If Madonna is still the mother of reinvention, Christina Aguilera is the prodigal daughter.
While her former teen-queen counterparts have languished as tabloid fodder (bald Britney, jittery Jessica), Aguilera has emerged as the one true heir to the pop-queen throne. She laid claim to the glitzy crown Tuesday night at Toyota Center, the first U.S. date on her 40-plus city Back to Basics Tour. (The stateside dates were preceded by a Europrean leg in late 2006.)
The defining moment came late in the 90-minute show, during a carnival-themed take on controversial 2002 single Dirrty. Aguilera was much maligned for the raunchy song and video. She revived it here atop a carousel horse, flanked by pole dancers.
Still sexy, to be sure, but completely different. And reminiscent of Madonna's own reworked Like a Virgin atop a leather saddle during last year's Confessions Tour.
Indeed, Aguilera has much in common with her platinum-blonde predecessor (besides just the hair color). The younger diva opened with curvy onscreen silhouettes and a lighted stairway before launching into irresistible single Ain't No Other Man. She was decked out in a crisp white suit (for that androgynous effect) and surrounded an army of eight athletic dancers, including locally bred hoofer Gilbert Saldivar.
But Aguilera is no mere copycat. She takes essential pieces from other performers, other sounds, other eras and blends them into her own sexy style. A fantastic horn section and backing singers supported her every riff. They hit an early peak during Back in the Day, a lush shout-out to such old-school soul heroes as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holliday and John Coltrane.
The gorgeous, expanse stage allowed every musician and cast members to flex and breathe. It was matched by a superb light show that caressed Aguilera like a superstar.
Like any good diva, Aguilera indulged in a bevy of quick costume changes that found her racing on and offstage throughout the show. The first was into a white minidress with a long train for swelling soul ballad Understand. Another came almost immediately (really a glittery overdress) for Come On Over, an early Aguilera hit that was rendered unrecognizable as a fun retro romp.
Most of the show reveled in the throwback vibe of Aguilera's Back to Basics double-disc. The live performances served to reemphasize the strength and ambition of that collection.
Makes Me Wanna Pray rode the go-for-broke groove of a tent revival. Aguilera held court in a sparkling red number that again showed off her gams. First-disc hit What a Girl Wants was another highlight, thanks to blaring horns and a smoothed-out chorus.
But Aguilera didn't completely give up past glories. She donned a pair of those infamous buttless chaps during Still Dirrty, an assertion that she's "still got the nasty."
High drama was another hallmark of the show. Oh Mother, Aguilera's personal account of childhood abuse, was coupled with harrowing images of domestic violence. And recent radio hit Hurt found the singer alone onstage, mourning the loss of a loved one.
But the mood didn't stay somber for long. New single Candyman was a cotton-candy standout, buoyed by its girl-group flavor and cutesy dance routine. And Aguilera strapped a male fan to a mammoth bullseye setpiece during Nasty Naughty Boy, whipping him playfully alongside her female dancers.
Aguilera saved some of her biggest hits, of course, for late in the game. (Genie in a Bottle, however, was nowhere to be found.) Lady Marmalade was all pink frills and androgynous dancers. Aguilera effortlessly handled the vocal gymnastics originally split up among herself, Mya and Pink on the Moulin Rouge version.
The one-two punch of power ballad Beautiful and fierce rock anthem Fighter was a perfect cap, and the emotional energy transferred between performer and public was palpable. Fists were raised in the air, hands swayed, and cameras clicked furiously. All was right in Aguilera's ever-expanding, increasingly impressive musical queendom.
The Pussycat Dolls' brief opening act was full of suggestive swivels and come-hither stares. The 35-minute set kicked off with smoky hit Buttons and found the quintet slinking around a metal scaffolding. (Sixth Doll
Melody Thornton was out sick.)
Dressed in matching outfits — clingy black accented with bling, of course — the group raced through hits from its multiplatinum PCD disc. Lead singer Nicole Scherzinger paced her herd through Beep, I Don't Need A Man, Stickwitu and Wait a Minute, aided by backing tracks.
The Dolls even included a nod to their retro-burlesque roots. Too bad it was with a barely simmering rendition of Fever.
Still, the crowd ate it up, and the group's musical meow mix ended with an extended version of monster hit Don't Cha. The Dolls are undeniable
charmers, but a little more camp in their vamp would have made for a better show.
Fledgling girl group Danity Kane, however, could stand to take a few PCD pointers. And a few more harsh words from their mogul boss. The MTV creation (courtesy of Diddy's Making the Band) offered a 20-minute starter set that was dreary and drowned out by bass-heavy musical tracks.
Were they paying attention during all those singing and dancing classes or just mugging for the MTV cameras?
Image-wise, the group covers all the bases: blonde, brunette, Latina, Anglo, African-American. But there was little personality on display. Just rehearsed, rehashed stage banter and outfits that — harsh but true — looked straight out of Jennifer Lopez's rummage sale.
The crowd went expectedly wild during hit Showstopper, but Danity Kane did nothing to live up to that lofty title.
