A globe at the center of the show
Ye began Saturday night's "Ye Live" performance with "King," appearing in oversized gray clothing, black boots and a covering that concealed his entire head. He kept his remarks brief throughout the evening, directing fans to jump or raise their hands rather than offering speeches or personal stories.
The Giant World Globe Stage placed the audience around a dome instead of in front of a conventional stage. Earth imagery and shifting colors moved across its surface, with lasers reaching different parts of the stadium as part of a production designed for 360-degree viewing.
For concertgoer Rico, a DJ, the visuals followed the music from the opening number through the finale. "The globe design was the coolest part," he said. His assessment of the sound was less enthusiastic: it occasionally sounded rough, though he recognized the difficulty of covering a venue of that size.
Ino Imran heard the show from Category 2B and found the audio generally clear. He said nearby speakers sometimes produced overlapping vibrations.
Older songs lead the singalongs
"Ni**as in Paris," Ye's 2011 collaboration with Jay-Z from Watch the Throne, drew an exuberant response, accompanied by lasers and pyrotechnics. "Heartless" offered a different moment of audience participation: Ye repeated the chorus with the crowd, then thousands of fans sang the refrain without instrumental backing.
The set also revisited "Gold Digger," "All Falls Down" and "Through the Wire," songs associated with the soul samples and personal lyrics of Ye's early career. His Estelle collaboration, "American Boy," shifted the sound toward R&B-pop.
Ino, a fan since Ye's 2004 debut album, The College Dropout, had not seen him perform since that year. He expected more recent music to dominate the Jakarta set, making the return of so many familiar older songs a welcome surprise.
Later selections included "All of the Lights," "Flashing Lights" and "Ghost Town." The outdoor show remained rain-free, and Ye saved "Runaway" for the close. After disappearing inside the globe, he returned minutes later with a small piano. Fireworks accompanied the song's opening notes, and fans joined in as he performed.
An international audience
Jakarta was the only Southeast Asian stop on the "Ye Live Concert Tour 2026," whose itinerary also includes the United States, Kazakhstan and Portugal. Organizer Raw Vision Collective said it had confirmed more than 20,000 international visitors and about 30,000 domestic attendees. Overseas fans came from countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, Japan, the UK and Germany.
The estimated attendance was below Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium's approximate capacity of 77,000. The venue is described as the region's third-largest stadium.
Before the concert, Raw Vision Collective Chief Marketing Officer Karen Tjahja claimed the show had set an Indonesian record for international attendance at a single concert. In an interview published by Rolling Stone Philippines on Oct. 9, she said it was the first time overseas concertgoers had exceeded 5 to 9 percent of an Indonesian concert audience.
Tickets started at Rp 1.875 million for the least expensive seated category and reached Rp 9.85 million for VIP East and West seats, excluding taxes and service fees. Super Fans Festival standing tickets cost Rp 5.85 million, while Festival A and B were Rp 3.5 million. Seated tiers included CAT 1 at Rp 4.875 million, CAT 2 at Rp 3.875 million and CAT 3 at Rp 2.875 million.
Jobs and spending estimates
Rico and Ino both wanted stronger support for major international concerts, citing their ability to attract visitors and spending from abroad. "I hope more exclusive concerts will be held in Indonesia," Ino said.
Raw Vision Collective estimated that staging the show would involve around 5,000 Indonesian workers. That forecast covered stage construction, sound and lighting technicians, LED and video screen crews, logistics and transport drivers, along with security, health, ushering and cleaning staff. It referred to event-related work, not the creation of permanent jobs.
On Oct. 25, Jakarta's provincial government said the concert and the myBCA Jakarta Running Festival 2026 could together generate more than Rp 150 billion in economic activity. The two events took place in the Gelora Bung Karno area over Oct. 24-25. The figure was a government expectation, not a measured result.
At a Sept. 15 press conference about the concert, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung reported 8.82 million domestic tourist visits and 1.04 million foreign tourist visits during the first half of 2026. He said the figures represented an 8.17 percent increase over the same period a year earlier.
Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana pointed to the ministry's "Event by Indonesia" program as evidence that international-scale concerts can create value beyond the performances. From January through July 2026, the program supported 105 events that attracted more than 6.47 million visitors and involved more than 11,000 micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as more than 184,000 artists and community participants. The ministry estimated their economic activity at Rp 1.09 trillion, or about US$61.6 million.
Concert tourism across the region
Jakarta is competing with other Asian cities for major touring productions. Regional estimates illustrate the scale of the concert-tourism market: Singapore's six Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows in 2023 were estimated to generate as much as US$500 million in tourism-related revenue, while Coldplay's six Singapore performances in 2024 were estimated to contribute S$96 million.
Thailand, meanwhile, plans to invest more than 2 billion baht, about US$61.5 million, to host Belgium's Tomorrowland festival for five years beginning in 2026.
