Kanye West’s six-pack abs look pretty good in a hi-res CGI approximation, but nothing beats the fleshy reality of his shape-shifting 12-pack on stage, glistening under the hot lights and forming the word “DONDA” in a complicated flex during the electrifying chorus of “Jesus Walks.”
Jay Z’s hashtags look pretty good on Twitter (#newrules #factsonly #mylaugh), but nothing beats the experience of seeing him on a jumbotron from the back row, folding his arms with a wry smile while Memphis Bleek praises New York.
Well, both megastars are coming to a town near you, separately, just as they released new albums this year, separately. Both artists are traveling across North America’s biggest arenas, so the spectacle will be grand wherever you go, but even though Kanye is bringing along Kendrick Lamar for most of his dates, I will be opting for the Magna Carter experience, simply because Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino will be opening every show by beaming a 3-month subscription to Rolling Stone into every Samsung phone in the arena.
Yeezus tour dates:
10.19.13 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena *
10.20.13 - Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena *
10.22.13 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center *
10.23.13 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena *
10.25.13 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
10.26.13 - Los Angeles, CA - STAPLES Center *
11.01.13 - Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena *
11.03.13 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center *
11.05.13 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center *
11.07.13 - Chicago, IL - United Center *
11.10.13 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills *
11.12.13 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre *
11.14.13 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre *
11.16.13 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
11.17.13 - Boston, MA - TD Garden *
11.19.13 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
11.21.13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center *
11.23.13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
11.29.13 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena *
11.30.13 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Times Forum
12.01.13 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena *
12.06.13 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center *
12.07.13 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center *
* Kendrick Lamar
Magna Carter tour dates:
11.30.13 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
12.01.13 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
12.02.13 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
12.06.13 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
12.07.13 - San Diego, CA - Valley View Casino Center
12.09.13 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
12.10.13 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
12.11.13 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center at San Jose
12.13.13 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
12.18.13 - Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
12.19.13 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
12.20.13 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
12.21.13 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
12.27.13 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
12.28.13 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
01.02.13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BB&T Center
01.04.13 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
01.05.13 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
01.08.13 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
01.09.13 - Chicago, IL - United Center
01.10.13 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
01.12.13 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
01.13.13 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
01.16.13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
01.17.13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
01.18.13 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
01.19.13 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
01.21.13 - Pittsburgh, PA - CONSOL Energy Center
01.22.13 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
01.24.13 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
01.27.13 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
01.29.13 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
01.30.13 - Buffalo, NY - First Niagara Center
01.31.13 - State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
• Kanye West: http://www.kanyewest.com
• Jay Z: http://lifeandtimes.com
• Kendrick Lamar: http://www.kendricklamar.com
More about: JAY-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar
