Posted by The G on June 8, 2012 under Encounters with G, G Reviews | 
Photos by G.
Lana Del Rey on June 7, 2012 at Irving Plaza in New York
The last time Lana Del Rey played New York City, she made headlines across the world with a less than perfect performance on the TV show Saturday Night Live. She had a live performance redemption on June 7, 2012 at Irving Plaza for the first of 3 sold out shows. Lana-be’s (you’re welcome for that word!) from near and far gathered to watch the self-proclaimed “gangsta Nancy Sinatra” perform songs off her excellent album “Born to Die.”
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey took the stage at 10 PM after a tortuous set by the rap group Zebra Katz (who were pelted with ice after singing a nearly 15 minute song that repeated “Imma Read Dat Bitch”). The stage was like a mini jungle as there were trees and plants everywhere! Del Rey was backed by a 5 piece band that included a mini orchestral section (and no drummer).
Lana Del Rey
Lana wasted no time making the crowd freak out in delight as she opened with her mega-hit “Blue Jeans.” The crowd sang along to every word of the song (and nearly every song after). “The Body Electric” made its New York debut next and a video of that song will be coming soon so stay tuned! One of the lyrical highlights of that song is “Jesus is my bestest friend.” She sang the lyric “Let me fuck you hard in the pouring rain” during “Born to Die,” and that got some of the biggest cheers of the night.
Lana Del Rey
Over the course of the next 45 minutes, you could tell Lana is developing a better stage presence and she was showered with love by her fans. During many of the songs, fans held their hands out in hopes of Lana touching them and it reminded me of being at a Morrissey concert (and for those wondering, she obliged as often as possible).
Lana Del Rey
If I were to say something bad about the show (aside from Irving Plaza charging an extra $35 per head for an alleged “VIP section!!!), the downside was that the show only consisted of 10 songs, so many great tracks off “Born to Die” (such as “Radio,” “Off To The Races” and “Diet Mountain Dew”) were not played. It hardly seemed to matter to the legions of Lana-be’s who waited after the show to catch a glimpse of the goddess leaving the venue.
If you’ll recall, I met Lana Del Rey prior to her album being released, and at that time she was extremely nice. Now that she’s even more famous, has the fame gone to her head? The answer and the set list – after the jump.
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Tags: 2012, First Night, Geoffrey Dicker, Images, Irving Plaza, June 7, Lana Del Rey, Lizzie Grant, New York, Photos, Pictures, Review, Set List, What Time Does She Go On
Posted by The G on May 3, 2011 under G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Kylie Minogue
In 2009, when Kylie Minogue performed her first tour in the US, I left her show thinking it was one of the better shows I’d seen that year. 2 years later, Kylie Minogue is back with her Aphrodite Les Foiles Tour and it’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in 2011. Playing the first of 3 nights at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, Kylie hit the stage at a very early 8:30 PM. Gone from this tour, were Pink Floyd worthy laser lights and instead replaced with a mythological stage set up that included a golden chariot, a marble statue and a bunch of dancers with amazing bodies who all wore very little.
Kylie!
Kylie played so many hits in remixed versions including a rock version of “Can’t Get You Outta My Head,” a swing version of “Slow” (that finally gave way to a dance version by the end of the song) and also sang an acoustic/dance version of “The Locomotion,” - at the request of the audience. Also played were her classics such as “Better the Devil You Know,” “”I Believe In You,” “Spinning Around,” “On A Night Like This,” “Wow,” “The One” and “In My Arms.” She also focused on playing material for her latest album “Aphrodite,” including “All The Lovers,” “Get Outta My Way” and “Put Your Hands Up,” which saw the entire Hammerstein Ballroom doing just that! Kylie also did 2 covers: Eurythmics’ “There Must Be An Angel Playing With My Heart” (and a video of that is coming soon, so stay tuned) and Prefab Sprout’s “If You Don’t Love Me.”
Put Your Hands Up (if According2g.com is your favorite website)
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Tags: 2011, Aphrodite Les Foiles Tour, First Night, Hammerstein Ballroom, Images, Kylie Minogue, May 2, New York, Opening Night, Photos, Review, Set List, What Time Does She Go On
Posted by The G on March 19, 2011 under G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Janet Jackson
On March 18, 2011, Janet Jackson played her first of 3 sold out shows at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The doors opened at 7, and the teenage R&B/hip-hop group Mindless Behavior played a 25 minute set starting at 8 pm. At 9:25 PM, the lights went down and 2of Janet’s music videos were played (“The Best Things in Life Are Free” and “Rhythm Nation”). Apparently, in every city on her “Up Close and Personal Tour,” Janet is dedicating songs to each city (read: 10 minutes of filler). Though she’s noticeably heavier than she used to be, she still has the moves. Once the show began, it was a non-stop dance party.
Is Janet Here?
In typical Janet Jackson concert fashion, there were several outfit changes, lots of dancers, cool visuals on the screens behind the stage, tons of lip-synching and truncated versions of almost every song. With that being said, Janet Jackson has so many great songs and she did her best to play as many hits as possible. How can you not love a concert where you hear “Pleasure Principle,” “Nasty,” “Control,” “Rhythm Nation,” “Miss You Much,” “That’s The Way Love Goes,” “If,” “Again,” “All For You” and “Feedback” and all in under an hour and 45 minutes!
Janet Jackson - In Control
Two video montages were shown during the concert (one of all of Janet’s looks throughout the years and one of her acting – from Good Times to Poetic Justice) and Janet also paid tribute to her brother Michael by playing the number one single “Scream.” Speaking of screams, the loudest screams of the night were heard during that song. One thing that can be said about seeing Janet Jackson in concert: you won’t walk away feeling like she phoned it in. She always gives it all she’s got and I think it’s safe to say, she sent 4,500 people dancing away into the night with smiles on their faces.
A video of “If / Scream / Rhythm Nation” will be coming soon. Stay tuned. See the set list after the jump.
Janet Jackson
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Tags: 2011, First Night, Images, Janet Jackson, March 18, New York, Photos, Radio City Music Hall, Review, Set List, Up Close and Personal Tour, What Time Does She Go On
