Kanye West and the “Flop” | Nebuchadnezzar Thoughts
Kanye West’s Nebuchadnezzar invite | all images from West’s Twitter page
Unfortunately, Kanye West made it all too easy to point out the flaws in his debut opera, Nebuchadnezzar, the bible-based story of the Babylonian King from the Book of Daniel. The tale about Neb’s transition from mad king to God-worshipper is a story that Kanye clearly connected with upon reading. A born-again Christian, all year he has proudly been sharing stories of his hike towards Christ-like living in interviews, concerts and his latest album, Jesus is King.
The bad:
The Hollywood Bowl show was supposed to begin at 4 pm. It began at 6:14.
Kanye’s live delivery as narrator was quite uninspired and dry (like the student who reluctantly reads to the class because the teacher picked them, rather than them volunteering). It wasn’t until about 20 minutes in—when the plot picked up steam—that he too read with the same passion fans know him to perform with as a rapper.
The entire show was about 45 minutes, which means we all waited about 135 minutes at a chilly outdoor venue for a performance that lasted a third of that time.
The story was pretty difficult to follow. Kanye’s poor delivery left most of us in the audience scratching our heads on some “What’s going on?” ish halfway through.
It cost the price of a marquee Broadway show but lacked the polish—feeling more like a backyard, ragtag affair.
Kanye literally read from The Bible during the show. | image from West’s Twitter page
The good:
Once I let go of trying to follow the beat-by-beat plot, I defaulted into just searching for the feel, as I do when listening to music. Locking into his Sunday Service choir was a pleasure. His string section was beautiful.
The interpolations of deep cuts like “Wolves” and “Say You Will” provided emotional texture.
The lighting and dulled hues the actors were bathed in were poignant.
As vague ideas began to crystallize and the story crescendoed, Kanye’s visceral narrating and a peaking choir and band combo made the last 10 minutes rapturous.
The headline of one noteworthy publication’s article about his Sunday night is “Kanye West’s ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ opera was a loud flop. It notes shaky ticket sales and lateness. There’s also a veiled jab about the hypocrisy of him saying that he isn’t motivated by money in a recent interview, but charging upwards of $200 per Nebuchadnezzar ticket (poor sales resulted in them slashing costs just before showtime).
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed afterward, too. On my way back home it was pretty difficult to convince myself that spending four hours (I arrived at 3 pm) away from my wife and daughter on a Sunday was worth it for that.
Director Vanessa Beecroft crafting the show a day before the event | image from West’s Twitter page
But then I found a thought within that motivated me quite a bit: Kanye really goes for it. “It” being any idea he truly believes in. “Good” or “bad,” I appreciate his willingness to try. I can’t think of another contemporary artist who swings so boldly at various endeavors—lack of prior experience be damned. Kanye really sat down one day, like, “I’m going to make an opera.” And then did it. It wasn’t his best performance. Shoot, at times it was unbearable. But he got an idea out. All around me I saw incredibly talented peers of his admiring him, seemingly less for the actual performance and more for the audacity to execute it. Brad Pitt was rows away from me, frequently smiling. I sat next to actor Dev Patel, whose jaw was firmly planted on the ground when I glanced to my right. Surely, the two renowned thespians know a half-baked production when they see one.
Here’s a cold truth: Most people don’t have the balls to share a creative thought with friends, let alone a grand idea during meetings or conference calls at work. We have to remember that every remotely successful person has dared greatly. Those with the willingness to fail eventually are gifted with victories. That’s something I continue to believe as I progress on my own journey. And with that in mind, Kanye did something special with his opera. I saw an art project in dire need of sanding, chiseling, refining… But the potential was evident, too. When you see someone like him “lose,” you should also know that they’re not too far from a massive win.