Twenty two years ago, singer-songwriter Alicia Keys dropped her debut album “Songs In A Minor.” It’s a record that has held up for the R&B superstar who now has nine studio albums under her belt and 15 Grammy awards to show for it.
Even with all of the accolades, Keys is still seemingly so humble and low-profile. But on stage, during the final evening of her in-the-round Alicia Keys to the Summer Tour at Kia Forum in Inglewood on Wednesday, Aug. 2, she was a shining talent, showcasing just how she’s become one of music’s leading ladies.
The crowd was already geared up and ready to go for her set thanks to opening act Simi, a Nigerian afrobeats artist that stunned the audience with afro fusion hits “Running (To You)” and “Duduke.” Her artistry aligned with the entire vibe of the evening, as many fans with their beverages in hand, swayed to the rhythms of Simi’s band.
But when Keys finally hit the stage, that vibe was elevated. The New York-born singer and pianist made sure to showcase herself on this tour on a 360-degree stage. She had the crowd hypnotized as she strutted her way out with a short a cappella version of her breakout hit “Fallin,” with her backup band coming in shortly after. For nearly two hours, Keys flipped through beloved and deep song cuts that reflected her latest material, but more so the classics from past records including “The Element Of Freedom,” “Songs In A Minor,” “The Diary Of Alicia Keys” and “As I Am.”
The diamond-shaped stage was connected by two catwalks, one leading up to a silver staircase that allowed Keys to interact with the audience at multiple angles. The focal point was the bedazzled grand piano that slowly rotated as Keys started to show off her chops in between songs. After getting the crowd singing and ready to go with “New Day” and “Love Looks Better,” she made her way to the platforms to connect with each side of the arena.
There were some renditions of classics like Usher’s “My Boo,” where Keys made sure to dance around the stage with her lone backup dancer. She then disappeared for 10 minutes, giving her band time to show off what they could do, with her backing vocalist displaying her powerful voice as each band member delivered about two-minute solos. Keys reemerged on stage, but this time with a new piano as she dove into “City of the Gods (Part II).”
While at the piano, she gave her rendition of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore.” “Ladies, have you ever been by your mom’s phone waiting for some guy to call you and just standing there for hours. This song reminds me of that,” she told the crowd.
She also diversified the setlist, going into the afro dancehall-infused track “Limitedless” that blended perfectly after with “You Don’t Know My Name.” It was an empowering moment when Keys belted out “A Woman’s Worth” and “Superwoman,” shouting out to the audience that a man should never defy the life you lead and that you shouldn’t be told how to act or think.
“In the end you have to trust yourself,” she said. It was definitely a moving portion of the set, heightened by a display of photos of women up on the screen of all generations and ethnicities.
Nearing the end of the show, Keys busted out some of her biggest hits to date including “Girl On Fire,” which had everyone singing and she kept that energy with “Empire State Of Mind (Part II)” off of Jay-Z’s 2009 “The Blueprint 3.” Yet it wasn’t until a cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” that the crowd went really wild as Keys called Annie Lennox from the British pop duo onto the stage. The two sang arm and arm, dancing to the 1983 classic on the platforms.
She wrapped up the evening with “No One,” which found her 8-year-old son Genesis coming out on stage on a onesie and Crocs shoes, tapping his mom and whispering in her ear. He asked her if he could stay on stage. “My son likes to be on stage with me these days, he says he needs you guys to scream the lyrics to this last one,” she said as she launched into “If I Ain’t Got You.”
Alicia Keys: Keys to the Summer
When: Wednesday, Aug. 2
Where: Kia Forum, Inglewood
