Yet it was the fresh stuff that made the night work. The high-tech stage and carefully choreographed dance numbers rarely felt canned, and just when they started to get overwhelming, Stefani sprinted to the back of the auditorium and up into the seats to perform a stripped-down "Cool," surrounded by awestruck fans. And at least one of her newer tracks, the epic ballad "Early Winter," thrived in the live setting.
Stefani's pal Akon ably assisted her on "The Sweet Escape" Gwen Stefani's entrance at the beginning of Tuesday night's show was via a "prison cage" , fitting because her tour is named the "Sweet Escape Tour" , Tuesday night, June 5, 2007 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Stefani's first three songs were "Sweet Escape", "Rich Girl" and "Yummy". and turned in his own lively, astoundingly well-received opening set.
(The Senegalese-American rapper/crooner performed 35 minutes devoted largely to songs such as "Smack That," in which he explains in detail just how he enjoys partaking in sexual intercourse with women.) With any luck, Stefani's sharp enough to realize she got it right this time and now needs to put this solo thing on ice for a while, especially if her songwriting continues to follow the downward spiral of her second album. The next time we see her, she'll be best served fronting No Doubt and reminding us all why we fell in love with her in the first place.
Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553 or rraihala@pioneerpress.com. Read more about the local music scene on his blog, "The Ross Who Knew Too Much," at blogs.
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