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June 22, 07
V 35 Issue 25

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Thursday, Aug 28, 2008

Gwen Stefani's 'sweet escape' to White River Amphitheatre is a bit tart

Gwen Stefani's 'sweet escape' to White River Amphitheatre is a bit tart
by Richard Kennedy - SGN A&E Writer Gwen Stefani June 16 @ White River Amphitheatre Gwen Stefani's visit last Saturday to the White River Amphitheatre proved to be a roller coaster ride of high excitement and a low point of live performance lulls. The fashion icon's influence was noticeable the moment you walked into the grounds of the amphitheatre. "Harajuku Girls" were spotted throughout the crowd; young girls sporting the Tokyo street fashions marketed by Stefani's fashion line - running around from one merchandise booth to the next, all the while networking with other junior high and high school girls. Also spotted amongst the fashionista youngsters were trendy gay boys who were, of course, hanging with the cool girls. Even though about 75% of the audience was under 20, there was certainly a smattering of adult Gay and Lesbian fans throughout the venue. It was a huge mix of teens and queens, both urban and rural. It was 40 minutes after Akon got the crowd amped up when the lights finally went down, as a police siren tried to dampen the sounds of all the screaming teens. A "police searchlight" shined throughout the audience as the first of the four official Harajuku Girls began running through the audience, searching for the pop diva. Everyone from the front of the stage to very back of the grassy area were on their feet, and would remain that way through the entire spectacle! The dancers made their way to the stage where a giant illuminated "G" floated down from the ceiling and the multi-Grammy winning star emerged behind golden prison bars, center stage, to open with "The Sweet Escape." Clad in prison stripe, glittered hot pants, Stefani sent the crowd into a tizzy. She was all charm and energy, making it barely noticeable that the verses were being lip-synced. But when you are having this much fun, who really cares&right? While surrounded by breakdancers, Stefani was joined by Akon who delivered the catchy chorus with her. Allowing the mania to continue, she launched into "Rich Girl" complete with money bags tossed around by her dancers and thus, keeping with the silly but cute, cat-burglar theme. It wasn't until the third song, "Yummy", that the show seemed to take a turn into truly over-the-top territory. The platinum pop princess practically spoke "I'm feeling yummy from head to toe&.ovens and beaters and graters, beats made from bongos and shakers," after changing into a skimpy pastry chef outfit, complete with a poofy white chef's hat stylishly set to the side of her head. It crossed the lines of camp and intentional humor to absurdity. The energy was so high, and everyone was having so much fun that again, it was easy to ignore the stupid outfit. The major problem of the performance was that it was so heavy with new stuff from The Sweet Escape, complimented by material from her far superior debut solo album and absolutely void of any No Doubt songs. Numbers like "4 In The Morning" and especially "Dead of Winter" made the mostly teen audience lose interest and spend most of the time texting on their cell phones. It's ironic because somewhere behind Stefani's image, which makes the youngster set go gaga, is a genuine ska-rock chick. When she did sing live, she sounded great! She had a hot six-piece band that included a trumpet and even a key-tar! I hate to say this was all lost, as she belted "Dead of Winter," a rock-ballad, while images of a twirling geisha in snow (yawn) flashed on screens all around the band. Nonetheless, the faithful and youthful audience stood at attention the entire time, even in between numbers when the stage would turn dark and silent during costume changes. I discovered they were waiting for "Hollaback Girl" because I thought I would never regain my hearing after the opening beats. Deafening and high-pitched screaming filled the entire city of Auburn as the 37 year-old new mother descended with her dancers from a triangular set of steps in cheer formation. Cameras projected the adoring fans singing the lyrics with her, and you couldn't help but jump around with everyone next to you. Who knew a crowd of thousands would be so into spelling out the word "bananas" over and over again? Unfortunately, the momentum was lost two songs later with the dullsville "Wonderful Life", which she dedicated to a "boy who I&.um&used to make out with in high school." Thankfully, Stefani the entertainer emerged for the finale, leaping into the audience and running up the steps, climbing over the fence divider and sitting on the railing while singing "Cool." Stefani closed the show with "What You Waiting For?" sending everyone into dance orbit before sending us on our long trek to the parking lot.

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