David Geffen Hall was nearly full on Sunday evening for Kanye West’s “Mary,” the hip-hop star’s second venture into what he calls opera. But no one there seemed more enthralled with the performance than West himself.

Sitting downstage, bathed in golden light, he bopped his head and swayed in his seat as his Sunday Service choir sang his hits and a handful of Christmas classics, all given the full gospel treatment for this 50-minute rendition of the Nativity story.

But between the most stirring numbers, it was easy to get confused, caught in the chasm between a classical performance at Lincoln Center and an arena show. Was this a Kanye concert? A traditional opera? Was screaming “We love you, Kanye” in the darkness appropriate? (Yes, according to the tiny voice that hollered back from Kim Kardashian West’s box in the first tier: “Kanye’s my dad!”)