Concert Review: Janet Jackson The Number Ones Tour - Hong Kong

  

People were asking why we were watching Janet in HK and not here. Well, when I first found out at www.inquirer.net on December 28 that she was having a show in SG and HK, Vic and I checked the hkticketing and found out they were selling tkts already, and decided to buy there. At that time, there was still no announcement that she was coming to Manila. A friend said they announced it already in November. But if you checked her website on December 28, there was no Manila there. Singapore was her first show (at that time). Oh well, anyhow, even if we watched her here, it still would've been a waste of money. It would've even been tragic if I allowed Vic to buy tickets to her show here in Manila!! We would've spent more on her show than Madonna's concerts before, which is really ten times more impressive than this show was.

Well, the show was ok but the truth is, we expected more from her. The steps were just mostly rehashes of what she had already done before, so there was no new choreography thought of anymore. And the dancers looked 'old' to me. The costumes were unexciting and I guess, the idea of her incorporating too many songs in just under an hour and a half was too much of a smorgasbord. It would've been better if she just chose a compact set of maybe 20 songs, SANG THE WHOLE SONG, and maybe thought of a new choreography, or something.


The truth is, for artists who depend on choreography for effect (Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue), need to think of new ideas always for their shows! If they had the voice, then maybe we won't expect too much dancing. But since their voices are just so-so, and being eccentric creatures that they are - we always expect a theme or a concept from them.


The show just had medleys, I think four sets of them. Imagine she did all the six fast hits from her Control album - in 15 minutes!! Harang!!! She did all her rock-inspired songs in almost the same amount of time. It was like she was in such a hurry to finish everything off!


This show reminded me of that Whitney Houston concert we saw in HK where Whitney just made medleys of most of her hits. Destroyed the momentum and the need for a climax or something like that!

I just wished she did something like her Velvet Rope tour. Now, THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE!! I really thought she would come out with something like THAT! Every segment had a concept and the set design and costumes were beautiful in that show!


It really felt like she just wanted a quick buck! We really felt shortchanged considering we paid US$200 each for the tickets. Tsk..tsk...