Kanye West brought church to The Forum for a special edition of Sunday Service.
Fans packed the L.A. venue on Sunday (Oct. 27) to hear his new album Jesus Is King performed for the first time live. The arena floor was turned into a meadow, complete with plants and trees. Backed by a heavenly choir led by Jason White, Kanye delivered a stirring gospel-infused set consisting of new and old material including “Fade,” “Jesus Walks,” and “Follow God.”
But the highlight was when Clipse and Kenny G joined him on stage for the first performance of the Jesus Is King standout “Use This Gospel.” Kanye looked on as the Grammy-winning saxophonist played, while the crowd and choir cheered him on. Pusha-T and No Malice reunited as Clipse for the first time in years (“Reunited in Jesus’ name,” as Kanye put it).
“Just hold on to your brother when his faith lost,” said No Malice before putting his arm around his brother.
According to Kenny G, the performance was done without much rehearsal. “It was so impromptu in some ways,” he told TMZ. “We did a slight rehearsal, but he’s very creative and on the spot just comes up with some super good ideas.”
The two collaborated shortly after Valentine’s Day, when Kanye hired Kenny to serenade Kim Kardashian inside their Hidden Hills living room, which eventually led to them hitting the studio to record what would become “Use This Gospel.”
Other guests during the two-hour Sunday Service included Francis Farewell Starlite from Francis and the Lights, who stepped to the piano to perform “Take Me to the Light,” his recent collaboration with Ye and Bon Iver.
Kanye now plans to hit the road for a Jesus Is King-inspired tour, but don’t expect to hear the “Old Kanye.” He plans to perform altered versions of his hit songs with more G-rated lyrics.
