Robyn escaped the machinations of other pop divas by giving all to her songs instead of distracting with over-abundant choreography and gimmicky tricks. Of course, South Side Music Hall is a smaller venue and likely no pop performer there will have that much trickery behind their show, but nonetheless. She thrusted her voice and body into every song turning her concert into a cardio workout and a ferociously unforgettable experience.
Tearing through hits like “Dancing on My Own” and “Fembot,” Robyn was spot on with attitude and moxie. Her voice at times was thin, but this audience didn’t care as the crowded house pumped their arms in the air and danced completely out of their personal spaces. Robyn commanded the way many veteran divas do. But don’t think Madonna, think Janis Joplin.
The gays were en masse and so were the gals while the straight guys tweeted about being the only ones in the audience. But with everyone dancing and grooving as one cohesive unit, none of that mattered. She finished her just-shy-of-two-hour set with a couple of encores including “Hang with Me” and ultimately. a sort of deconstructed “Show Me Love.” With her hands in the air forming a heart and mouthing “I love you,” clearly she felt the love this audience gave her all night. She earned it.
Diamond Rings performed a solid set despite a shaky start. Sound issues kept popping his mike but he pretty much shrugged it off and continued his almost hourlong set. Finally catching his groove, he rocked the guitar, keyboards and strange dance performance art schtick. The tall, lanky Canadian won big time with the crowd giving a show with the panache of a veteran. Plus, as small of an act as he is, it was nice to see many in the audience singing along to his pop-rock sound.
We walked into Natalia Kills performing her dance pop which filled the South Side Music Hall with pounding bass any dance club should be jealous of. With some staged choreography and drive to be a bigger star, Natalia Kills worked the stage and growing crowd like a headlining drag queen.
Video shot by Greg Hoover.
Totally agree Rich that Robyn’s “femme sole” dance and performance is way more entertaining than a horde of crowded dancers on stage. She was out of this world amazing! HOWEVER, Diamond Rings was a bit pitiful to watch and a bit painful to hear. He is perhaps talented with a keyboard and a computer, but needs a singer and could have taken lessons from Natalia Kills, who should have been the lead-up to Robyn, not him.
I heard Diamond Rings was sick with whatever Robyn had that made her cancel a bunch of shows. He was probably worn out and it didn’t help that the mic kept cutting out on him. I saw some of his live videos on youtube and he can actually sing.
@Raquel I think he’s a quality musician and singer, so I’m glad you said that. I also heard the same thing about everyone on this tour catching the same bug. Whether that was the case or not, the sound was definitely not on his side. I’m glad he pushed through it to still make the most of it.
Great interview! It was so nice meeting you. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing so many legends, underground bands, etc etc……I can honestly say I have never seen a show as energetic, fast paced and ultimately exhausting as the Robyn “Body Talk” show. She killed Dallas. Killed it! I was lucky enough to be front row, front and center…..It was tight but incredible! We all sang along, loudly, fist pumped, jumped and danced like it was a rave! When we got backto the hotel, we realized how drenched we were in sweat and collapsed on the bed, totally drained…..but totally fulfilled. It was a hell of a show. Flawless and more than satisfying. Robyn is the real deal and couldn’t have worked that stage any harder. I was an uberfan before……now, there’s no word out there that describes how much I adore her and what she does. She is a true force and she earned all the love we showed her!
I did feel for DiamondRings. He was a sweetheart. I just don’t think he had a good night but I enjoyed a few of his songs. Natalia Kills was the shizzzz!!! I’m now a fan. They owned it! And I agree with the other post….They should come on before Robyn. I wouldve been happy to enjoy another hour of Natalia Kills before Robyn!!