I have been waiting for Brandy to tour Australia for years, as have many of my fellow Australians, and this week we were finally rewarded with one of the finest nights of live music I have been to.
It is a cold, winter Monday night, I have a dirty cold, my retail job was hell and I have a rare night off performing in a theatre show - going out was the last thing I wanted to do. But once the first note of "Afrodisiac" belted through the very full Enmore Theatre in Sydney, I had forgotten my woes and was up dancing the whole night.
When you first fell in love with an artist in the 90s, you worry they may not live up to your expectation 20 years later. The recent 90s Mania was underwhelming and I was worried the same may happen with Brandy, I shouldn't have. The night was perfection and Brandy's voice is sublime, so perfect, better than I thought it was going to be. Her tone was so rich and those notes were incredible. This was a night that truly showcased what an amazing vocalist she is.
The staging was simple, it didn't need to be massive. There was a staircase, a drummer, a keyboardist, two dancer / vocalists and a DJ off on the side. Brandy took centre stage with such full abandon and really did hit the ground running. She began with medleys of her biggest hits, and wow did they make the crowd scream. The aforementioned "Afrodisiac" was up first and set the tone perfectly. "What About Us?" and "Who Is She 2U" were great, and "Full Moon" was a clear favourite.
I guess many of us love the really early stuff and these were treats. "Top of the World" was epic, as was, "Sittin' Up In My Room" and when she sang a medley of her first three hits, "Baby", "Best Friend" and "I Wanna Be Down", the crowd went insane. The latter two are some of my favourite songs of all time, so this was such a treat to hear it performed live and performed so exquisitely.
By the time she came to "The Boy Is Mine" the pace had slowed slightly and we were being treated to full songs. Brandy seemed genuinely touched that the song was such a massive hit in Australia. She invited a fan to sing with her, which was great, but I would have loved to hear Brandy sing it, not just the fan.
When she hit the ballads, my emotions were at fever pitch. "Almost Doesn't Count" was perfect, and had Jessie J, who was sitting in the same row as me, singing along with such passion. And then there was "Have You Ever?", wow, just wow. I'm not a concert crier, last time was when Madonna surprised Melbourne with "Like a Prayer", my favourite song of all time. I will admit I shed a few tears as Brandy slayed a tune that has always meant so much to me. Her voice soared, filling the theatre with her beautiful soul.
Speaking of shedding tears, her tribute to Whitney was beautiful. She came out, Whitney head scarf on, and sang both "How Will I Know?" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". She sounded so incredible on these tracks, then telling us how much she missed Whitney and that she was her favourite singer of all time. She then asked if it would be okay if she sang with Whitney, and launched into "Exhale", this is where my tears were running. This was so special to witness.
If there was a downfall, we didn't get to hear all her singles. I adore both "Right Here (Departed) and "Long Distance" from the "Human" album, was hoping to hear them - but I guess you can't sing everything!
I could talk a lot longer about the evening, it was probably my second favourite show I've been to this year. What a treat to see an artist you really love, who helped shape your music tastes while younger, and watch them own the stage. Come back any time Ms Norwood, we love you here in Australia!
(So upsetting, I was sixth row and took some great photos, by my phone died completely the next morning - very sad!)
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