When the promoters of Kelis’ mini-Canadian tour called it a warm-up for her opening spot on Britney Spears’ upcoming tour, they weren’t kidding. Not only was it a warm-up, but as Kelis told the nearly sold-out audience at Toronto’s Phoenix Wednesday night, it was a rehearsal.

Kelis apologized right from the beginning, telling the crowd that she hadn?t had time to practice with the band. She brought out sheets of lyrics, and was not afraid to use them.

But despite her long pauses — sometimes lasting about three minutes — to find the lyrics to the next song, Kelis performed an energetic hour-long set. Her latest album, Tasty, does not compare to her impressive live performance.

Kelis was accompanied by a DJ, a drummer, two guitarists, a classically-trained pianist, and a backup singer. Backed by the band made her seem like a more soulful Gwen Stefani every so often.

When she introduced her band towards the end of her set, the drummer had a lengthy solo, which had everyone standing on their tippy-toes in disbelief. He walked away from his drums to the front of the stage where three containers were turned upside down. He beat away at them as if they were his actual drum set.

At times she appeared nervous, almost unsure of how to move around while singing. But she was never more sure of herself than when she performed her first single from 1999, “Caught Out There,” where the audience helped her yell the famous line in the chorus, “I hate you so much right now.”

She appeared to be genuine when telling the crowd how much she appreciated their well wishes. The intimate setting of the Phoenix allowed for a lot of audience interaction. She took a moment to encourage everyone to keep supporting her and other “real” artists. When someone yelled “not Britney,” Kelis said that her record label wouldn’t pay for her tour, so at least “Britney’s paying me!” She also warned the crowd that another Janet Jackson incident could happen, “because I’m not wearing a bra tonight.”

Of course, the loudest reaction was to her much anticipated mega-hit “Milkshake,” which closed her set. There were moments during the concert when she was drowned out by her band and back-up singer. This was one of those times, but it didn’t matter since the crowd was singing along to every word anyway.

Kelis may not appear to be the best fit for a Britney Spears concert. But if she can perform half as well as she did at the Phoenix, Spears might be outperformed.

Opening for Kelis was Toronto-born Melanie Durrant, who is signed to Motown. She performed four songs from her upcoming album, including “Where I’m Going.” Dressed in very tight, hardly-there army-styled shorts, she had the crowd thankful for having a world-calibre performer hailing from their city.

Kelis with Melanie Durrant
February 25, 2004
The Phoenix, Toronto
4*






Related Stories: