Janet Jackson delivers the hits but leaves fans hungry for more - The Boston Globe

As astonishing as it was to hear Jackson steamroll more than 25 songs — from anthems (“What Have You Done for Me Lately’’) to ballads (“Let’s Wait Awhile’’) — you could not always shake the disappointment that they were shoehorned into brisk medleys.

At one hour and 45 minutes, the show’s fleet pacing condensed some of pop’s most enduring moments into two-minute trifles that never caught fire beyond a sing-along chorus. Not even “Escapade’’ got the full-on treatment.

Still, it was an evening to remember: her first Boston show since she came to town in 1998 for the “Velvet Rope’’ tour. The stakes are low. She has no current record label, and her most recent studio album was 2008’s “Discipline.’’

Jackson’s latest outing is a strange animal: a modest stage production (five-piece band, three back-up singers, six dancers, three costume changes, and no wardrobe malfunction) coupled with ambitious goals for the set list. Jackson is playing smaller venues, but that did not make the Wang more intimate.

via boston.com