The artist appeared at a second release event for his new album, which he then did not release.
Putting on a show! Kanye West held his second large-scale listening event for his upcoming album, Donda, on Thursday, and made the most of his time in the spotlight.
At West's first listening party/launch event, held on July 22, a number of fans said the artist essentially just vibed to his own music in the middle of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, in front of a sold-out crowd of thousands.
Two weeks later -- after having not actually released the album and then reportedly living at the stadium in a small room the whole time -- West decided this second listening event should include more theatrics. And once again, West's ex, Kim Kardashian West, was also in attendance.
This time around, West's set-up in the middle of the enormous stadium included a small mattress with a blanket. During the event -- which was not a concert, but featured his recorded album playing over the loudspeakers -- West made a lot of use of his bed, blanket and spartan accommodations.
As documented by fans, West spent his time during the event doing push-ups, dancing around to his music, and even making some phone calls. At one point he was surrounded by a large group of people as he paced around.
Fans also noted that West' attire was notably different. Instead of the red jacket and beige mask, West wore all black, including a black vest with "DONDA" written on it, and a black mask.
During the event, West sat down, pulled the blanket over his shoulders, and then ran around with the blanket draped over himself. At one point, reportedly during track 15, West laid down and took a nap on his small bed.
The highlight of the big event came at the end, when West seemingly pulled off a feat that surprised many in the stadium and watching on the live-stream: He appeared to be levitating.
The artist was seemingly raised into the air on wires in a dramatically-lit moment of true theatricality that left many fans impressed. However, some attendees have tweeted that the moment might have been pulled off by a stunt double.
In the end, after the event, West once again incurred the anger of Twitter and his fans when Donda was not, in fact, released for purchase or streaming.
However, West did announce that the Yeezy Gap red round jacket -- his iconic red jacket he wore at the first listening event (and not at Thursday's listening event) -- was now available for pre-order for $200.
While fans did not get an album release, attendees were offered access to the coronavirus vaccine. "We are offering Pfizer vaccines to fans attending tonight's listening party," read a tweet from the stadium's account. "Vaccines will be offered in sections 340-347 until 9:30pm."
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