thing about your show it's what it is all about. It's a lame excuse.
Remember PJ got some of their stage setting ruined in Venice but they played the tour anyway. They weren't crying about how they couldn't give you the perfect show without their background and the side stage logos.
Plus schedules at festivals can vary. If the daylight is such an issue he should have skipped the festival in the 1st place.
If you're able to perform decently the crowd is not going to give a shit about laser shows etc. That's all I'm saying.

laruanib.sv · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:03 pm

why try to fit in some elaborate stage/light show at a thing like Bonnaroo?

badabing · **Joined:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:50 pm **Posts:** 2792

Would you really want to sit through a hip hop show where a guy is standing on the stage by himself saying "wave you hands in the air like you just don't care" or something? I'd kill myself....the only thing that could possibly make a Kanye show barable would be a light show or something. He raps he's not in a rock band. You could just hand PJ some instruments and they could entertain an audience for 3 hours without a problem...hip hop guys need help if they are gonna entertain a festival size audience...believe me Kanye understands this...he knows he can't do a 2 plus hour show based on his material alone. That's show biz folks.

Charlie · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:13 pm

the guys a fucking idiot.

Mine · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:24 pm

badabing wrote:

Would you really want to sit through a hip hop show where a guy is standing on the stage by himself saying "wave you hands in the air like you just don't care" or something? I'd kill myself....the only thing that could possibly make a Kanye show barable would be a light show or something. He raps he's not in a rock band. You could just hand PJ some instruments and they could entertain an audience for 3 hours without a problem...hip hop guys need help if they are gonna entertain a festival size audience...believe me Kanye understands this...he knows he can't do a 2 plus hour show based on his material alone. That's show biz folks.

Quote:

REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME.

That's bad business.

laruanib.sv · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:28 pm

badabing wrote:

Would you really want to sit through a hip hop show where a guy is standing on the stage by himself saying "wave you hands in the air like you just don't care" or something? I'd kill myself....the only thing that could possibly make a Kanye show barable would be a light show or something. He raps he's not in a rock band. You could just hand PJ some instruments and they could entertain an audience for 3 hours without a problem...hip hop guys need help if they are gonna entertain a festival size audience...believe me Kanye understands this...he knows he can't do a 2 plus hour show based on his material alone. That's show biz folks.

I strongly disagree with you

GONZO1977 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:35 pm

Seriously...have you seen Pearl Jam's stage set up?
I find it really hard to believe that taking down their stage at Bonnaroo was a difficult time consuming task...Kanye is just looking for excuses for his
"douche-baggery" @ Bonnaroo.

Bo Jackson · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:23 pm

Black people make me laugh

ChristcanIFly · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:44 pm

Doesn't really sound like he blames PJ at all, he's just pissed he didn't get to do his whole set like he wanted to. He's a big baby about pretty much everything, everyone knows that, but come on ... it's a light show, you kinda need to be in the dark.

And to the guy who made the hip-hop show comment: This is supposed to be one of the best tours of the year, and Kanye always puts on a good show, so hold your tongue.

pnjguy · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:53 pm

i was at bonnaroo so i can shed some light on this. Pearl Jam DID go on for at least an hour later than scheduled. (and mike wanted to play ledbetter so bad but couldn't) The kanye stage was enormous. They were out there doing the stage pretty much immediately after Pearl Jam went off so there was no delay. When 4:00am came around we decided to leave. They still werent done, the stage looked like some sort of spaceship. Would have love to see the show, regardless if Kanye himself sucked or not. That being said, Im real angry that we didn’t get to see his show, it seems he put in a lot of effort to make this show great, from talking to people, it was one of the best shows they’ve ever seen visually, say what you will about Kanye, but that in itself may have been worth it, I don’t know how Bonnaroo didn’t know that. It’s a shame that Nine Inch Nails is performing against Kanye, who apparently are putting on quite a show of his own. Apparently Trent has been testing out these crazy new technological advances for the live show that's supposed to revolutionize live shows. You can see a video of their rehearsals on the nin website.

Anyways, I agree that it was shitty for him not to say I’m sorry to the fans when he finally came out, but I blame the stoneheads officials of bonnaroo for this debacle. This goes to show that bonnaroo will never be an elite festival. They either choose not to handle big productions or just fuck them up. I really don’t know what they were thinking, if at all.

Dash · **Joined:** Sun Oct 17, 2004 5:53 pm **Posts:** 4643

i'd be pissed too

badabing · **Joined:** Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:50 pm **Posts:** 2792

ChristcanIFly wrote:

And to the guy who made the hip-hop show comment: This is supposed to be one of the best tours of the year, and Kanye always puts on a good show, so hold your tongue.

All I said was that an act like Kanye would have more difficulty than a band like Pearl Jam in respect to pulling off a bare bones show in front of a festival sized audience.

Clancy3434 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:57 pm

eddie vedder doesn't care about black people.

AndySlash · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:11 pm

pnjguy wrote:

but I blame the stoneheads officials of bonnaroo for this debacle. This goes to show that bonnaroo will never be an elite festival. They either choose not to handle big productions or just fuck them up. I really don’t know what they were thinking, if at all.

Whether you think so or not, Bonnaroo IS an elite festival. I just don't see how you can say otherwise.

To lay the blame solely on Bonnaroo officials is ignorant. There is plenty of blame to go around, from Roo, to Kanye, to Pearl Jam, to the idiot fans throwing shit onstage.

Unlike you, I stayed for Kanye's set. It was great, performance wise (the acting and "story" were a joke, though); much better than at Lolla a couple years ago. But you know damn well Kanye himself still had a big part in the reasons for why he went on at 4:30 and to absolve him of any blame is just wrong. The stage looked ready to go at about 3:45 (and yes, it was supposed to look like a spaceship) and yet we waited another 45 minutes. There was nothing going on on stage during this time. It's THAT that finally got people the most upset to the point they were being assholes and chanting 'Kanye Sucks' and throwing crap (which I just could not believe... really disappointing to see). All of this could have been tempered if Kanye or a Roo official would have just made a public announcement while all of this was going on. I'll lay the blame for that more on the Roo people, but other than that they certainly aren't the only ones who should be criticized.

If you're "real angry" you didn't get to see his show then that's on you. You left. You have no reason to be angry- The show still went on (albeit in less than ideal conditions by the time 5:30 rolled around), and the show WAS great, even with the sun peaking up. You're the one who missed out by leaving, and that was of your own volition, not Bonnaroo's.

SuperNintendoChalmers · **Joined:** Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:38 pm **Posts:** 4388

pnjguy · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:22 pm

AndySlash wrote:

pnjguy wrote:

but I blame the stoneheads officials of bonnaroo for this debacle. This goes to show that bonnaroo will never be an elite festival. They either choose not to handle big productions or just fuck them up. I really don’t know what they were thinking, if at all.

Whether you think so or not, Bonnaroo IS an elite festival. I just don't see how you can say otherwise.

To lay the blame solely on Bonnaroo officials is ignorant. There is plenty of blame to go around, from Roo, to Kanye, to Pearl Jam, to the idiot fans throwing shit onstage.

Unlike you, I stayed for Kanye's set. It was great, performance wise (the acting and "story" were a joke, though); much better than at Lolla a couple years ago. But you know damn well Kanye himself still had a big part in the reasons for why he went on at 4:30 and to absolve him of any blame is just wrong. The stage looked ready to go at about 3:45 (and yes, it was supposed to look like a spaceship) and yet we waited another 45 minutes. There was nothing going on on stage during this time. It's THAT that finally got people the most upset to the point they were being assholes and chanting 'Kanye Sucks' and throwing crap (which I just could not believe... really disappointing to see). All of this could have been tempered if Kanye or a Roo official would have just made a public announcement while all of this was going on. I'll lay the blame for that more on the Roo people, but other than that they certainly aren't the only ones who should be criticized.

If you're "real angry" you didn't get to see his show then that's on you. You left. You have no reason to be angry- The show still went on (albeit in less than ideal conditions by the time 5:30 rolled around), and the show WAS great, even with the sun peaking up. You're the one who missed out by leaving, and that was of your own volition, not Bonnaroo's.

To expect people to stay for a show that STARTS at 430 in the morning is rediculous and unexceptable period. Not to mention that the show was meant to be in the dark and orginally putting him on at 730pm was hilarious. Bonnaroo officials should have known what Kanye's show was all about and to say they prepared poorly would be a huge understatment. If you read my post i did place blame on others, but the fact remains, it is the festival officials job to be prepared for stuff like this when it happens, they clearly weren't.

Just because you get good acts doesn't mean you are an elite Festival. And if you think they were in the past, this incident has really made people think otherwise including myself.

Wease · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:40 pm

Well, if he is pissed that PJ went long, all I have to say is THEY WERE THE FUCKING HEADLINERS!

That said, I have read that he was scheduled to play at dark on a different night and different stage, but he was insistent on playing when no one else was playing on another stage, and he had to be on the main stage. The only slot open to those demands was after PJ on Saturday night. If he did demand such prima donna treatment, fuck him. He deserves the fans being mad at him.

And keep in mind, this is the same asshole that gets downright mad when other people win music awards he was nominated for.

Kanye blames PJ (among others) for Bonnaroo debacle

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