Review: Janet Jackson brings her moves, hits to SPAC
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Janet Jackson brought both tunes and moves to the Spa City during her most recent appearance as part of the State of the World 2018 tour.
Choreography was at the core of the star’s local show Thursday evening at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs.
At 52 years old, Jackson can still hit all the steps of a spectacular stage show like the ones her family is so well known for, and the one she gave upstate New York fans this week.
Those fans were happy to hear classic Janet Jackson hits like “Escapade,” “Rhythm Nation” and “All for You,” all while enjoying the elaborate dance performance given by Jackson and her eight backup dancers known as the J Tribe.
Some parts of the set even seemed theatrical thanks to these talented dancers, most notably a sexy rendition of 1986 song “What Have You Done For Me Lately” and an intense version of “What About,” which confronts the issue of domestic violence.
Toward the end of the night Jackson showed photos of her father Joe Jackson, who passed away just last month, during her 1997 hit “Together Again.”
Michael Jackson, Janet’s brother, also showed up on the stage’s big screen during “Scream,” a song they released together in 1995.
Throughout her set, which was about 90 minutes long, Jackson was all about pleasing her fans, blowing kisses to them individually and sending them heart shapes with her hands. “I love you so much,” she told the crowd. She even made the extra effort to wave to show-goers as her tour bus exited the SPAC grounds, giving them one last goodbye.
Before leaving the SPAC stage, appropriately ending with her 1989 song “State of the World” off of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, the humble star left the audience with some part-
ing words. “Thank you for having us,” she said. “It’s all about love. We need more love.”
Along with playing her many pop hits, Jackson’s State of the World show is also making a statement. An intro video that played just before she appeared on stage touched on problems including school shootings, white privilege and unarmed black men being killed, leading the crowd to chant “We want justice” over and over before she came out with “The Skin Game,” a B-side she released in 1990.
Whatever compels her to keep performing, the Janet Jackson fans of the world are sure glad it does. After five decades in the public eye Jackson can certainly still entertain — while packing in a full house of fans at her shows — and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.