I went to see Nelly Furtado the other night at Agganis Arena in Boston... Agganis is the performance center at Boston University, so it's one of the area's mid-sized venues. But it was perfect for Nelly!
I've looooved Ms. Furtado ever since her "Woah.. Nelly" days, when she came across as a barefoot, world-music hippie chick. It took me a while to warm up to her "new persona" when the album "Loose" came out. Like the rest of the world, I loved "Promiscuous," but I was also kind of suspicious... I was nervous she was "selling out" and losing her own sound just to get mainstream radio play. I mean after all, it barely seems that ANYone gets played on the radio now unless they have a guest rapper on their track. Am I right??
Aaanyway... once I got my hands on the actual album I felt much better. It's actually consistent with her earlier stuff, in that she once again takes her own sound and combines it with a specific genre... "Whoa... Nelly" combined her sound with pop and trip-hop... "Folk-Lore" (still my fave album from her!) combined it with folk music... and now "Loose" combines it with hip hop and a healthy dose of 80s new wave.
You've got to love the girl's style, and the fact that she's a credible musician who writes, produces, and plays most of her own music. PLUS, she's got an awesome voice... even though it can sound kind of nasally and pip-squeaky on her albums (sssh! you didn't hear me say that! :) ) the chick can BELT live.
Anyway, the show was amazing... after a brief introduction from the "Loose" track "Afraid," she opened the show with her last #1: "Say it Right." Then it was straight into my favorite performance of the night, "Turn off the Light." She was energetic, spunky, and on-point... though I have to say, her dancers were only OK. Of course, the dancers aren't really what a Nelly Furtado concert is about!
The show did slow down for a bit during a big ballad section, which I loved as a long time fan. It gave a chance to hear some non-singles, and it made me love her even more that - despite her recent success in the "hip hop crossover" world - she wasn't ready to forsake her own image. Although... the remixed version of "I'm Like a Bird" she performed kind of got on my nerves. That could have been such a "group singalong" moment in its original form! :-/
Here's the full set list from the show:
"Afraid" (intro)
"Say It Right"
"Turn off the Light"
"Powerless (Say What You Want)"
"Do It"
"Showtime" (slow version)
"Crazy" (Gnarls Barkley cover)
"In God's Hands"
"Try"
"All Good Things (Come to an End)" (featuring Reamonn)
"SexyBack" (Justin Timberlake cover performed by the band)
"Give It to Me" (featuring Saukrates)
"I'm Like a Bird (Remix)"
"Glow/Heart Of Glass"
"Força"
"Promiscuous" (featuring Saukrates)
Encore:
"Party/Baby Girl"
"No Hay Igual"
"Maneater"
Below is my video of the grand finale: "Maneater"
Enjoy! ;)
JADE
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