By Richard Harrington
Janet Jackson was Action Jackson as she opened her U.S. tour at the sold-out MCI Center last night. From the sinuous opening invitation to step behind "The Velvet Rope" to the buoyant but socially informed finale of "Together Again," Jackson was in total control, a dancing dynamo at the center of lockstep choreography that gave a decidedly videomatic sweep to so many of her songs. There were costume changes, set changes, mood swings and energy surges, but the prevailing, unifying spirit was upbeat. After a hypnotic rendition of "Got 'Til It's Gone" (with its classic Joni Mitchell chorus from "Big Yellow Taxi"), Colin Powell strode onstage for a personalized PSA for America's Promise, the mentoring program that will benefit from ticket sales on this tour. "Stop building jails -- build our children!" Powell demanded. He also proved an astute critic, asking the full, ecstatic house, "Is she fabulous?" In a word: yes. Jackson looked fabulous, danced fabulous, sang as close to fabulous as she ever has and in the end provided a fabulous two hours of entertainment that was equal parts rock concert, Las Vegas revue and Broadway musical.
The opening tableau suggested a private club, but the roiling energy of thunderous dance tunes "If" and "You" turned MCI Center into a very public frolic. Surrounded by nine dancers, Jackson projected a mix of resolve and revenge, particularly on "You," where she played against Ingmar Bergmanesque specters. Most of the big dance numbers featured skintight moves, whether on the insistent house groove of "Throb," the decadent disco of "Go Deep," the searing funk rock of "Black Cat" or the compulsive aerobicism that propelled one "Rhythm Nation" under a groove.
Trying to cram as many hits into the show as possible, Jackson incorporated three medleys. The one with "Control," "Pleasure Principle," "What Have You Done for Me Lately" and "Nasty" focused on the martial Minneapolis funk she and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis crafted in the mid-'80s. A second, which included "Escapade," "Miss You Much" and "Without You," was just bubbly enough to compete with a spectacular set -- think "Alice in Wonderland" with input from Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali and Pee-wee Herman -- and costumes designed with decidedly Day-Glo spirit.
The third medley was ballad-oriented, twinning Jackson's insinuating ode to sexual responsibility, "Let's Wait Awhile," with "Again," which, despite its title, is not the reverse notion but a tender anticipation of second-wind love. There were several other reflective tunes: the sweet childhood remembrance "Special" (underscored with vintage family pictures); the supple, sensual "That's the Way Love Goes"; and "I Get Lonely," a fine song that suffered only from seemingly unnecessary dancing (the spare, solo torch version she performed on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" was far more revealing and convincing).
"Rope Burn," Jackson's celebration of the joys of genial bondage, was also slow, but that clearly wasn't the case with the heart rate of the fortunate man plucked from the audience, strapped to a chair (which turned out to be a good move) and publicly seduced by the dominatrix diva. He had the best seat in the house, particularly when Ready to Put Him in Traction Jackson ran her act up the dance pole; for everybody else, it made for great comedic theater.
There was also a theatrical element to "What About," a song about domestic abuse and sexual violence that's built on alternating dynamics of good times-gentle verse, bad times-harsh chorus. It's a tough song already, one made even more immediate by the bookend pas de deux in which dancers acted out the troubling scenario. While the huge onstage video screen helped magnify individual elements -- Jackson's radiant smile, the dancers' nimble turns, snippets of past videos -- the focus of the show played to the entire arena. There were times when the mix was a little muddy, the volume a little too jacked, the applause a bit too demanded, but these are quibbles. It was a rhetorical question in Colin Powell's observation, but for most everybody at MCI Center, there was one answer: Janet Jackson was indeed fabulous.
