Is a $55 plate of unsatisfactory food worth a free Kanye West concert?
The people have spoken ... and they can't quite agree.
When West, the rapper-turned-Christian gospel performer who just happens to be married to Kim Kardashian West, announced he was bringing his iconic Sunday Service concert series to Bethany Church, fans flocked to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. But when those who purchased $55 tickets to attend the VIP brunch (aptly coined "Brunchella") on Friday night received a cold plate of breakfast food, many were unimpressed.
West's praise-and-worship-style performance first became open to the public at Coachella Music Festival earlier this year on Easter. Previously, it was held as an invite-only event in his home. With the artist's recent release of his first gospel album "Jesus Is King," West has taken his unique service on the road.
On Oct. 30, Bethany Church in Baton Rouge announced it would host West for a free outdoor concert on Friday. Tickets for the concert itself were free, but attendees were able to purchase a brunch ticket for $55, according to the church's Instagram account. The upgrade included a breakfast-for-dinner meal before the 6 p.m. concert and another option for VIP spots beside West's choir for $99, according to the church's pastor, Jonathan Stockstill, who spoke at the event.
But news of the less-than-hearty meal has trumped West's actual performance.
The spread, which included pancakes, two thin strips of bacon, a sausage patty and grits, has been compared to the infamous boxed lunch with slices of bread and cheese that disappointed concert-goers at Fyre Festival.
Some folks thought it was a rip off.
Others were shocked by the beverage display.
However, for Stockstill, the event was really about West performing the word of God for the community, not the food.
"That event was an amazing world-class event. Kanye basically underwrote the cost of the whole event. It was one of the coolest, most amazing things I've ever experienced. The big thing is that Kanye paid for a big concert and people loved it," Stockstill told TODAY.
Both the pastor and a spokesperson from Lauryn's FIne Catering, which was reportedly hired 28 hours before the event, clarified that the brunch option was set up and priced by the organizers, Affiliate Nations Events. Neither Bethany Church nor West accepted any money for hosting or performing the concert. Approximately 10,000 people were in attendance, 7,000 of whom experienced the show for free.
Now, it looks like many are willing to give West a pass on the meal. One of the first social media users whose limp pancake photo went viral asked people to "leave Ye alone" in a new post.
According to many of West's devoted fans, a $55 breakfast was totally worth the squeeze — even if the OJ wasn't.
