This weekend, with two sold out shows at London’s O2 Arena, Janet Jackson proved that she is every bit the pop legend. There are few stars who have the power to get an entire arena on their feet – I saw Beyoncé at the O2 in 2014 and even she had to ask that people get up and dance. For Jackson, from the moment the lights went down, the crowd was up.
Five voguers opened the show, dressed to the nines in full Thom Browne tailoring; the endlessly cool New York designer tapped by Jackson to provide costumes for her tour. Slowly, the curtain lifted to unveil the American icon, cloaked by a billowing coat which was soon whipped off to reveal a sparkling, monochrome jumpsuit. Opening euphorically by teasing us with dance tracks Night, 2nite, Slolove and Rock With U, all in quick succession, the 58-year-old didn’t hesitate to deliver the sharp choreography that we know and love.
Her vocals, that dulcet falsetto that is immediately associated with the Jackson family, were simply pristine. Almost mind-blowingly identical to the recordings, if not better. And to make it even more impressive, not once did she appear out of breath. Her stamina, dance abilities and vocal control make it easy to see why Jackson is the blueprint for so many performers today. She set the bar in the early Eighties and there are very few who have come close to it since.
After the hot, fast pacing of All Nite (Don’t Stop), she took things down a notch for the grooving lull of No Sleep – “I just want you to vibe with me for just a little bit”, she told the crowd. Next came a double-whammy that no one was quite prepared for. Got ‘Til It’s Gone had the entire O2 chanting the lyrics “Joni Mitchell never lies”, before being interrupted by 1993 classic That’s the Way Love Goes. Ending part one of the two and a half hour show, Jackson declared: “I know everybody in the building knows this one,” segueing into Love Will Never Do (Without You).
Following the first of several outfit changes, Jackson reemerged sporting a glittering kilt to the sound of more hit singles – to say she has many would be an understatement. What Have You Done for Me Lately was followed by Nasty, which received one of the loudest cheers of the night.
And yet, that seemed quiet when compared to the ruckus that erupted from the opening notes of All For You, Feedback and Rhythm Nation. She added a prop to her choreo during Son of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) twirling around the stage threateningly with a baseball bat. Meanwhile, another highlight was the lap dance she performed alongside her dancers during I Get Lonely.
She added a growl to her vocals as she burst into the opening verse of Scream, her infamous duet with brother Michael. One of the best music videos of all time, it’s no wonder that it played on screens behind her while the crowd went wild.
Her encore included two tracks, Whoops Now and the title track for her world tour, Together Again. Following the news of her brother Tito Jackson’s death less than a fortnight ago, the lyrics – “Cause I can see your star shinin' down on me” – were particularly emotional. By the end of the night, we were left with tears down our cheeks, sore feet and only a raspy whisper of a voice. For this show, it was so worth it.
