Electrifying, Energetic, Mesmerizing,
Touching and Fresh are but a few words which best describe the sold out May 9th show, of the incomparable talent that is Miss Janelle Monáe.
Wheeled out onto an all white stage
wearing a straight jacket, Janelle started
the roughly 1.40 minute set with 'Give Em What They Love', 'Q.U.E.E.N'
and 'Electric Lady', effortlessly holding her own on each duet in
the absence of featured artist's Prince, Erykah Badu and Solange
Knowles...instantaneously going for the jugular!
I can’t remember the
exact order of the set list as I was too pulled into the Magic Bubble to keep a
mental note but, I know for sure it continued a little something like this;
‘Dance Apocalyptic’
‘Sincerely Jane’ (my
wish answered!)
‘Tightrope’- which
served as its own tribute to James Brown, concluding with her being caped like
the Master himself
‘Cold War’ - prior to
which she made a heartfelt gesture for the #BringBackOurGirls movement by holding
up and handing out numerous large placards with the slogan written in black ink
‘I Want You Back’
& ‘ABC’- in tribute to the Great MJ which she performed exactly as it was
done by he and his brothers on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1970
‘Come Alive (The War Of The Roses)’
- during which she ‘died’ only to be resurrected by the music of course!
‘Let’s Go Crazy’ - which I did because I LOVE
me some Prince dahhhling’s
‘Primetime’ – where her voice
just emanated as she held her own yet again without featured artist Miguel
‘Many Moons’ (a pleasant
surprise)
‘What An Experience’ – the finale
during which tonnes of silver confetti was shot from the ceiling, with enough
landing on me to keep a handful for the memories lol
Not once during the
show did Janelle’s energy wane and her interaction with the crowd was
simply A-mazing. A lucky few were able to get their hands on some of the
placards and pillows which were thrown out into the audience by some of her
crew. At one point those standing were instructed to ‘get low’ and let’s just
say they were all passengers on the Slow Train! With those of us on the balcony
chanting for them to ‘get low’, Janelle was akin to an unrelenting task master,
who would not surrender to defeat and boldly climbed over the barrier, ventured
a few feet deep into the crowd, armed with
nothing more than beautiful adlibs and simple hand gestures, until the
crowd had done as instructed. To say those closest to her were in awe is an
understatement. All I could think, was
‘D*mn she’s brave. They better behave & not hurt her!’ That thought also
stood when she defied the Academy’s rule and proceeded to crowd surf lol
Unselfishly, she also introduced each
of her super talented band members, allowing them turns to shine and boy were
they tight! My other favourite thing about the
excellent performance though, was how Janelle paid tribute to some of the music
Titans who laid the groundwork for her. Whether it was Moonwalking like MJ with
or without the mic-stand, shuffling from one side of the stage to the other
like James Brown, gliding on one foot like Jackie Wilson, strutting like a
chicken Chuck Berry style or scatting Cab Calloway's 'Minnie The Moocher', I believe she made
them all proud. Not to mention, akin to the Soul Diva’s of yesteryear, she
showcased her femininity ever so subtly with nothing but 100% Authentic Class.
Homegirl was in those Black & White ‘fits!
Although one of my favourite artists of
the 21st century so far, Friday marked the first time that I‘ve
witnessed The Electric Lady herself live (I musta been sleeping during her past
UK vists!) and she was worth every penny and then some.
I will definitely be checking for all of
her future live shows...hands down the real Hardest Working Woman In Show Business!
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