Oh, so what if the set was virtually identical to the well-documented, on YouTube and elsewhere, performance that Kanye delivered at Coachella in May? Citizen Kane is the same every time you watch it, too, and nobody complains about that.

What Kanye offered was an airtight performance that silenced the skeptics (at least those whose friends refused to let them take their "Fuck Kanye" t-shirts over to the Coldplay stage) and rewarded the faithful, from the operatic opening of "H.A.M." to the emotionally-charged third act of "Runaway," "Lost In The World," and "Hey Mama." In between, Kanye kept the rambling to a minimum ("they got me on a curfew," he offered by way of explanation) as he peeled off hit after hit.

In one rare instance of addressing the crowd directly, 'Ye explained during "Runaway" that this would be the final time that he'd be performing the material in this way. It was a fitting way to retire it, with the dancers behind him and the stage utterly dominated by the emcee.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Kanye played the entire set with no surprise guests (even though recent collaborator Justin Vernon had ended a Bon Iver tour in town just a few days earlier). He didn't need anyone else. The set was as sharp and polished as West's brand demands. No one man should have all that power, indeed.

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