Kanye West to play South by Southwest

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

A hot-shot wild card will show up with a mysterious gig at this week’s South by Southwest 2011.

It was looking as if the music industry conference in Austin, Texas, was going to be left to a strange cluster of ’80s has-beens: Duran Duran, the Bangles, even Men Without Hats — and Bob Geldof, who is Thursday’s keynote speaker. But over the weekend, Kanye West announced a gig at 11:59 p.m. Saturday at the apex of the Texas event.

West last appeared at SXSW in 2009, playing a two-hour showcase at a party sponsored by a clothing company and music magazine. He did songs from his new album “808s and Heartbreak,” and he was joined by great guests such as English soul singer Mr. Hudson; rappers Consequence, Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Tony Williams (his cousin); fellow Chicagoans Leonard “GLC” Harris, Really Doe and Common, and neo-soul great Erykah Badu.

The Sun-Times’ Music Via Chicago blog at blogs.suntimes.com/music will be full of SXSW news and reviews the rest of the week.

Thomas Conner, pop music critic