Janet Jackson’s last few albums haven’t exactly been huge sellers or spawned memorable hits, but at the Mandalay Bay Events Center this past Friday, she treated all of her releases more or less equally, packing 37 songs into a career-spanning two-hour-and-15-minute show that was a bit dizzying and unwieldy. It was part of Jackson’s first tour in seven years, so her fans were eager to hear anything she wanted to perform, but the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach meant that classics like “Escapade,” “Control” and “That’s the Way Love Goes” got about as much attention as obscure tunes from the largely forgotten albums that Jackson released as a teen.
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That many songs in that amount of time also meant that nearly everything was compressed into a medley, with few songs getting the breathing room they deserved. The production around the songs, though, was top-notch, with impressive, lively choreography and an energetic, tireless performance from Jackson, who was as active as her back-up dancers. A few between-song videos, including one in which Jackson, looking like a cross between her brother Michael and the Emperor from Star Wars, rasped, “Obey me,” were baffling, but overall the stage setup was striking without being excessive.
With maybe half as many songs given the proper care in a slightly shorter show, the accomplished production could really have done justice to Jackson’s music, rather than just pushing it along at a breakneck pace.
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