This was the kick-off performance of Robyn and Kelis’s North American co-headlining road show. After a few weeks of exchanging tweets about the outing, they decided to name it the “All Hearts” tour. With both of them having new albums out, it was exciting to hear a mix of old bangers and new anthems.
First one out was R&B vamp Kelis, and she was surrounded by 2 dj’s and one drummer. It was all about glitz and glam; she was wearing a purple sequined jumpsuit and a silver sparkly wig, looking like Patrice Rushen on disco overload, and she looked stunning. She opened up with “22nd Century,” a filtered house gem from her new album Flesh Tone, and then continued with old songs like “Young, Fresh N’ New”, her O.D.B. collab “Got Your Money” and “Good Stuff,” while interpolating Soul II Soul’s 1989 classic “Back To Life”. At times it played out like a messy hit parade, I don’t really know what her 2 dj’s were up to, but it also showcased her strong back catalogue.
Next up was “Trick Me”, a highly underrated song, which I think is one of the best club songs from the last decade and Dallas Austin’s best production to date. Then the sounds of Madonna’s “Holiday” came out of the speakers, and I instantly though it was a tribute to the overwhelming gay crowd, but it turned out to be a mash up with “Milkshake”. Then she mixed Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor” with her epic “4th of July”. Her hazy voice is a trademark, but she can really carry a tune, and her voice and performance grew stronger further into the show. She ended her performance with “Emancipate” – a great Benny Benassi production, her David Guetta hit “Acapella” – rewarded with a huge crowd reaction, and then an unnecessary version of Black Eyed Peas’s “I Gotta Feeling”.
Swedish electro-pop siren Robyn was next, and her futuristic set opened like a rocket launch. She was wearing a pimped out bomber jacket and high-waisted rose-emblazoned stretch pants, looking like mixture of Desperately Seeking Susan and Who’s That Girl era Madonna. Her set up was 2 drummers and 2 keyboard players, all dressed in white lab coats. She opened with “Fembot”, and had the crowd jumping at “Cry When You Get Older”. Her Teddybears STHLM version of “Cobrastyle” was wrapped with acid synths, and it her new wave dancing style led into “Dancing On My Own”. A dubbed out version of “Who’s That Girl”, and the Diplo produced “Dancehall Queen” led to her strongest cut on “Body Talk Pt.1,” namely “None Of Dem” feat. Royksopp: a massive and moody track that sounds like nothing else out there. And more Royksopp followed with “The Girl and The Robot”, with flashing lights and Daft Punkish production. A dance remix of album opener “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do” and a new wave remix of “Be Mine” led into a beautiful minimalistic version of “Show Me Love”. She ended her set with “Dream On” and her Kleerup collab “With Every Heartbeat”.
Robyn is extremely professional, and she’s in full control on stage, whereas Kelis has more of a star aura. Both of their albums are pulsing odes to the dance floor, and the crowd jumped nonstop throughout the night like a big dance party. They both offer a nice alternative to the Lady Gagas out there.
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