Did M.I.A. just end her singing career?
“This is my last show,” the rapper M.I.A. announced from the stage of That Tent, “and I’m glad I’m spending it with all my hippies.” If, as she announced at least three times, it was M.I.A.’s last gig ever, she went out with a boom. The seismic riffs of her songs, which sound like they’re made on the world’s cheapest equipment, puffed bass notes at everyone’s chest, and M.I.A. was all of her interlocking selves: fighter, lover, immigrant, instigator, party girl.
Wearing an outfit that included shiny streamers as tails, she shook every part of her body sooner or later, yelping her hooks and spitting out her rhymes, dense with allusions and snappy enough for slogans. She brought “girls” and then “boys” onstage, surrounding herself with happy dancers, and brought the Nigerian rapper African Boy onstage for her encores,
rapping about how immigrants have to hustle. For her finale, “Paper Planes,” the audience that spilled far outside the tent pumped fists happily at the gunshot sounds that are also one of the song’s hooks. “Thanks for coming to my last gig,” she said, amid noise that continued well after she was gone.
I hope she hasn’t retired from the music industry!
i was there backstage/media area and she looked pretty serious about it being her last show from her demeanor backstage…but it was a crazy good show and a killer crowd as expected at bonnaroo.
I was there! I’m not 100% sure about this, but I think her visa may have expired in the States or something. It was briefly mentioned during the performance.
Also, kanye west was a huge disappointment he was originally scheduled to perform at 8:15, rescheduled during the fest to play at 2:15. was postponed to 2:30 (stage had not even begun to set up), 2:45 (moderate boos when the announcement was made), 3:15 (heavy boos and light garbage throwing). 3:30 (last announced delay, the screen said kanye west was up next and no time was given), by 4:30 about half the people had left and the rest were booing and throwing garbage on the stage that was just set up but still not used, kanye started the show with an intro and then good morning. didn’t acknowledge his lateness at all. sun starts rising by his second song and the whole glow in the dark thing didn’t really matter anymore, the skits between the songs were really cheesy, but it sounded like he re-mixed a lot of the songs and they sounded great. maybe 100 if not less people stayed till the end. i was not one of them. next day anti-kanye chants and graffiti all over the festival.