As I'm sitting here writing this I must say that I am completely tired from the Glow in the Dark tour yesterday but I am more than glad that I went. It has been some years since I have been to a concert and to jump back into the concert scene I must say that I couldn't have done it any better. Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna and Kanye West…it just doesn't get much better than that. Oh by the way, the concert kicked off right here in Seattle! For those of you that missed it and for those that are going to go, here's what you can expect.

The first act up was Lupe Fiasco and he did a pretty good job of making his presence known. Unfortunately they gave him a fraction of the stage with nothing but a Dj, a hype man, and a few background singers. The effects consisted of a big white sheet that hid the rest of the stage and a few flashing lights.

He kicked off the set with one of my favorites "Hip Hop Save My Life" and ran through a pretty good mixture of both new and old cuts including his hit "Superstar". The crowd reaction was mediocre as you could see that some people did come just for him but most were waiting on the bigger name acts. I really like Lupe but I feel like the most important part of his music is the lyrics and when you're in an arena with blasting bass and loud sounds, it's more about the hype and show. While he did a good job, I think his music is more appropriate for a smaller more intimate venue.

In the between time we had to wait about 15 minutes so that they could change up the stage by taking away the Dj and adding a couple of drum sets and a mini wall with lights.



Next up was N.E.R.D. who completely knew how to get the crowd going. I was so glad to see that Pharrell was on this tour as well, because let's face it, N.E.R.D. without Pharrell is lacking. He completely commanded the stage and this was the first time I seen just about everyone vibing along with the music. They ran through some new stuff and eventhough nobody really knew it you couldn't help but to feel it. Then they hit us with a few classics "Rock Star" and "Lap Dance." Overall, they had a solid set and brought a nice alternative touch to the concert.

One thing I found interesting is when their set was over, Pharrell comes back out to apologize for cursing because he heard kids were in the crowd. I'm thinking "Who didn't expect cursing in the first place?" Honestly, there were kids there which I couldn't understand, but he shouldn't have to apologize for that, it's the parents fault.

Then again we have to wait another 15 to 20 minutes so that they can reformat the stage. This time a different drum set is brought out with some stairs and lighting props.



Ofcourse the next act up is none other than Rihanna. Now before I go on my rant about her I have to say that eventhough I don't care for her as a music artist I did try to give her a chance. Yet what I expected is exactly what I got. I have to say that this set seemed to be the most awkward of the others and really just seemed out of place for this tour. It was very girly, very colorful and jumped too much between up-tempo and slow songs.

Don't expect to hear dynamic singing or amazing dance moves. Rihanna doesn't do that. I wasn't surprised to see most people just standing around watching. While the other acts did a great job of getting the crowd involved into their music, Rihanna just couldn't' seem to do it. She went through a good mixture of some of her old and new songs ranging from "Break it off" to "Umbrella" to "Hate that I love you" (without Ne-Yo ofcourse).

Honestly during the song "Unfaithful" I had to literally walk out. I just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe I am biased just because I didn't like her from day one, but even people that like her still say her part of the concert doesn't really seem to fit with everything else.

Yet again we have to sit and wait for the stage to be redone once again. With nothing to keep us entertained but a track of music that seemed to have only about 10 good songs on it because I swore I kept hearing the same songs. This time it was probably about a 20-30 minute wait as they set the stage for the final time.



Finally what everyone was waiting for, the grand entrance of Kanye West. He comes out laying on a platform that sits in the middle of the set which consisted of an outer space kind of landscape and a huge screen that set the backdrop. The whole theme of his set was sort of an outer space, spaceship, mars kinda feel. Behind the platform was another smaller screen that would come down and reflect on the platform that gave it a reflective appearance that would bounce off the visuals from the screen.

He kicked off his set with "Goodmorning" off his Graduation album and ran through a hefty list of songs that included hits such as "Through the wire", "Jesus Walks", "Gold digger", "Hey Mama" and a good number of songs off the new album. There seemed to be a seamless transition between songs while keeping the overall theme by including dialogue between Mr. West and his video screen spaceship. We saw everything from lights beaming from the stage to smoke and fire being shot out of it. Oh and the platform that Kanye was on, lifted and a display of lights would show underneath it (see here). At one point there was this strange looking doll that came down to talk with him and these huge circular lights that moved around for the song "Flashing Lights".

This set was amazing and everyone; I mean everyone was into it. You could look over the crowd and people were throwing their hands up, displaying the Rock-a-fella sign and during "Hey Mama" people had lighters out. This guy gives off so much energy during his shows; it is truly something you have to be there to experience.

Overall I had a great time at the concert. It was supposed to start at 7 but started about 15 minutes late and we didn't get out of there until almost Midnight. Although the set changes were very annoying and had it not been for that we would have probably been out of there an hour earlier, it was completely worth it. If you are in Seattle and you didn't go, you missed one amazing show. If you are somewhere else and the tour is coming to your town, you need to get your tickets. You will not be disappointed, I promise. 



Aaron Fields writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.