The colossally egocentric self-proclaimed genius who subjects concertgoers to his "visionary stream of consciousness" rants during his performances may be wearing his audience thin.
On Tuesday, Kanye West's roadside attraction of a hip-hop concert played to fewer than 4,500 people at the Sprint Center in Kanas City, a venue that holds 19,000. It's a paltry attendance number for the man who compares himself to Walt Disney and Steve Jobs, the Kansas City Star reports.
The low numbers are just one in myriad problems on the Yeezus tour. West was forced to cancel several shows on the tour because a truck carrying lighting equipment was involved in an accident that damaged "all of the lights."
The rapper also stormed off the stage during a recent show in Tampa, Fla., after dressing down his tech crew. The ginormous television that is supposed to broadcast his likeness in black and white kept showing his image in color.
A few seconds into his third song of the night, West demanded that the music be stopped and blamed his lighting and sound crew for "f—-ing up" his show, the Daily Mail reports.
And if playing small crowds, faulty lighting and color images weren't enough, West is also in trouble with the Anti-Defamation League for making anti-Semitic comments.
While discussing President Obama's foreign policy record on Chicago’s Power 105.1 radio station last month, Kanye said: "People want to say that Obama can’t make these moves, or he’s not executing, that’s because he ain’t got those connections. Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people," the Daily Mail reports.
Abraham H. Foxman, the League’s national director, thinks West is feeding into stereotypical views about Jews.
"There it goes again, the age-old canard that Jews are all-powerful and control the levers of power in the government," the Daily Mail reports Foxman saying.
Foxman said that West's remarks were "classic anti-Semitism" and added, "As a celebrity with a wide following, Kanye West should know better. We hope that he will take responsibility for his words, understand why they are so offensive, and apologize to those he has offended," the Daily Mail reports.
But all is not lost for West. The Kanas City Star reports that the show—despite the smaller crowd—was amazing. There were still mountains and fake snow, volcanic eruptions, a dozen dancers, balls of fire and lasers. In the end, those who did attend were treated to a full two hours of Yeezus at his best as West performed some 27 songs and, of course, an eight-minute diatribe, the Star reports.
"I don't always say the right things at the right time," West said. "I'm better at saying the wrong things at the wrong time."
Read more at Kansas City Star and Daily Mail.