Kanye West debuts 'Donda' in bizarre, wordless appearance in Atlanta

ATLANTA – A lone figure clad in reddish-orange walked slowly across the floor of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the words "We gonna be OK, we gonna be OK" intoning repeatedly over swelling organ chords in a sonic blast.

A haze of smoke pumped from machines stationed around the stadium floor, making the tiny figure even more difficult to discern.

As the venue lights dropped, a dim white light shone on Kanye West – who sometimes paced in a circle, sometimes trotted a few steps – as songs unfurled around him, the light contracting and expanding in various shapes.

And about 48 minutes later, he was gone.

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On Thursday night in downtown Atlanta, West presented the official unveiling of “Donda,” his long-awaited, oft-delayed 10th album, to a crowd of about 42,000 – a sellout for the event’s configuration. The album was scheduled to be released July 23, but ended up being delayed.

Some of the big names who attended the album's premiere included Rick Ross; 2Chainz; Khloe Kardashian; and the rapper's estranged wife, Kim Kardashian West, who showed up in a red jumpsuit with their kids, according to the Associated Press.

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West was, expectedly, late to his own party, finally appearing at 9:50 p.m. (start time was billed for 8 p.m.); the listening party was also streamed live on Apple Music.

Fans, who paid $20-$100 to attend, might have expected some semblance of excitement.

Or perhaps a few words from West.

Or…something…anything to make this night feel special?

But instead, they were presented with the new material, played very loudly over stadium speakers, as the light on the venue floor gradually expanded to a full rectangle that briefly flickered with a mysterious image.