Gwen Stefani is living out various fantasies for The Sweet Escape tour and took the audience along for a cavity-worthy visual ride on Wednesday night at the ACC. Stefani is an uber-celebrity at this point: a fashion designer, tabloid staple, actress and singer. But the audience didn't buy into Stefani the musician as much as Stefani the brand.
The show opened to the sounds of Elvis Costello's "Watching The Detectives" as the Harajuku girls, dressed in prison-stripe dresses, prowled through the crowd pursued by dancers dressed as policemen. Then a giant "G," in case you forgot who you were there to see, descended from the rafters and Stefani emerged from a makeshift prison cage wearing a sparkly black-and-white striped jumper. Opening act Akon, who the teen girls lost their shit for, joined Stefani for "The Sweet Escape.
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For second song "Rich Girl," from her first solo album Love.Angel.Music.
Baby, Stefani donned a black cape and acted out the role of bank robber with her back-up dancers. From there, we saw her as a sexed-up Betty Crocker ("Yummy"), a geisha ("Early Winter"), a prep school girl ("Wind It Up") and even a race-car driver ("Danger Zone"). One of the best moments came during the encore's acoustic version of "The Real Thing," when the only flash came from the collar of Stefani's black cape.
The audience went crazy for the hits, which had videos to back them up, including "Hollaback Girl," "Cool" and "What You Waiting For?" When Stefani came into the seats to sing "Cool," the fans seemed more interested in capturing the moment with their cell phones than actually being near their idol.
Stefani tried her hardest to get the audience's attention during tracks they haven't yet downloaded, but at least she had fabulous costumes and breakdancing back-up dancers to grab their interest.
Her banter was limited to talking about how much she loved her fans and their support, but she also mentioned, more notably that the next album she works on will be for No Doubt.
It's hard to say whether teenage girls in tour T-shirts snapping their bubble-gum will even buy an album not labelled "Gwen Stefani." But I'm sure, as No Doubt's "Don't Speak" video showcased years ago, the platinum-haired singer will still be front and centre, ensuring the group's continued success among the masses.
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