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.
