Kanye West

After losing his mom only a week ago, hip hop star, Kanye West returned to the concert stage Saturday night in Paris, only to dramatically break down in tears, according reports. West, who performed a 60 minute set, attempted to introduce "Hey Mama" as a tribute to a sold-out crowd at Le Zénith in Paris, saying "this song is for my mother...." and could not get any further. (See the YouTube video.) "He said the word, 'Mother' and just couldn't go any further," Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire said. "A back-up singer, the DJ and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn't continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying while the band continued playing." After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire says, the audience of 5,000 reacted by offering calls of encouragement, which grew into applause. The band restarted the song, but West left the stage, returning after 10-15 minutes to conclude the concert with a rousing performance of "Stronger." "He was very nervous, seemed to have gathered himself up, and had a lot of energy," Magloire says. "He kept shouting out to the audience, 'I need you... I need you right now.' and the public was screaming back. It was magic."