Still, as Jackson, 44, took to the stage Friday night, clad in a skin-tight black bodysuit with slicked back hair to sing her hit "Pleasure Principle," it was almost like no time had passed.
Jackson is in the midst of her 35-city "Number Ones: Up Close and Personal Tour," which included a two-night stop at Borgata's Event Center Friday and again tonight.
It's easy to forget just how many hits Jackson has - more than 30 global No. 1's - and it was a welcome change to watch an artist perform nothing but them. Jackson, who purposely chose more intimate venues for this tour, seemed to make an effort to keep the focus on the music. It showed, with her voice strong, and, more importantly, all-live (she has taken heat in the past for relying on backing tracks). The stage set was pared down, with just six backup dancers and nowhere near the amount of bells and whistles on her larger world tours of past years.All of that did make for a bit of a weaker-than-expected opening, however, as the stage choreography - something Jackson is famous for - seemed to initially reflect a singer who has slowed down a bit. Dance sequences for "Control," "What Have You Done For Me Lately," "Feedback" and, yes, "Nasty," were well executed, but simple.
But Jackson delivered on the moves later on, and it was worth the wait.
As the opening guitar riffs of Jackson's '90s hit "If" filled the arena, the energy seemed to instantly change. Jackson performed the classic choreography from the iconic music video - S&M-type moves and all - whipping the crowd into a frenzy. She kept up the pace through classic dance hits such as "Rhythm Nation" and "Scream," the duet recorded with her late brother, Michael.
Slow ballads are often a chance for a bathroom break, but Jackson's classic love songs were well paced and sounded fresh. Her voice sounded surprisingly strong for her hits "Come Back to Me," "Let's Wait a While" and "Again" - which got one of the bigger responses from the crowd.
Considering Jackson's catalog of hits, the show was relatively short - just one hour and 25 minutes - beginning about 50 minutes after the scheduled 8 p.m. start time and ending at 10:15 p.m. But she kept the audience banter to a minimum - just a few shouts to the crowd of "A.C.!" and "Do you want more?" - and took only two brief breaks. Fans were reminded of her acting chops during the first break, as clips from her hit television shows, "Good Times" and "Diff'rent Strokes" played, as well as scenes from past movies "Poetic Justice" and "For Colored Girls."
Jackson ended her show with a moving tribute to her brother Michael, wearing an all-white jumpsuit and singing her hit "Together Again" as family photos of the two of them flashed across the screen. As one particular childhood photo showed Michael and Janet, side by side and smiling, Jackson paused and looked up, eyes closed, seeming emotional.
"I'm not ashamed to tell the world, A.C., I miss you!" Jackson shouted to the cheering crowd.
For this show, it's safe to say the feeling was mutual.
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