It was a wild weekend at the Tennessee music festival, Bonnaroo thanks to rap star Kanye West. West's scheduled performance early Sunday was delayed for nearly two hours and didn't get started until about 4:25 a.m. While the sleepy thousands in the audience waited, a message on the jumbotrons told them that West's show would be delayed until 3:15 a.m., and when that didn't happen, that he would start at 3:30. But, West didn't hit the stage until 4:25 a.m! The fans were irate, chanting quasi-obscenities and pelting the stage with glow sticks.
A festival spokesman said the delay was a due to the removal of the elaborate set used by Pearl Jam, who were a huge hit at the event. Pearl Jam had gone an hour past their schedule, and the crew had to set a new stage for West. West's spectacular galactic-themed concert featured an interplanetary landscape and a spaceship. Still, better planning would have prevented such a lengthy delay.
The festival, which boasted more than 150 acts spread out over four days, was otherwise very punctual. The West delay was all the worse because of the festival's already very late schedule, and many campers lost energy before the his concert and returned to he campgrounds. Midway through his performance, the morning light showed that the crowd had dwindled significantly.
There was no comment from West on the ruckus.
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