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And Finally Artist News Releases
Kanye books new stadium listening party for Thursday
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 2 August 2021
Kanye West has a new album coming out this week and to celebrate he’s announced a big old listening event the night before it’s released. And it’s going to be at – get this – a stadium! A big old stadium in Atlanta. Imagine that! A listening party in a stadium. If this is all sounding rather familiar, by the way, you probably had a dream about it or something.
Oh – or it could be that this all already happened two weeks ago. That might be it. That time, of course, when the release date for ‘Donda’ came around, the minor detail of actually releasing the album was forgotten. Other than that, it all went fine.
It turned out that, seemingly while listening to the album with 42,000 fans at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, West had realised that the new record wasn’t quite as he wanted it. So, rather than putting out an album that was fine and then getting on with his life, he built a studio backstage at the stadium and refused to leave until it was all done to his liking.
Now, though, it’s finished. For sure. And to prove it, he’s going to play the whole album to 42,000 fans at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium this Thursday. Tickets go on sale today.
If the album does come out this Friday, it’ll no doubt delight fans – especially as it sees him reunite with Jay-Z on one track. Though I can’t be alone in thinking it will be a bit disappointing if it does actually arrive this week. I reckon we could all cope with at least two or three more false starts.
Maybe it never comes out and Kanye just does listening parties for the next couple of years. Maybe the listening parties could tour. Come on, man! Keep the tension up. Don’t blow it all now by actually following through on a release schedule. Two years, then destroy the masters. If people aren’t willing to go to a stadium to listen to it, that’s their loss.
