Kanye West // Photo by Killian Young

Photo by Killian Young

From the very beginning of Kanye West’s Saint Pablo Tour kick-off in Indianapolis last night, it was apparent that this was no ordinary concert: Kanye performed the entire show from a stage propelled above the audience.

In a post-show interview with E! News, Kanye discussed the inspiration for his stage design. He said it took eight months of planning, “traveling around the world meeting with the best stage designers.”

“I wanted people to get into it and have a fun time, make it not be just about watching the artist, but people watching their friends and singing along to the lyrics and being able to see themselves, their outfits,” he explained, adding that he wanted to “… take the concert experience to another level, it’s not just about what you’re seeing on the screen, or what you’re seeing me do on the stage, but what you and your friends are doing.”

Kanye said he looked to many other artists for inspiration, name-checking the likes of Bono, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Radiohead, Trent Reznor, and movie director Ridley Scott.

“I can stretch my hands, like the song says, I can stretch out in this arena, and give the crowd something they haven’t seen before,” he added.

Read Killian Young’s full report from last night’s concert, including his 10 favorite moments.