This girl was on fire
Keys makes larger-than-life show feel like a ‘basement party’
Alicia Keys pulled a crowd of 73,660 Friday night at RodeoHouston. But, amid all obstacles, she managed to make things feel personal inside NRG Stadium.
“I feel like we’re having a really intimate, basement party tonight,” she said.
She worked hard to engage the crowd, stepping out from behind the piano to dance and command the crowd to clap along.
She strung together snippets of songs with full performances, creating a continuous flow of music.
The tunes themselves worked most of the magic.
Keys, who is currently shepherding young talent on “The Voice,” kicked off with the driving beat of “Karma.”
She was dressed in black leather and fringe, her hair pulled back into a tight braid that almost hit her waist.
She warmed up with “28 Thousand Days” and “You Don’t Know My Name.” The crowd noticeably riled up during “Unbreakable.” And the Prince-esque “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” was a lovely highlight.
The hourlong set included several songs from her arresting sixth album “Here,” released late last year. It’s a thoughtful rumination on humanity, race and womanhood.
“Pawn it All” was a booming standout that pushed her voice to new places. “Work On It” sparkled with old-school soul. Recent single “Blended Family” again coaxed her from behind the piano. “In Common” rode a pulsing tropical groove.
The one-two punch of “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” and “If I Ain’t Got You” was accompanied by lights from thousands of cellphones. Keys pulled out the gospel strains from both songs.
“Fallin’,” the song that introduced her to the world in 2001, elicited thunderous cheers after just the first few notes. Keys teased it out with showy, flexible vocals.
It was the perfect setup for a set-closing medley that included “Girl on Fire,” “No One” and “Empire State of Mind” (with a welcome lyrical switch up to name check Houston).
That Keys managed to make it feel intimate and larger than life all at once was no small feat.