The Edmonton Journal
When it comes to Beyonce,
Edmontonians should perhaps consider themselves very lucky.
Lucky that the “bootylicious” superstar even decided to grace an Edmonton stage again after her last turn at Rexall Place in 2007 only drew a crowd of 7,800 people, but even luckier that Beyonce would
launch her brand new tour supporting her latest album, I Am … Sasha Fierce, in the City of Champions.
Whether it was a momentous occasion or just an opportunity to work out the kinks in front of a “modest” audience — because, once again, only 8,000 fans turned out — will be left for those who attended to decide.
If Beyonce’s first outing on her I Am tour was no major disappointment, it was still a somewhat muddled affair, one that didn’t clear up where the line between Beyonce and her “alter ego” Sasha Fierce is drawn.
If Beyonce is the soft-spoken side and Sasha is the brazenly hyper-confident persona, the whole concept never really spread its wings properly Thursday night at Rexall.
Opening with some momentous numbers — Beautiful Nightmare and Crazy In Love, which were peppered with touches of Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, DJ Kool’s Let Me Clear My Throat and The J.B.’s Pass The Peas — you would have thought Sasha was already in the house.
Add a rump-shaking Freakum Dress and, three songs in, Beyonce — ahem, Sasha Fierce — was already in full-blown party mode, shaking her golden sequined, bow-clad tush and flailing her hair about wildly.
If only it had stayed that way.
The quieter, more introspective segment that followed was a collection of moments ranging from mildly corny (Ave Maria and an awkward onstage wedding gown transformation) to supremely boring (Satellite).
Apparently, we were still in “Beyonce” mode. If it took a few moments for Beyonce — uh, Sasha — to regain her mojo, she did manage to pull it off with the help of her 13 musicians and backup singers, a slew of dancers and harder-hitting material like Halo, Irreplaceable, Survivor and At Last.
It wasn’t always perfect, and it did feel like the show dragged on for a tad too long before it finally got to the smashtacular Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Figured…all her shows seem to be the same. She needs to re-invent her style or something…looks like Beyonce Experience pt. 2.
Beyonce puts a ring on Rexall
By MIKE ROSS, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA
Why on Earth would Beyonce choose Edmonton to be the first date of her new world tour?
Two words: Paid rehearsal. If something went wrong at Rexall Place last night, who cares? It’s Edmonton. Work out the kinks in the hinterland before upcoming dates in places like Vienna, Prague, Paris and London. Makes sense, doesn’t it? It may also explain the “no media” rule in force at the show last night. You wouldn’t want some kind of bootylicious wardrobe malfunction on the front page of the Edmonton Sun, would you? Or maybe you would.
Well, anyway, media ban or not, we can still buy a ticket – lots were available – and review the show. One word here: Spectacular.
I don’t know what she was worried about, if indeed she was. There were no kinks, not a single bad note or missed cue was evident. Drawing just 8,000 fans, far less than is expected at Britney Spears in two weeks, the show had all the high-production bells and whistles you’d expect from the African-American queen of all media. As with her tour in 2007, there was also the extra-large all-girl band, the phalanx of backup dancers drilled in the latest artful choreography, songs spanning a remarkable career – solo and with Destiny’s Child – in a wide range of musical styles, not to mention a remarkable vocal range, and of course the riveting presence of the star herself.
The tour is called I Am … to support her latest double album I Am … Sasha Fierce. So in addition to seeing Beyonce’s alter-ego (that would be Sasha Fierce), which as far as I can tell is just the uptempo side of this ridiculously gifted artist, we can fill in the blanks in that loaded ellipsis at will. I Am … the new Tina Turner. I Am … one hell of a singer. I Am … blessed with a great butt. And so on. Sure, it’s a bit of a self-centred title for a tour, but in what was basically a celebration of all things Beyonce, who else would you want in the spotlight the entire time? Her image – in one revealing costume after another – filled the video screens. Her voice filled the arena. The extra-large all-girl band filled the spaces between, buying time for costume changes.
There was little that was subtle about this show, but some of the Canadian musical homages were appreciated – like a snippet from Sarah McLachlan in her a version of Ave Maria, or a blast from Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know in If I Were a Boy, the latter seeing Beyonce decked out in some armour-plated get-up like Aunty Entity in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome. Like I said, she’s the new Tina Turner.
You might also quibble with some of the robotic wrinkles that weighed down the second half of the concert, though the flying through the air routine was entertaining in a Cirque du Soleil sort of way.
Beyonce can sing traditional R&B if she wants. She proved it late last night – wailing on the Etta James classic At Last, which she performed for the inauguration of U.S president Barack Obama.
There weren’t a lot of traditional R&B moments like that last night. Based on the new material, she seems more interested in reinventing the wheel and doesn’t seem clear on which way she’s going to go. With talent like this, it could be anywhere. It just doesn’t have to be everywhere.
The audience, which was forced to wait in the concourse for a full half hour while the band finished its soundcheck, got shafted on the opening act. It was just a mere four songs from 2006 Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila. She even seemed to forget the words to her own latest minor hit, from her second, album: Damned, as in “damned if I do, damned if I don’t.” There’s a message in there somewhere.
