As far as concerts, 2017 didn’t provide moments for St. Louis so unforgettable that the year will be forged in anyone’s brains. Especially as a follow up to the year of Beyoncé at The Dome, which is also known to some as 2016. But looking back, there were some solid – even stellar – performances. Listed below are the best of the shows that left a lasting impression.
- Chance The Rapper – As an artist without a major label, Chance The Rapper was already having the best year ever when he sold out the Scottrade Center. He was still riding high on multiple wins at The Grammy Awards a few months before and the type of buzz typically reserved for a full-fledged cultural phenomenon. His performance illustrated why he was worthy of the industry’s undivided attention. He sang. He danced. He had 15,000 hip-hop fans praising God. He even flew in soul singer Maxwell to serenade for a snippet of selections as a Mother’s Day gift to his mother.
- John Legend – Of the nearly dozen times I’ve seen a live John Legend performance, the lone disappointment came as the opening act for Sade’s much-anticipated return to St. Louis. All has long been forgiven, and his “Darkness and Light” tour at The Fox gave us Legend at his absolute finest. Arena-scale effects in a somewhat intimate venue added to the appeal of a night that was captivating on the strength of Legend’s music and his ability to engage with “better than the record” renditions of his catchy ballads and much more. The show proved his staying power and that he’ll live up to his name as a major contributor to soul music for his generation and beyond.
- Leslie Odom Jr. – An Evening with Leslie Odom Jr. at Powell Hall featuring the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra managed to surpass the highest expectations set for the Tony Award- and Grammy Award-winning former star of the Broadway sensation “Hamilton.” It’s been a year since he stepped out from his portrayal of Aaron Burr to try his hand at a career in music. He proved himself a double threat with a velvety tenor voice and an incredibly skilled band that included St. Louis’ own Michael Mitchell – and he proved that his future is as bright as the show that made him famous.
- Jill Scott – For her return to the Fox Theatre, Jill Scott came through in a way that her fans haven’t seen since her storied Sugar Water Festival performance at the then UMB Bank Pavilion Amphitheatre back in 2005. Scott looked and sounded phenomenal and spoke to the masses with a set list that ranged from self-love to social justice.
- Janet Jackson – She made us wait a while – okay, longer than a while – after teasing us three times with rescheduled performances. By the time the “State of the World” tour arrived at Chaifetz Arena in October, she had some serious milestones under her belt. She had married, had a baby at age 50 and divorced. The tour had even changed names in the time it took to come to fruition. But a 51-year-old Jackson made it worth the wait with a high-energy show that proved age is nothing but a number and that Janet is still one of the most reliable all-around entertainers in the game.
- Jidenna – With the release of his debut album “The Chief” earlier this year, Jidenna didn’t repeat the smash success of his 2015 debut single “Classic Man.” But when he came to the Ready Room on tour to support the album, he wowed the crowd with stage presence, energy and performance caliber typically reserved for artists with true staying power.
- Emily King – armed with an acoustic guitar and dim lights, under-the-radar R&B/soul singer Emily King delivered the type of musical experience that earns new fans – even though everybody in the Ready Room were already sold on the singer’s mellow brand of soul. King has been on the scene for nearly 15 years, but has yet to crack the surface of mainstream R&B. The mix of a pristine voice with recurring infectious grooves through selection for her offensively underrated catalog proved that she’s ready whenever the world decides to catch on.
- Metro Boomin and Big Sean – The irony of St. Louis native super-producer Metro Boomin being responsible for the biggest hits from Atlanta-based rap stars is only eclipsed by him and collaborator Big Sean (with special guest Shorty Da Prince) making a free, surprise pop-up show one of the best live music offerings of the year. St. Louis was one of only two stops for the show that promoted the duo’s “Double or Nothing” album. The other was Big Sean’s hometown and Midwest sister city Detroit. The show itself was a magical experience that heaped praises on our region – which they said is often overlooked when it comes to hip-hop – and encouraged the capacity crowd to live their best lives for 2018. The rapper and producer tag team told the audience that anything they can imagine is possible because of how the Midwest builds such strong stock while powering through a show that left no hit or featured verse unperformed.
- Mary J. Blige – From the moment she took the stage for her “Strength of A Woman” tour at The Fox, the queen of hip-hop soul made it plain with a performance that essentially expressed “You can play with my emotions, but don’t mess with my pocketbook!” Her visit was raw and real as she candidly shared the details of her messy breakup with ex-Kendu Isaacs through her music and narrative interludes that spelled everything out and shamed him for his attempted run on her finances as part of the divorce proceedings. She was vintage Mary J. Blige for the entire set that should have been subtitled “The Woman Scorned Tour.”
- SZA – With five Grammy nods under her belt, thanks to a critically and commercially acclaimed debut album that came from left field and shook the industry with R&B that perfectly speaks to the millennial, SZA had a lot to prove when she took the stage for a pair of sold-out shows last week at The Ready Room to close out her “CTRL” tour. In the city of her birth, with her entire family watching in the wings, the pressure was on. But SZA lived up to every bit of the hype that set her apart from her peers with the release of her first album this summer.
Honorable mentions
St. Louis’ very own rap star Nelly proved that classical music and contemporary hip-hop can be a winning combination when the Grammy Award-winning rapper and Grammy Award-winning Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra paired up to perform some of his biggest hits.
Rapper Future made his comeback complete with a surprisingly well-rounded headlining performance of his “Nobody’s Safe” tour that doubled as the Hot 104.1 FM annual hip-hop summer showcase at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.
