The typical Janet Jackson show is filled with lots of big-budget theatrics, colorful wardrobes and blinding pyrotechnics.
So, in that sense, Tuesday night's concert at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium wasn't your typical Janet Jackson show. It was a fairly stripped-down affair, comparatively tame in comparison to the extravaganza seen on the singer's previous swing through the Bay Area, during 2008's Rock Witchu Tour.
The Number Ones: Up Close and Personal Tour is exactly what it promises: It's Janet playing her biggest hits in a relatively intimate, and surprisingly uncluttered, setting.
There were no explosions or laser shows, nary a videotaped performance by a guest artist, and -- most shockingly -- zero costume changes. And, to be honest, I missed all the bells and whistles, which made Rock Witchu and other previous tours pure eye candy. But such is life in a down economy -- especially for an artist whose record and ticket sales have dropped off over the years.
The bottom line is that Jackson was brave enough to let her music do the talking at this show. Just how much one liked it had everything to do with one's opinion of the R&B/pop singer's songbook. She certainly has plenty of hit songs -- her latest release, 2009's "Number Ones," contains no less than 33 chart-toppers. But one could argue that no artist has had more mediocre, unmemorable "Number Ones" than Janet Jackson.
But those weren't the ones she hit the crowd with first. The 44-year-old singer opened the show with a triple shot from her quintuple-platinum third studio album, 1986's "Control."
Hearing Jackson jam from "The Pleasure Principle" into "Control" into "What Have You Done for Me Lately" was an explosive way to start the show. It was also, for better or worse, the concert's peak moment.
Jackson's vocals are always an issue in concert, since her tours are traditionally accompanied by charges of lip-syncing. And it is odd her often-light, whispery singing differs so greatly from her deeper speaking voice. Yet, moaning about lip-syncing at pop shows where the star "sings" while doing some pretty heavy aerobic routines is kind of like having an issue with cowboy hats at a country show.
Jackson certainly appeared to be singing at times, especially during the ballad segment, when she sat on a stool or calmly walked about the stage while charming the crowd with "Nothing," "Come Back to Me," "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Again."
As for her dancing, Jackson seems to have lost very little over the years. She had no problem keeping pace with a six-member dance crew, which consisted mainly of hoofers apparently half her age.
The dance squad helped spice up the visuals, but an even better distraction was a short video consisting of some of the highlights from Jackson's acting career. Included in the mix were scenes from the TV shows "Good Times" and "Diff'rent Strokes" and the film "Poetic Justice." Oddly, she left out footage from her role in "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" (had to have been an oversight).
The show ended in touching fashion as Jackson sang "Together Again," a song from 1997's "The Velvet Rope" that she's repositioned as an ode to brother Michael. As pictures of the two siblings flashed on the big screen in back of the stage, Jackson pointed up to the sky. The moment didn't feel rehearsed -- although I'm pretty confident it was. Instead it seemed like she was sharing something private, a rare chance to get "Up Close and Personal" with this megastar.
Read Jim Harrington's concert blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts. Follow him at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic.
via mercurynews.com
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