St. Louis would have the opportunity to host singer Fantasia’s final night of her 2010 tour on the first night of 2011 at the Fox Theatre. While she was on an emotional high and in classic Fantasia form with respect to her big voice and performance theatrics, the content of her set failed to successfully capture the essence of the singer’s potential as a future R&B diva.
On this night opening performances would reign supreme as a soul music mainstay captivates and a ‘Housewife’ uses her reality show fame as an avenue to re-establish herself in the industry.
Kandi, current star of Bravo’s hit “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” would be up first. Her set consisted of tracks, backup singers and a tiny promotional poster that seemed to be swallowed up by the Fox stage.
Sound problems – including a crackling microphone that obstructed the singer’s tribute to her late fiancée – plagued her set. But technical woes didn’t distract Kandi from her performance of solo hits from her album Kandi Koated and 90’s R&B hits she led as a member of the girl group Xscape like “Little Secret,” “Just Kickin’ It.”
Tight harmonies picked up the slack for Kandi’s strained vocals and she managed to maneuver her voice to camouflage the wear and tear from the tour for an impressive effort.
But when the curtain closed for the night, Eric Benet would serve as the saving grace of the lineup – capturing the attention of his fans even before he stepped to the stage thanks to a powerhouse band.
Benet had the ladies swooning as he worked the stage like a seasoned veteran who took notes and paid attention over the course of his nearly 20-year career.
His entire set was flawless as he delivered with a stage presence that managed to appear effortless. He sang all of the right songs – even a few from his new CD Lost in Time that the audience had probably never heard before yet vibed to as if they were classic Benet jams.
Highlights from his performance included duets with backup singer Leah LaBelle for “Spend My Life” and “Feel Good” and several favorites from the singer like “Only One” and his latest number one R&B hit “Sometimes I Cry.”
Benet set the bar high and it was the expectation for Fantasia to kick her shoes off and carry the show home.
Unfortunately her disorganized set with confusing concepts, unnecessary video footage – even a fictional character fused in – would fizzle and end the evening on a surprisingly low note.
Fantasia started off well enough with a couple of her hits from her Free Yourself album – including the title track – accompanied by a band (including a horn section) with the down home soul and precision to match her voice.
But the concept of the show would veer left to the point of no return when she exited the stage and presented video clips that introduced a character known as Velma – a church singer from back in the day with big dreams of making in the music industry. “Velma” graces the stage and sings classic soul songs from the past. After a grand exit, historical footage of the black struggle over the course of the civil rights movement preempts Fantasia’s return to the stage, in Black Panther retro clothing topped off by an Angela Davis afro wig. She continues with more music from the time capsule her outfit reflects.
Confusing outfit changes and song blocks that blended old with new continued until the last segment of her show. The strategy was more than likely developed to conceal the fact that Fantasia only has a few hits of her own, but the execution ruined the bright idea.
While the flip flop from songs like The Beatles classic “Over Me,” Prince’s “Kiss” and “Purple Rain,” Rufus and Chaka Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” and Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” showcased her incredible vocals, Fantasia as her own artist was lost in the shuffle and the videos seemed to create confusion instead buying time for an artist who had 90 minutes to perform and only four hits to speak of.
It wasn’t until the very end of the show when she returns to original music with breathtaking offerings of “Teach Me” and “When I see You” that it becomes visible what Fantasia is fully capable of.
She went to church with a snippet of “Thank You Lord,” even including a brief testimony about the trials of the extramarital relationship that made her a media spectacle for the last half of 2010. “Next time, I’ll wait for the Lord to send me somebody,” Fantasia sang.
Closing out the show by unfastening her evening gown and getting comfortable, she left the stagy by paying more homage – a grand finale tribute to Teena Marie with a rendition of “Square Biz.”
For Fantasia the artist there is much work to be done before she reaches the star power potential made possible through her natural talent. Hopefully the right people will take notice and get busy.
Click here for a photo gallery from the concert. Photos by Lawrence Bryant.
