by Andrew Auclair ’29 on September 17, 2026
A&E - Music
In the year of our lord, 2026, there isn’t a musical artist quite as controversial and divisive as Kanye West, or Ye, as he has proudly been referring to himself in recent times. Since the dawn of his career, Ye has been on record sporting an attitude and a loud mouth in almost any interview or public performance. In recent times, beginning around 2021, after the release of his longest feature album, DONDA, Ye has built up even more of a reputation as a social media loose cannon. He would log in to X (formerly Twitter) just to post about his extremist right-leaning opinions or blatant anti- Semitic remarks. This outrage of political gut-spilling and needless hateful remarks caused many of his long-time fans, who have adored him ever since his Graduation days, to become embarrassed or ashamed to even admit to enjoying his music. To be completely honest, some of the things he said could totally be considered unforgivable. However, for many longtime fans, separating the artist from the music has never been
quite that simple. Looking back, Ye has always had these sorts of problems, and he has indeed apologized many times after his continuous P.R. screw-ups. Despite all of this, a sudden spark of hope began to emerge within the community of Ye fans as he started announcing more tours, bringing his older music back to the stage and giving fans the chance to experience the nostalgia of his earlier career. For someone who grew up listening to Ye, it was hard not to wonder if there was still something worth seeing.
When Ye announced that he would be returning to Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (his hometown), nearly 10 years since his last full performance there, apart from his listening parties in 2021, my father and I locked down tickets as soon as we could. Ticket prices weren’t awful, especially considering any seat in Soldier Field would grant an incredible experience, thanks to Ye’s genius mind, deciding to perform atop a globe-shaped screen in the center of the field. This decision allowed all of his fans to enjoy a great view of not just the performer, but the mind-blowing light-show as well. As my father and I approached the stadium, which, let me say, is a maze to navigate, we noticed a six-block-long line for concert merchandise. At first, I was very concerned because I obviously wanted a shirt or hoodie to hold on to from this show, but the outdoor merch line would have taken hours upon hours to reach the end of. Thankfully, we came to the conclusion that there must be more indoors, so we migrated there,
where I purchased a sweet long-sleeve shirt with the iconic star in the middle colored red, exclusively for his hometown show in Chicago.
After arriving way too early and having to wait two hours before Ye decided to show himself on stage, the show began. Ye walked out from the tunnel onto the field as lyrics filled the stadium with excitement, playing, “Do you think about me now and then?” which is, of course, his song, “Homecoming.” My father and I actually made a bet before the show started because he seemed to think that Ye would start with “KING” from BULLY, which is what he had started every concert with, but I was adamant that Ye was going to play “Homecoming” for the opening night of his hometown show. From there, Ye never lost the energy of the crowd. Some highlight moments from that night were during songs “Stronger” and “Flashing Lights” for the incredible light shows, “All of the Lights” and “Black Skinhead” for how hyped-up the crowd became, and, of course, “Ghost Town” for how emotional of a finale it was. Being that it was only night one in Soldier Field, we did not get nearly as many awesome features as the night two concert-goers got. However, artists such as Twista, 2 Chainz, and Future were
awesome to see live on stage and made the night that much better.
Personally, I had a wonderful time in Chicago, not just because of that one night, but because of how much I adore the city. I’ve been to Chicago once before, in 2023, and I loved it so much. The city is absolutely beautiful, with its toweringly gorgeous skyscrapers, the glistening river that runs through the whole downtown area, and the boardwalk at nighttime, which is a sight to behold. Whenever someone asks what there is to do in Chicago, I always tell them about the wicked impressive museums and
aquarium, both within two miles of downtown, the sprawling Chinatown, rich with culture and delicious spots to eat, and, of course, the Magnificent Mile, a strip of stores and restaurants that would leave anyone seeking retail therapy fully satiated.
Ye’s performance in Chicago was a total full-circle moment for me, not just because it gave me a reason to see one of my favorite cities again, but because I am a Kanye West fan myself. My father has been big into rap music since his youth, and I grew up listening to him play Kanye West and the Wu-Tang Clan in the car on the way to school. When he sprung the surprise on me that we would be going back to Chi Town to see Kanye West, I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to be there in the stadium, witnessing what is most likely one of Ye’s best, and also last, career performances.