Even Without Obama, Kanye West Reclaims Chicago and Lollapalooza

Rumors of Barack Obama being onhand to introduce Kanye West proved false. No matter. Aiming to permanently put the Bonnaroo debacle in the past, the local rapper came out not to just conquer the festival stage but to reclaim his hometown as his own. West's flashy light show lived up to promise. Yet despite all the popping strobes, panning spotlights and pastel illumination, the emcee remained the focus of attention. His energy and intensity backed up his cocky attitude and prodigious boasts. Examinations of conscious, conversations with god and motivational talks punctuated a non-stop beat-heavy blitz. West tackled "Heard 'Em Say," "Diamonds From the Sierra Leone" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing" with the kind of elevated drama and drive that fuels champion athletes. He inhabited the narrative of "Put On," pushing the song until it became an autobiographical statement and personal pledge. "This performance is for the lady that drove me to Chicago at the age of three," he stated during the track, before getting everyone to scream for his mother. Such candor and motivation are not only what make West a visionary; they are what make him human.

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Song Stories

“Satisfied”

Tom Waits | 2011

Only the genius of Tom Waits could combine the subject of mortality, a reoccurring theme in his work, with wordplay that name checks both Mick and Keith, whom he calls "Mr. Jagger" and "Mr. Richards," and the title of their magnum opus, "Satisfaction." And to show just how cool Waits really is, he even got Mr. Richards to play along, one of nine guest appearances the guitarist has made on three Waits albums. "This growling roadhouse stomp is a late-breaking response to the Stones' greatest hit," Rolling Stone said of the track.

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