Missy Elliot concert review

Missy Elliot @ Hammersmith Palais, London

Thursday 8 October, 2006

Reviewed by Melisa Tang

Hip hop concerts today are as street as they’ve ever been – with the odd exception of artists like President ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, of course. With most rappers choosing to pack out smaller venues like the Hammersmith Apollo or the Brixton Academy as opposed to big arenas like Wembley or Earls Court, fans have come to expect little by way of the stage setting and special effects, settling instead for the more traditional hip hop roots of beats and lyrics.

On Missy Elliot’s recent outing in London, fans crammed into the Hammersmith Palais to catch a glimpse of everyone’s favourite rapstress. Widely acknowledged as one of rap’s most consistent artists, Missy Elliot was one of the capital’s most anticipated live shows, and fans were kept waiting for over two hours as the Virginian-born star was running late – not the best way to please a packed crowd, most of whom would have forked out £30 a ticket.

As fans awaited her arrival, they were treated to performances from UK singer Nathan, three-piece R&B group Fundamental ’03, and American R&B newcomer Kieran – although to be honest, ‘treated’ isn’t quite the word most would use to describe the warm-up acts. Fundamental were the only ones really worth seeing, lighting up the crowd with their well-choreographed dance moves and decent harmonies. As for the other two, well… Nathan nearly got laughed off stage for his ‘Oh my days’ dance move, and an overly-oiled Kieran started gyrating on the stage with a stool… enough said.

When Missy bounded on stage an hour and a half later than the scheduled performance time, fans were hyped and more than ready for the main show. Launching into the bass-heavy ‘We Run This’, Missy and her dance crew took control of the audience as she commanded their respect, running through a string of her biggest hits, including ‘Gossip Folks’, ‘I’m Really Hot’, ‘Work It’ and ‘Get Ur Freak On’, which saw dancers don ‘Scream’ masks in time for Halloween.

A costume change later, and Missy Elliot, now dressed in a white Adidas outfit, switches things up with tracks from her early rap days, ‘Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ and ‘Hot Boyz’. She paid the obligatory tribute to hip hop’s fallen soldiers, but the emotion was more visible in Missy’s features as she paid her respects to her close friend and collaborator, Aaliyah, who died in a tragic plane crash in August 2001.

Lightening the mood with more dancing (this time with a new move straight out of Chi-town called ‘foot working’), Missy does brief renditions – and I mean brief – of ‘Lose Control’, ‘Pass That Dutch’ and the Jay-Z/Memphis Bleek track ‘Is That Ur Chick?’ which Missy featured on in 1999 – although few people could actually remember the lyrics to the song.

Whilst Missy and co. delivered energetic performances throughout, the songs were often cut short before reaching their full potential, leaving some fans disappointed at the pure lack of tracks performed overall.

The songs were also broken up by chunks of dialogue between Missy and her hypeman, (of which I forget the name), although the Virginia native was friendly, funny and appreciative of the support, even attempting a walkabout through the crowd to meet her beloved supporters.

Whilst she made an effort to engage her fans at every opportunity, it would have been a better show had she performed more tracks with more conviction – for she certainly has a back catalogue deep enough to do so.

Missy is a proven performer, as her previous tours have shown, and while I personally enjoyed the majority of the show, she definitely didn’t live up to her reputation as the greatest female lyricist around, choosing to have fun with her dancers and fans instead of giving the crowd exactly what they came for. At £30 a head, it was a good show, but lacked any real substance to prove value for money.

Missy Elliot was brought to London by The Concert Organisation. For upcoming concerts, please visit www.tcogroup.co.uk. Missy Elliot's greatest hits album, 'Respect M.E.' is out now on Atlantic Records. Check out her official website, www.missy-elliott.com.

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	Missy Elliot @ Hammersmith Palais, London Thursday 8 October, 2006 Reviewed by Melisa Tang Hip hop concerts today are as street as they’ve ever been – with the odd exception of artists like President ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, of course. With most rappers choosing to pack out smaller venues like the Hammersmith Apollo or the Brixton Academy as opposed to big arenas like Wembley or Earls Court, fans have come to expect little by way of the stage setting and special effects, settling instead for the more traditional hip hop roots of beats and lyrics. On Missy Elliot’s recent outing in London, fans crammed into the Hammersmith Palais to catch a glimpse of everyone’s favourite rapstress. Widely acknowledged as one of rap’s most consistent artists, Missy Elliot was one of the capital’s most anticipated live shows, and fans were kept waiting for over two hours as the Virginian-born star was running late – not the best way to please a packed crowd, most of whom would have forked out £30 a ticket. As fans awaited her arrival, they were treated to performances from UK singer Nathan, three-piece R&B group Fundamental ’03, and American R&B newcomer Kieran – although to be honest, ‘treated’ isn’t quite the word most would use to describe the warm-up acts. Fundamental were the only ones really worth seeing, lighting up the crowd with their well-choreographed dance moves and decent harmonies. As for the other two, well… Nathan nearly got laughed off stage for his ‘Oh my days’ dance move, and an overly-oiled Kieran started gyrating on the stage with a stool… enough said. When Missy bounded on stage an hour and a half later than the scheduled performance time, fans were hyped and more than ready for the main show. Launching into the bass-heavy ‘We Run This’, Missy and her dance crew took control of the audience as she commanded their respect, running through a string of her biggest hits, including ‘Gossip Folks’, ‘I’m Really Hot’, ‘Work It’ and ‘Get Ur Freak On’, which saw dancers don ‘Scream’ masks in time for Halloween. A costume change later, and Missy Elliot, now dressed in a white Adidas outfit, switches things up with tracks from her early rap days, ‘Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ and ‘Hot Boyz’. She paid the obligatory tribute to hip hop’s fallen soldiers, but the emotion was more visible in Missy’s features as she paid her respects to her close friend and collaborator, Aaliyah, who died in a tragic plane crash in August 2001. Lightening the mood with more dancing (this time with a new move straight out of Chi-town called ‘foot working’), Missy does brief renditions – and I mean brief – of ‘Lose Control’, ‘Pass That Dutch’ and the Jay-Z/Memphis Bleek track ‘Is That Ur Chick?’ which Missy featured on in 1999 – although few people could actually remember the lyrics to the song. Whilst Missy and co. delivered energetic performances throughout, the songs were often cut short before reaching their full potential, leaving some fans disappointed at the pure lack of tracks performed overall. The songs were also broken up by chunks of dialogue between Missy and her hypeman, (of which I forget the name), although the Virginia native was friendly, funny and appreciative of the support, even attempting a walkabout through the crowd to meet her beloved supporters. Whilst she made an effort to engage her fans at every opportunity, it would have been a better show had she performed more tracks with more conviction – for she certainly has a back catalogue deep enough to do so. Missy is a proven performer, as her previous tours have shown, and while I personally enjoyed the majority of the show, she definitely didn’t live up to her reputation as the greatest female lyricist around, choosing to have fun with her dancers and fans instead of giving the crowd exactly what they came for. At £30 a head, it was a good show, but lacked any real substance to prove value for money. Missy Elliot was brought to London by The Concert Organisation. For upcoming concerts, please visit www.tcogroup.co.uk. Missy Elliot's greatest hits album, 'Respect M.E.' is out now on Atlantic Records. Check out her official website, www.missy-elliott.com. Return To Concert Review Archive
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