Ye (formerly Kanye West)’s two-night homecoming at Soldier Field served as a love letter to Chicago. Friday’s (Sept. 4) spectacle celebrated West’s legacy, influence and family tree touching three different decades.
The show was a star-studded affair, bringing 15 guests into the fold for a loaded, 60-track setlist that spanned about three hours. While past tours have been filled with rants and streams of consciousness, Ye kept the talking in between tracks to a minimum Friday night, running through hit after hit and inviting a range of collaborators to share the globe-shaped stage with him.
After a destructive few years filled with antisemitic rants and outbursts, Ye has largely walked a straight path since taking out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal in January apologizing for his actions.
The damage has left him taking an unconventional route when it comes to touring, as he’s partnered with independent touring company IKON Presents for select stadium dates throughout 2026, which will continue with shows in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix later this year.
More than 70,000 fans laced up their Yeezys and donned tour merchandise over the past two days in Chicago, showing many are willing to overlook Ye’s controversial past — including his superstar friends that joined him on stage.
From The College Dropout toBully, there was something for every generation of Ye fan. Day ones celebrated a reunion with those instrumental to the early success of Yeezy, like GLC, Consequence, Really Doe and Twista, while others moshed to appearances from the Cactus Jack family, such as Travis Scott and Don Toliver, both of whom have been open about Ye’s impact on their own careers.
It’s impossible to predict what the future holds for an artist as mercurial as West, but it’s clear there’s a path for him back into America’s mainstream, even if some choose to continue to ignore him in plain sight.
Find the seven best moments from night two of Ye’s Chicago shows below.
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“Devil in a New Dress”
“Devil in a New Dress” is high art in rap form. Rozay joined Ye on stage to perform his luxurious verse from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy for the first time in a decade on Friday night. During the Dark Fantasy studio session in Hawaii, Ye actually made Ross rewrite his verse, thinking he could take it to another level. While the MMG boss was shocked by the request, the mulligan paid off with one of the most defining guest appearances of 2010s rap.
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Kid Cudi’s Reconciliation
Kid Cudi and Ye’s relationship has seen it all over the last two decades. They reunited on stage for the first time in over seven years on Friday night, and Yeezy was overcome with emotion standing next to his Kids See Ghosts collaborator. They performed “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” and “Ghost Town” before Cudi took center stage for “Pursuit of Happiness.” Ye and Cudi left the stage together to close out the show as Donda West’s voice boomed throughout Soldier Field.
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Lil Durk’s Message From Behind Bars
Lil Durk is behind bars fighting for his life while on trial for murder-for-hire. Ye pulled up to the trial earlier in the week and played a recorded message from the Chicago rapper in his hometown. “Ay Ye, I appreciate you, brother. Let’s go up tonight. Show them people what we doing,” Durk could be heard saying. The moment led into Durk and J. Cole’s “All My Life” ringing off, and then West shouted “Free Durk” to cement exactly where he stands.
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All of the Lights
The gleaming light spectacle is a production that rivals top EDM festivals. At times, there’s a shimmering halo surrounding Ye as the globe-shaped stage spins, and at other times there are fluorescent laser beams shooting across a glowing Soldier Field, while Yeezy fittingly performs hits like “Flashing Lights” and “All of the Lights.”
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Travis Scott Is One of Us
Travis Scott popped out to perform “FE!N” and “Father” with Ye as a special guest, but also turned into a fan. He joined the crowd in awe of his superheroes, Yeezy and Kid Cudi, on stage. La Flame rocked out to Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” and even had his phone out to make sure he captured a clip that could live forever in the Cactus Jack honcho’s universe.
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Lupe Fiasco Goes A Cappella
Lupe Fiasco joined Ye on stage for the first time in 20 years to perform their Late Registration hit “Touch the Sky.” The reunion survived some technical difficulties, as the instrumental was cut before Lupe’s verse and he seemed to lose his place when the beat came back. Being the rap technician he is, Lupe ended up performing his starry assist a cappella, which made for a standout moment.
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Ye Gets Back to His Roots With a Chicago Family Reunion
Portions of Friday night truly felt like a family reunion for Ye, reconnecting with his roots. For the first time in 20 years, West was joined by Really Doe, who was part of Yeezy’s Go Gettas group in the ’90s, to perform “We Major.” Another surprise for the day-one fans in attendance came with GLC and Consequence teaming up with Ye for The College Dropout‘s “Spaceship.” Even at 52, Twista’s rapping ability remains astute. His speed-rhyming on verses from “Overnight Celebrity” and “Slow Jamz” is still second to none, while fans half his age were well out of breath.
