Without question the most talented – musically speaking – of the current school of r’n’b divas, Alicia Keys has proved her mettle over almost a decade in the spotlight (being a classically trained pianist helps no end while having Bob Dylan namecheck her has done her credibility no harm at all). Now a superstar thanks to her worldwide smash hit about the Big Apple, she is clearly expected not just to perform but to put on a show – with all the bells and whistles this involves. Thus, there are some cringe-making moments tonight and it wasn’t just down to the somersaulting dancers and impossibly high heels. No, it was the inexplicable tendency of US r’n’b acts to utter feel-good banalities and meaningless guff about freedom, respect and empowerment, without ever elaborating how these worthy objectives can be achieved (“I Am Freedom” was flashed across the stage at one point). But this is The Elements Of Freedom tour so she arrives onstage trapped in a cage, complete with mock barbed wire singing ‘Love Is Blind’. She is inevitably freed and this was no doubt a none-too-subtle metaphor for freedom from the shackles etc, but it was a completely unnecessary routine that thankfully wasn’t repeated during what was a mostly thrilling show.
The earlier r’n’b numbers were drowned out by the distorted backing but when the band laid off and she was allowed some space Alicia really shone. ‘Diary’ was terrific, showcasing her incredible vocal talents, as was ‘Falling’, while ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart’ was yet another rousing ballad that had them singing and whooping to the rafters. But inevitably it was her final number – an elongated version of the mega-hit Jay-Z collaboration ‘Empire State Of Mind’ – which brought the house down.