News

Kanye West has unleashed a seething tirade against Bonnaroo's promoters on his blog over at www.kanyeuniversecity.com. The rapper has faced a lot of heat since his headlining set earlier this month, a performance that didn't start until 4:30 a.m. because of production problems. (His original time slot was 2:45.)

"For over a month we went back and forth on whether or not we could even fit my stage at the festival," West wrote. "One day they would say yes. We'd send them our specs [and] then they'd say OK. Then they would send specs back that didn't fit the stage.

"They tried to give me a time slot where it was still light outside," he added. "I have a fucking light show dumb ass. It's not called 'Glow in the Dark' for no reason squid brains!"

West's all-caps commentary went on to say that fans broke one of his video screens and soaked the stage with water, making it hard to perform at all. Then he settled down long enough to apologize and explain the pride he puts into performances: "[I'm sorry I] didn't have the ability to give the performance I wanted to. Sometimes I go two, three days without sleep working on my performance. I have to ice my knees after every show and they hurt when I walk through the airport. Having an expensive stage cuts my payday in half. Call me what you want, but never say I didn't give my all!"

And Bonnaroo's response? "Over seven years of presenting the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, we have successfully presented hundreds of the top artists in the world. Our world-class event production team strives to accommodate the needs of every performer. We will continue to present the highest level of production while representing the best interests of our audience, staff and performers."

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
06.26.08