The first real concert I went to was Janet Jackson’s. I saw the Janet tour. For those of that don't’ know, this is when she lost weight (allegedly by having ribs removed?) and was all about a crop top and being sexy. I’m guessing my mum didn’t know what the concert was about, or was just cool and knew that I was more into her hair than getting in her pants. (mothers ALWAYS know) That show was amazing and has always held a special place in my heart. I have continued to be a fan of Janet’s through the years. When her titty popped out and people turned on her, I stayed along for the ride. When she fell out of the media’s eye and married a rich dude, I still kind of hoped to myself that she would come back and snatch a couple wigs before hanging hers up.
SO just imagine my surprise when I saw that Miss Janet Damita Jo Jackson was not only giving us a new album but also a new tour?! I can’t quite remember my reaction, as I blacked out and woke out days later confused, and wearing a Rhythm Nation outfit and key earring. I decided that I was NOT going to let this concert pass without me being there on the floor. I’m too old for shitty seats, so I found a friend who was equally as excited and we got tickets during a presale.
A few months passed and yesterday the concert finally happened. I avoided all reviews and clips on social media so it would all be new to me. Luckily, I did research and figured out that there was no opening act, so I decided to not be Jamaican as hell and get to the concert on time. My uber apparently was unfamiliar with THE FUCKING AMWAY center and got us lost and cut into the cushion of time I had set aside. I got there a few minutes before 8 and was ready to be slayed.. Then I wasn’t. Unlike Justin Timberlake who started at 8pm SHARP, Damita Jo was like 39 minutes late. I forgave her, as there was a DJ who was playing nothing but Janet. Kind of risky for a concert that was sure to be about her catalogue, given her album hasn’t come out. Luckily for him, he was armed with a bunch of hot ass remixes that served to only add to my excitement.
The house lights went black and then the show began. There was an animation of birds/eagles flying around and Janet was talking. They played her “Oh I can’t believe what I saw when I turned on the TV, this evening…” from “Scream” and then she appeared behind the screen. Her iconic shadow appeared and whipped ALL of the gays into a tizzy. She launched into her high energy single “Burn”? which featured Missy Elliott via video screen. I don’t think anyone knew the song, but everyone was so hyped that they didn’t care. They were just happy to see the queen return to bless her subjects with her dance moves and her expertly laid weave.
Janet came out covered head to toe in white. She had on these exaggerated drop crotch pants, that I would probably make fun of on someone other than her. Her weave was from the “Janet” era and was just as amazing now as it was then. It was a complete 180 given her last album was about catsuits and bondage gear. I remember writing that she was starting to remind me of your old auntie who steals your forever 21 skirt and smokes your weed. Her overt sexuality felt like she was trying too hard. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Madonna) I was kind of waiting for her to rip off her something and expose some skin but that never happened. There was only a change from white to black, but Janet always remained covered. Funny enough, she looked amazingly radiant, and still sexy as hell. It just goes to show that less can be more, ladies. (and zestlemen..)
All white Janet gave us her upbeat set. “Escapade”, “Pleasure Principle” and “All 4 U” were all among this set. She literally smacked us all upside the head with hit after hit. I thought I didn’t know the lyrics to her hits from the 80s, but I was wrong. She’d start the lyric and I’d finish the WHOLE DAMNED SONG. She didn’t take any breaks. I was kind of hoping she’d slow it down as I was getting winded from performing so hard. Her dancing was ON POINT. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Bey stan, but watching Janet move reminded me that Bey can hit the choreography, but Janet is just such a smooth dancer. Even her vibing out to a song looked cooler than most artists out today.
All black Janet slowed down the tempo and gave us “Anytime Anyplace” “I Get So Lonely” and her latest single, “No Sleeep” (I still don’t get why we need extra the excess of e’s) I typically am not here for slow songs, but I was just as into the slow jams as I was her up tempos. J Cole (via video screen) made an appearance during the set and she even gave us a bit of their duet. It was funny because everyone around me was like “Oh, that’s right! I totally forgot about that song they had together!”
The show wrapped up, but not before we got “Rhythm Nation” and “If” and I lost my damned life. The show was everything I wanted: ALL the hits with a some new music sprinkled in. She sounded great, but I’m guessing she was lip synching for her life. Actually I caught her off at one point, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t there for her vocal acrobatics. Oddly enough her encore songs were two songs. Instead of her last moments on stage being about reminding us about her biggest hits, she took it to talk about social injustice. I found that very telling about the new era of Janet.
So announcing an arena tour for an album that is yet to be released is ballsy as fuck. Beyonce toured just cause she wanted to and did a few select songs. Janet hasn’t really been on the throne for a minute, so it was even riskier. I do think that Janet pulled it off expertly. I left being reminded of her greatness and excited to see what this next album has in store. Based off the wardrobe and the general vibe, this could really be another socially conscious album like “Rhythm Nation 1814” During that era, she was also covered up (more probably due to her body image issues) and it was more about talking about social issues. Whatever it is, I am here for it. I doubt it’ll be a commercial smash (once again, looking at Madonna more than Taylor Swift) but hey, that’s just the state of the world today. If you have the chance, I would strongly recommend this show. Hell, I am kind of pissed I didn’t buy Tampa tickets. Then again, I had to do some ho shit to pay for the floor seats I had for this show, but that’s for another blog post…
