Nelly Furtado:
Getting Loose
June 12, 2007, Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, IL, United States
by Jackie Lee King with photos by Rob Grabowski
.
Nelly Furtado is what you get when you cross the border of Canada via Portugal
into Los Angeles searching for Hip Hop, peppered with percussive break
beats; a truly exotic experience. Yeah…I know, thanks for the Geography
lesson, but I like to keep things loose; kind of like how she does on tour;
and whoa Nelly, does she know how to go retro.
The staging for the concert looked like an updated version of what Miami
Sound Machine (Gloria Estefan) may have been touring with back in the
80's. Trust me, the rhythm is gonna get ya. At the beginning of the show
the largest disco ball that I have ever seen descends from the rafter,
and upon touching down on the second level of stairs, rises to reveal a
stunning Furtado telling the audience to "Say It Right." She sauntered
down middle of two flights of brightly painted white stairs with band members
flanking each side staircase on both levels. The entire backdrop of the
stage is a shimmer curtain made up of video projection lights that interplay
with the lighting effects of the disco ball; it's very trippy!
Pulling from all three of her releases (Whoa Nelly, Folklore and
Loose), Furtado treated fans to multi-facetted show that mixed dace
hits with sultry ballads effortlessly. Furtado even threw in a cover of
Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back", the latter
of which was performed by the band while in the midst of one of her 5 costume
changes. It may sound tacky, but it really worked and kept the party going.
What also kept the flow of the show going were the four dancers whose skills
ranged from Ballet to Krumpin, with the most impressive choreography happening
during the song "Showtime."
Some of the more memorable musical moments were in her blending of songs
and styles in creating a live remix feeling during the show. She performed
an updated version of "I'm Like A Bird" which took on a more bass and earthy
tone, but still had wings. Later on Furtado had a 'conversation' with her
drummer: a percussion and vocal duet that incorporated two of Nelly's songs
"Party/No Hay Igual," resulting in mass approval from the audience. She
also put a spin on Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and mixed it with her own
song "Glow," keeping alive the retro vibe.
She also performed the very touching "Try"
and the triumphant "Forca" with clear purity that that both touched and
inspired many an audience member. She just knows how to say it right in
concert.
This was a concert that embraced so many musical genres, that there is
no doubting her international star status. Furtado isn't uptight when it
comes to blending things. She's a sultry "Maneater" (her triumphant closing
song) that has more substance than other pop princess contemporaries.
Set List
1. "Say It Right"
2. "Turn Off The Light"
3. "Powerless (Say What You Want)"
4. "Do It"
5. "Wait For You"
6. "Showtime"
7. "Crazy" (Cover of Gnarls Barkley)
8. "In God's Hands"
9. "Try"
10. "All Good Things (Come To An End)"
11. "Sexy Back" (Cover of Justin Timberlake)
12. "Give It To Me"
13. "I'm Like A Bird"
14. "Glow/Heart Of Glass"
15. "Forca"
16. "Promiscuous"
17. "Te Busque"
18. "Party/No Hay Igual"
19. "Maneater"
  
  
Links
Preview
and Purchase Nelly's CDs Online
Visit
the official homepage
More
articles for this artist
tell
a friend about this review
.
...end |
