BRISTOW, Va. – All Janet Jackson needs to do is look fierce and snap, “gimme a beat,” and everything falls into place.
At the 13th of the 37 shows she’ll perform during her Together Again tour, Jackson maintained her hallmark precision throughout a nearly two-hour reminiscence of her 40-year career. It is a production choreographed by every definition, with five acts and an encore, 34 songs – though many are carved into medleys – and casual-cool fashion statements.
The 20,000-plus packing every inch of Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater in northern Virginia on Saturday didn’t seem fazed by the bass-heavy mix that rendered some vocals inaudible. They just wanted to marvel at Jackson, who turns 57 on May 16, as she slithered her hips, squared her shoulders and invited the audience to head bob along with her.
Here are some highlights from Jackson’s first tour in four years.
Janet Jackson packs the smashes into Act 2
Against a stark white backdrop with swirled black accents, Jackson and her dance troupe rolled through hits from Jackson’s first No. 1 pop album, 1986’s Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced “Control.”
The tour version of “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” offered an incessant bass line that pumped with shades of Madonna’s “Vogue.” Jackson’s dancers reproduced some of the most memorable moves from the song’s video (the backward hand wave still sends a message), while she saved her toughest moves – taut elbow snaps and rapid knee knocks – for “Nasty.”
Though Jackson didn’t talk much throughout the show, she reminded the crowd that “When I Think Of You,” performed with flirty cutesiness, was her first No. 1 hit.
In her black pants and white top with symmetrical black stripes, Jackson grinned as she used a chair as a dance prop during “Control,” which dripped with finger-snapping sass.
The second half of Act 2 was dedicated to Jackson’s balladry, and she finally took a breather and sat while she sang. Her voice – which wasn’t often heard too robustly during the show – was light and pretty during “Again.” After holding a long note toward the end of the ballad, Jackson teared up, putting her hand over her eyes as she tried to finish the song. Her emotion seemed prompted both by her ability to hit the challenging note and the crowd’s rapturous response.
Janet Jackson is performing rarely performed songs on tour
The first hint that Jackson’s show is going to span far beyond her dozens of hits comes with the strains of music heard onstage – “Damita Jo,” the title track of her 2004 album that isn’t heralded as often as her MTV-era work.
During Act 3, Jackson mentions that one of the joys of her current live performances is the ability to “play songs that I haven’t played on tour before.”
Fans didn’t seem to expect an appearance from “Throb,” a track from her 1993 eponymous album, or a medley that included “Girlfriend/Boyfriend” – Jackson’s 1999 collaboration with Blackstreet – and “Do It 2 Me,” from 2006’s “20 Y.O.” release.
The hip-hop dance track “So Excited,” also from “20 Y.O.” was mostly ignored on radio upon its release but found a home in the clubs. The crowd’s reaction indicated that many of them were hardly unfamiliar with it.
Janet Jackson makes several fashion statements
For her opening act, Jackson opts for a regal look of a gold body suit accented with a purple sash to match her backup dancers. Of course, she wears her patented headset throughout the night and also dons a lengthy high ponytail that bounces with her every step.
When Jackson gets rolling in Act 3 with a fizzy rendition of “All For You,” she bops around the stage, all writhing hips and shuffling feet, in a hot pink jumpsuit accented with green plaid.
And by the Act 4 hit parade that includes “Miss You Much” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” Jackson comes down from a raised platform sporting a black hooded cape and a black shirt emblazoned with Rhythm Nation – fitting, since, of course, this is the segment that wraps with “Rhythm Nation,” her sharp-edged social commentary from 1989’s “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814,” her most formidable album.
Live, live, live
