‘An uncomfortable, disconnected and mostly low-energy evening of music.’ Photograph: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group Local restaurateur Pinky Cole gave away 1,000 tickets. West donated 5,000 tickets to the Atlanta University Center Consortium, which includes heralded HBCUs Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College. In reality, access to the show was still available as late as Thursday morning. The listening party, announced on Pusha T’s Instagram account on 19 July, set off a scramble for tickets originally priced at $20 and $50, which many assumed would sell out quickly. Scattershot album releases represent the tip of West’s unpredictable actions in recent years, among them endorsing Donald Trump, a failed presidential bid and off-colour remarks about his family. Theophilus London, one of West’s collaborators, has said that West is finishing verses and adding new guest features to a tracklist that already includes Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and a surprise feature from Jay-Z that suggests a rapprochement between the two rappers. As of publication, it has not materialised. The listening party was expected to herald the album’s release on Friday. As the night went on, it would become clear that Come to Life was one of the closest songs to completion on Donda, named for West’s late mother most other songs were played in snippet or obvious demo form. Through the blasting audio came West’s recorded voice, trading bars with Pusha T, a frequent collaborator. After raising his arm to greet the crowd, he walked to the centre of the white-clothed floor where he mostly stood still, occasionally swaying, stumbling or dropping to his knees in a prayer-like posture, illuminated by a shape-shifting spotlight. West emerged from a tunnel wearing a puffy red jacket, matching leather trousers and orange shoes. The giant listening party for Donda, West’s long-awaited 10th studio album, had finally begun, almost two hours late.
Ten minutes later, the speakers started blasting music at an uncomfortable volume as the song Come to Life appeared to start playing halfway through.
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