Opening Show Review

Rising star actually deserves hype

By GEMMA TARLACH of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff
July 3, 2002

Alicia Keys the marketing concept is almost too good to be true. Alicia Keys the concert performer is even better.

Keys’ show Tuesday at the Marcus Amphitheater, the opening date on her first national tour headlining large venues, solidified her status not only as Miss Thang, but also as that rare rising star who actually deserves all her hype.

One can only imagine the shiver that ran down hit-maker Clive Davis’ spine when he came across Keys, now 21, when she was still a teenager. Musically gifted as both a vocalist and pianist, with songwriting skills beyond her years, physically stunning and oozing charisma, a seamless fusion of classic soul and streetwise sass, Keys is the total package, a record executive’s dream.

In June 2001, Keys’ debut disc, “Songs in A Minor,” arrived on the charts at No. 1 via Davis’ J Records and much marketing fanfare.

Both the “TRL” crowd and their parents couldn’t seem to get enough of Keys’ lush songs of heartbreak and hope, such as the ubiquitous “Fallin’.” In February, the native New Yorker took home an armload of Grammys for the album.

Fortunately for the Marcus crowd, Keys wears all that commercial and critical success as easily as her signature sequined fedoras.

Emerging onto a set made to look like a Manhattan block party, Keys led her band through “Rock Wit U,” stretching the celebratory anthem into a loose jam. The free-flowing opener was a sign of things to come - throughout her 100-minute set, Keys blended several of her songs into medleys and tossed in covers that ranged from The Jackson 5’s “ABC” to a funked-up “Light My Fire.”

With only one album to her credit, Keys smartly made the most of her 13-piece band’s formidable musicianship. Besides the frequent jams - an instrumental buildup to the encore “Fallin’ ” seemed almost as long as the song itself - the show was bulked up with some Janet Jackson-style dance numbers and a lengthy musical “showdown” pitting Keys’ DJ, DJ Iroc, and rapper Freak Nasty against the rest of her band while Keys changed costumes.

While the powerful anthem “A Woman’s Worth” and a playful cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” were among the biggest crowd-pleasers, the evening’s arguable highlight came when Keys was seated alone onstage with just her piano in front of a starry backdrop.

Armed with only her clarion-clear, soulful voice and dextrous fingers, Keys let loose on a medley that included “Butterflyz” and “Caged Bird,” her artistry adding an exclamation point to the statement that she has arrived.

A Summerfest spokeswoman said Keys’ tour organizers did not provide an explanation for the no-show of originally announced opening act Musiq. Last-minute fill-in Slum Village was a poor substitute for Musiq’s new-school Philly soul.

Like poufy seafoam bridesmaid’s dresses, the rap trio’s sole purpose seemed to be not to detract from the star attraction.

http://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/music/jul02/56387.asp