Saint Pablo Tour

The design of Saint Pablo Tour featured a "first-of-its-kind floating stage" which was composed of a main stage and an auxiliary stage that had an intricate system of pulleys and tracks designed to be connected to the frame of each arena. The floating main stage had lights on the edge as well as on the bottom portion, which would occasionally shine on the audience. The second stage was composed of four rectangular portions which would move and provided ambient light for each song. The stages could then be manipulated to the needs of the tour, incorporating the audience into the experience at each concert as visitors would be able to engage with Kanye West. Each show had three sections separated by two intermissions, with uses of light increasing as the performance progresses. Some of the portions appeared to be influenced by various themes in popular culture, such as the show's intermissions which were similar to Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg.^[6]

West began the Saint Pablo Tour in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 25, 2016, introducing his new stage design to the public, impressing the attending audience.^[7] On October 2, 2016, West cut his performance short at Citi Field in New York City following news of his wife Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint in Paris.^[8] Two tour dates were also cancelled the following week.^[8]

Kanye's returning concert following Kim Kardashian's incident was performed in his hometown of Chicago at the United Center on October 7, 2016, where he arrived on stage an hour and a half past schedule and "made no mention of his wife or the incident, in a show in which he barely spoke to the crowd at all".^[8] In San Jose, California during his November 17 performance, West spoke about American politics and stated "If I would have voted, I would have voted for Trump", with some fans booing and throwing items on stage.^[9] In Sacramento on November 19, 2016, West performed three songs before he diverted the performance and spoke about Facebook, Jay Z, Hillary Clinton, Beyoncé, and then proceeded to walk off stage, later cancelling further dates of the tour due to stress and exhaustion while ticketholders were given a refund.^[9]

This set list is an example of one typically performed from the Boston show onwards. Songs included in the five prior shows' setlists not included further include "FML," "Amazing," "Devil in a New Dress^[a]," "30 Hours," „Gold Digger“ and "All Falls Down."

The architectural website ArchDaily stated:^[6]

There are few artists, if any, who do as much for the sake of art as Kanye West. ... Kanye West has transformed Stage Design and Performance Architecture, with each live performance now redefining the way we envision and experience the medium, much in the same way his idols, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney, transformed their respective fields. The Yeezus Tour was a feat in terms of design and production, but the Saint Pablo Tour is a feat in terms of engineering—and few artists can say they’ve created a transcendent experience that goes beyond what is expected of a “concert.”