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Concert Review
By Joanna Horowitz
Special to The Seattle Times
You might have been better off if you, like Hilary Duff, turned Girls Night Out into Girls Night In.
The teen actress and pop-singer called in sick for her Sunday show at the Everett Events Center, and the remaining three stars — Lily Allen, Katharine McPhee and Fergie — called in mediocre performances that ranged from lackluster to just plain awkward.
British party girl Allen started things off with a handful of tracks from her album "Alright, Still." On the record, her lovely, breezy voice and infusion of ska and big band sounds into club-ready beats makes for a playful juxtaposition to her sharp tongue.
But Sunday night, Allen seemed bored, tired and distracted. She forgot the words to "Shame For You," or maybe she just didn't want to sing "Oh my gosh you must be joking me/If you think that you'll be poking me" to the mother/daughter crowd.
She also left out the catchy, hitting-the-clubs anthem "Friday Night," but did perform her single "Smile," putting a boring gloss on the smirky lyrics.
At least Allen had a horn section and guitarist to complement her chest-thumping DJ-spun beats. American Idol fifth season runner-up McPhee danced awkwardly and sang tracks from her self-titled debut over canned music and in front of a preposterously large banner of her own face.
McPhee has a fantastic voice with a nicely nuanced lilt and some serious belting power. She is wasting it singing nonsense lyrics about open toed shoes over cookie cutter R&B-laced pop. Her two worthwhile numbers were both covers, in particular a heart-wrenching rendition of Alanis Morissette's "Mary Jane."
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson brought back the live instruments for her 40-minute headlining slot, as well as eight phenomenal back-up dancers, two DJs and an MC to rap with her. As on her album "The Dutchess," Fergie seemed determined to convince us she's a bona fide solo act and not just "that girl" from pop hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas.
She donned a crown and waved a scepter. She writhed on the floor for a cover of Heart's "Barracuda." She even did some cartwheels.
She seemed to be begging us to love her, which would be easier if she would just stop trying so hard. But judging from the ear-splitting shrieks in the crowd, it was clear many of her young fans adored her regardless.
The strangest and most dramatic moment in a night mostly free from pop-show glitz came entr'acte, when a group of drag queens, strutting to "It's Raining Men," gathered in a circle and revealed from under their capes American Idol reject Sanjaya Malakar of Federal Way.
From the confused looks in the audience, it would seem these "girls" and their surprise might have stayed home too. Sanjaya looked a bit uncomfortable as he smiled and waved to the audience, then walked off stage without opening his mouth.
So glad to see you guys agree. Let's hope Kat reads some of these posts!
I mentioned on Kat's MySpace the other night that we were having some serious (or I guess halfway serious ) discussions about her future of her musical directions here on KMF. I know Kat used to read here regularly--but she may not now. She undoubtedly stops by on occasion, though, if someone tells her about something interesting here.
This review sounds like it was written by someone who didn't want to be there. Although again...it seems like the common theme here is that Katharine simply isn't a traditional pop singer. At least not in 2007.
I think it's telling that she's singing "Mary Jane" and "Feelin' Good" at these shows. It's almost like she's telling everyone....YEAH, I CAN STILL DO THIS KIND OF THING. I'd love to hear her explain why she's choosing to sing those songs instead of songs from her own album. It seems to me like she's almost making promises about what's to come in the future.
I know she mentioned that she never got the soulful ballads she wanted for the record and they had to get something done so....my best guess is she's "borrowing" Mary Jane because she doesn't have one of her own. Same thing with "Me".
I think the best possible album for her would be some combination of the Me/Mary Jane sound and some uptempo stuff like Love Story, which she describes as "uptempo, soulful pop". Didn't she say that's what she wanted to do about a year ago during the Final Two press conferences? Almost makes you think that the album she made really WASN'T what she wanted to do after all the more she talks about it.
I know she mentioned that she never got the soulful ballads she wanted for the record and they had to get something done so....my best guess is