Kesha
July 22, 2010
Marquee Theatre
The janitors at Marquee Theatre have quite the task ahead of them after Kesha's first concert in Arizona. The 23-year-old inspired the vast majority of women in the audience to slather on glitter (much of which ended up on the Marquee floor), she shot out confetti using a super-cool confetti gun, more confetti covered the crowd at the end of the show courtesy of in-stage projectiles and, in what may be the most rock star move of all, she and her crew demolished a pinata on-stage, spewing out
It was that kind of party.
Kesha has acknowledged her mission is to make people dance their pants off, and she sure succeeded at her headlining show. The concert was a short, less-than-an-hour set (perhaps the same one she's been playing on her current tour with Rihanna?) but she managed to pack in a lot during the short amount of time. It was Kesha's disco party, and everyone was invited.
The action was quite the visual feast. The stage had massive lights, both bright ones that flashed on and off and Christmas-style ones. Her band looked legitimately like punk rockers, donning mohawks and ripped T-shirts and playing deftly. During the show, flags were waved, the male dancers dressed down to their American flag skivvies and someone in the band put on a dinosaur mask. Quirky, yes, but a heck of a lot of fun.
The young singer didn't talk much in-between songs, merely saying things such as, "I hope you wake up with glitter in your pants, kids," and "I wish I could make out with every single one of you." But Kesha's mission isn't to be deep; it's to make you feel like you're dancing to her at a private nightclub. Creating that type of atmosphere at the Marquee is no small feat, but Kesha managed to pull it off with color, flash and positive energy.
Her singing and rapping seemed identical to the album, which was impressive, and she also tried to show off her musical chops by banging on drums and cowbells and playing guitar and synth. It was admirable, considering many of her lyrics are fluffy party jams, and she proved that people should respect her for her ability to engage a crowd.
Kesha also seemed more confident than ever, really commanding the stage, taking charge of the band and not missing a beat. She has seemed to really grown as a musician and a performer, proving she does deserve headlining shows after her opening slot for Rihanna.
While the set was way shorter than anyone at the show probably wanted, Kesha still managed to create one of the most fun concerts the Marquee has ever seen. She seemed to be genuinely having a blast, and that attitude rubbed off on everyone in the room.
Personal Bias: I knew one of the back-up dancers, and I have to say, I have never seen him in hot pants or glitter until the show.
The Crowd: The crowd was surprisingly older than the expected junior high and high school aged fans. Most of the crowd seemed to be in the 18-30-year-old range.
Overheard in the crowd: "Seriously, what kind of dance moves are those?" in response to some random guy in suspenders and shorts scatting to Kesha's music.
Random Notebook Dump: I've never seen the Marquee Theatre bathroom floor covered in so much glitter.
Set List:
Blah Blah Blah
Party at a Rich Dude's House
V.I.P.
Stephen
Take It Off
Fuck Him (He's a DJ)
Your Love Is My Drug
Tik Tok
Encore:
Dinosaur
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) (Beastie Boys cover)
