Chris Brown plays Verizon Wireless in combat gear – St. Louis Post




It seemed fitting that RB superstar Chris Brown would take
the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater stage Saturday night dressed in
combat gear (one of several costumes the singer wore).

Brown had been fighting to regain his career for months after
those felony assault charges stemming from an altercation in 2009
with then-girlfriend Rihanna that instantly took him from
boy-next-door to bad boy.

But in a comeback that ultimately ranked musical prowess over
personal demons, Brown crawled back to the top with his latest
album “F.A.M.E.” and the accompanying tour that played Verizon with
former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, Auto-Tune king T-Pain
and rapper Tyga.

On a dynamic tri-level set with band members on the lower level
encased in individual tunnel-like pods, Brown, wearing full
camouflage attire, emerged from the very top of the stage with
high-powered “F.A.M.E.” song “Say It With Me,” followed by “I Can
Transform Ya,” a song from his 2009 “Graffiti” album that was
perhaps released too soon after the Rihanna fiasco.

Over the next 90 minutes or so, after early hits “Wall to Wall,”
“Run It” and “Excuse Me Miss,” were run through early, consummate
performer Brown mixed singing (and obvious lip syncing) with often
eye-popping choreography, lasers, pyro and costume changes to the
delight of the screaming, largely female crowd.

Much of the show was broken into segments showcasing the
different sides of his repertoire.

A sexy song interlude in which he performed barechested relied
less on pre-recorded vocals and included “No BS,” “Take You Down,”
“Wet the Bed,” and “Body 2 Body.” A hip-hop segment brought out “My
Last,” “Deuces” and “Holla at Me,” the latter two with support act
Tyga, and “Look at Me Now,” shortchanged as Brown departed the
stage mid-way through while the music video played.

The Michael Jackson-assisted “She Ain’t You,” which borrows from
Jackson’s “Human Nature,” was one of the numbers where everything
seemed to come together best, though nothing topped show closer
“Beautiful People.”

Coming after the pop blast of “No Air” and frenzied dance tunes
“Yeah 3X” and “Forever,” “Beautiful People” was a colorful and
ambitiously staged number that came off as a cross between a
Brown-fronted rave and a dancing version of the movie “Tron.”

Former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, on her own come up
these days, was also on the bill, giving a slickly choreographed
set featuring her number one hit “Motivation.” The confident
Rowland also churned out “Like This,” “Lay It On Me,” “I’m Dat
Chick” and a Destiny’s Child medley with “Say My Name,” “Jumpin’
Jumpin’ and “Independent Women Part 1.”

The set, full of buff male dancers, also featured “Dilemma,” her
Grammy-winning smash with Nelly, who was not available for the
show.

T-Pain, who performed after Rowland, seemed oddly placed on the
show. Someone fresher might’ve worked better. He offered little
more than his usual arsenal of hits such as “Buy You a Drink,”
“Bartender,” “Can’t Believe It,” newer song “Rap Song,” and songs
he guests on such as Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It” and DJ Khaled’s
“Welcome to My Hood.”

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Article source: http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/kevin-johnson/article_dc7da194-e79b-11e0-bdac-0019bb30f31a.html

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