This is the first column in occasional series about how I spent the summer of my 40th birthday.
I was little ambivalent initially about seeing Sade live. I love her music, but she sings the kind of songs you want to hear when you’re in your bed crying.
Still, I couldn’t resist the chance to see her live in Atlanta. Afterall it was her first tour in a decade. She might be in her seventies before she tours again.
I loved her Atlanta performance. On stage she turns songs about heartache into celebrations of love and sometimes loss. What do they say? It’s better to have loved and loss than not loved at all? At the Sade concert love permeated the air. Love of her music, love of seeing her and love of life.
If you’re going to see her perform on Sunday at Time Warner Cable Arena she nor John Legend will disappoint you. (Legend’s hosting an afterparty at Phoenix following the concert) In Atlanta, she looked and sounded great. She performed all of the hits you’d expect: “Cherish,” ”Your Love Is King,” “Smooth Operator,” “Is It A Crime” and “Stronger Than Pride.” She opened with “Soldier of Love” and sang several songs off the new album.
The show is a visually stunning 120-minute experience thanks to the lighting and production. Whereas many shows add special effects and lighting for shock and awe, the effects in the show complement the narrative. The best sequence is for “Smooth Operator,” which is a nod to old detective movies. The biggest disappointment, however, was the lack of musicality. She and her band performed the songs exactly as they sound on the albums. There weren’t even any medleys in the show. If I closed my eyes and simply listened to the concert I would’ve thought I was playing her music on my iPod. I expected to hear some of the songs re-worked with new arrangements.
It’s a minor complaint about an otherwise unforgettable show. Cherish the day!
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