Kanye West stormed off the stage at the 2015 Pan Am Games Closing Ceremony in Toronto on Sunday night after chucking his microphone into the air and baffling his fans after an audio malfunction cut him off during his set.
West, 38, had been invited to rap during the closing ceremony as the headlining performer for the evening, despite a
petition against his performance, according to the New York Daily News. The rap superstar proved to be a controversial choice to more than 50,000 Canadians because he was deemed not to be “Canadian” enough for the ceremony celebrating the country’s record-setting 217-medal haul.
Despite the initial controversy, West had no other difficulties in ramping up the nearly 40,000 spectators crammed into Toronto’s Rogers Centre with an electrifying set that included hits “Stronger,” “Power,” and
“Black Skinhead,” according to The Canadian Press.
“Everyone in the arena, clap your hands like this,” West instructed the audience during his set, according to The Canadian Press. “We celebrating y'all tonight!”
Everything seemed to be going according to plan until West’s microphone cut off only 13 minutes into his performance, according to the New York Daily News. Although West’s lyrics could still be heard on broadcast television, the audience assembled at the closing ceremony heard nothing. That’s when West abruptly flung the microphone into the air and stormed off the stage, leaving the audience even more confused. The crowd shouted
“Kanye!” after his stage exit, according to The Vancouver Sun.
Fans and critics flocked to social media in the wake of West’s unusual performance:
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