I’ve done my share of Kanye West bashing. Sure, the guy makes nice beats, but he’s a mediocre rapper on a good day. And he’s a downright jerk at those awards shows. But I’ll be the first to give the guy credit for one thing. He’s got plenty of vision. And as one of the biggest names in pop at the moment, he’s got plenty of cash to pull that vision off. (I guess that’s two things. Whatever.) So leave it up to the audacious Mr. West to deliver his new Glow in the Dark tour – which kicked off just hours ago, Wednesday night at KeyArena – as an awesomely overwrought, sci-fi themed hip-hopera. This is the biggest, slickest rap show to hit the road since Eminem, one chock full of fun, crowd pleasing spectacle and moments of bizarre kitsch.

The house remained dark as the headlining set began with snippets of hit “Stronger” and West talking to a computerized female voice about his months of scouring the universe for “a new source of inspiration.” (Yeah, it only got sillier after that.) LED flashes and rumbling sound effects simulated a meteor shower and crash that explained West being stranded on some far off planet. And when the lights came on, we saw our hero sprawled across a tilted platform placed in the middle of an astral landscape that roadies had assembled after Rihanna (with some visible difficulty.) West climbed to his feet and got the party properly started with “Good Morning,” the intro to his third hit album, “Graduation.”

It took a few moments to realize there was a full band was playing in the pit below West as he delivered early numbers “I Wonder,” “Heard ‘Em Say” and “Through the Wire,” spitting his rhymes with sweaty, infectious gusto. Between songs, he’d further the pretentious storyline as he talked to a video screen that represented his spaceship’s A.I. computer, Jane. (Yep, basically Hal from “2001” with a sex change. And the ability to produce a couple of scantily clad, gold-painted bimbos during smash hit "Gold Digger.")

Geysers of steam and pink flame simulated the planet's atmosphere, as faux fog wafted into the crowd and psychedelic clouds rolled behind the rapper. And as mentioned, there were some delightfully bizarre moments, like West having a conversation with a naked, female mannequin in a blue wig (an “alien” visiting his crashed ship) and the inexplicable injection of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” into the set. That revived oldie was sung by a backup singer as West sat onstage bobbing his head. Ridiculous? Yes. Pandering to the karaoke crowd? Sure. But as far as I’m concerned, that and other kitschy moments made the show even more worth the money.

The show was a case study in all the things that make Kanye West both interesting and occasionally insufferable. He's a risk taker. He obviously loves the fans and works hard to deliver a memorable concert experience. But man! The hubris required to even something as gaudy as this show! And speaking of Kanye's ego, he even alluded to his penchant for throwing hissy fits at awards shows, promising God that he'd “stop spazzing out at awards shows” during the self-deprecating intro to his religiously themed smash, “Jesus Walks.”

Lupe Fiasco opened with a more conventional hip-hop set, performing “Hello/Goodbye (Uncool),” “Go Go Gadget Flow,” breakthrough hit “Kick Push” and other tracks with the help of a DJ, hype man and backup singers.

N.E.R.D. followed with the night’s most rockin’ set. The band was lead by rapper/singer Pharrell Williams and included a hype man, three keyboard players (one of them Williams’ NEPTUNES production team partner, Chad Hugo), two drummers, a bassist, a guitarist and a couple of NFL-sized guys whose jobs consisted of bobbing their heads at either end of the stage. (Bodyguards? Or just friends who've landed a cake gig?) Williams’ rocked out with dynamic, ska-style kick dancing as the band played hits “Rockstar,” “Lap Dance” and “She Wants to Move.”

But the high point of the opening sets occurred during Rihanna’s performance. The 20-year-old singer started out in a short, skintight black and pink dress. (I cannot stress how lucky her rumored boyfriend, Chris Brown, is. You know, aside from also being a rich and talented.) Later, the pop diva switched to a black and yellow pants ensemble and sat on some steps when she introduced her biggest hit.

“This next song is very special to me,” she said. “The minute I heard it I knew it would be a smash. … So many people fought for it.”

It was, of course, her breakthrough hit single, “Umbrella,” one of the most infectious and inescapable pop songs of the past decade. Rihanna delivered the first part as a stripped down ballad before unleashing those buoyant synths and that addictive vocal hook on a full house. “Ella, ella, ella -- eh eh eh.” She was quite captivating, to say the least. And all the while I wondered how long it would be before pop's new princess headlined her own arena tour.

Music wasn't the only thing being celebrated last night, by the way. Fans in section 110 began cheering "let's go Sonics" before Kanye's set, one of them holding up one of the team's t-shirts. Looks like they'll be going, all right. All the way to Oklahoma City.

Kanye West set list
KeyArena, April 16, 2008

Good Morning
I Wonder
Heard ‘Em Say
Through the Wire
Champion
Get ‘Em High
Diamonds from Sierra Leone
Can’t Tell Me Nothing
Flashing Lights
Spaceship
All Falls Down
Gold Digger
Good Life
Jesus Walks
Hey, Mama
Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey, sung by backup singer)
Stronger
Homecoming
Touch the Sky

Openers: Rihanna, N.E.R.D., Lupe Fiasco