MISS JANET: ALL NITE (DON'T STOP)

I'm still reeling after going to Janet Jackson's concert this past Wednesday at Staples Center. In all my years of being a fan, I always missed her concerts for one reason or another. I wasn't going to make that mistake again. From what I remember of her past concert videos and TV appearances, I was a little shocked that this concert was less theatrical in terms of heavy sets, out-of-control lighting, and super-big costumes. Instead, the stage was minimal, using videos and just enough lighting to make the point that something cool was about to take place. And that's exactly what happened. There weren't any over-the-top outfits or costume changes, nor were there things flying from the ceiling, or too many little things going on all points of the stage. Instead we had only Janet and her dancers, which was all we needed.

J did all of her hits, opening with Pleasure Principle, and then ending with Runaway. She added some of her newer hits in-between numbers, or as part of medleys, and the crowd bought it. I pretty much stood up and danced the whole night; hardly ever sitting down except for those brief moments when videos were flashing across the screens, or when J sang her string of ballads. After the opening number (PP, then segueing into Control, What Have You Done For Me Lately, & Feedback), she asked Los Angeles, "Do YOU want THIS?!" And from there, we knew what to expect. She did a snippet of You Want This, and then the rest trickled through like clockwork: M.I.S.S.You Much, Come Back To Me, Let's Wait Awhile, Again... All Nite, Escapade, Love Will Never Do... If, Rhythm Nation... all of her best, with a dusting of her lesser known tracks.

Things really started for me when she did All Nite (Don't Stop), one of my favorite dance tracks. The strumming of the bass in the beginning, and then the quick-paced beats that follow, gets me worked up all the time. The feeling came back again later on in the show; I turned to my friend and said, "I think I smell IF..." And sure enough she sang it, and went right into Rhythm Nation. It was over at that point, and the crowd went crazy.

Anyway. I'm glad I finally got to see Janet in concert. I almost missed out again, but friends of mine couldn't go at the last minute, and thankfully they thought of me. I was on those tickets like a hungry hostage!

It wouldn't have happened any other way.

Here's a video of J's All Nite (Don't Stop). Again, this is my favorite post-The Velvet Rope Janet song/dance routine ever. I'm still working on solidifying my list of favorite Janet tracks, but until that's finalized know that this will definitely be one of them.