Sade captivates with sensuous show
Sade and John Legend perform again tonight at 7:30 at Philips Arena. Tickets are still available. For information, visit www.ticketmaster.com or the venue box office.
From the moment Sade rose from beneath the stage, clad completely in black and her hair slicked into a severe ponytail, it was apparent that style would pervade the night.
As she marched across the stage in stilettos, beaming behind her scarlet lipstick and singing “Soldier of Love” in her buttery smooth voice, Sade immediately captivated – and for two hours she never let the audience out of her seductive grip.
This is the first tour in a decade for the Nigerian-born-British-bred singer, and with nearly a month of North American shows behind her, Sade and the band that shares her name have perfected a show bathed in sensuousness.
She quickly addressed the sold-out crowd, saying, “We’ve been baptized today in the storm, and now we have you, the sunshine,” before easing into “Your Love is King.”
The song, like many in Sade’s six-album repertoire, is a romantic ballad built for slow-dancing. While there wasn’t much room for that in the packed Philips Arena, many couples swayed together appreciatively instead, their heads instinctively nodding to the gentle rhythms powering her songs.
Sade’s presence is quietly striking, and she makes every movement, even her arm waves, somehow look elegant. She also is embracing her inner performer on this tour, frequently dancing around the stage with idiosyncratic, yet fluid, movements and occasionally having a playful interaction with a member of her excellent band.
Whether taking a jazzy stroll through “Kiss of Life” or addressing fears of alienation during “In Another Time,” Sade, 52, forged an emotional connection with the audience not just through her lyrics, but the striking technological aspects of the show.
Though the stage was usually clean and empty, giving her three main bandmates – Stuart Matthewman on guitar and saxophone, Andrew Hale on keyboards and Paul S. Denman on bass – and five additional top-notch musicians plenty of open space, it also served as a cinematic platform of sorts.
An elaborate film noir introduced “Smooth Operator” – the song’s bassline as intoxicating as it was when first heard 27 years ago – and the gorgeous black and white photography displayed on the massive video screen behind the stage served as a perfect backdrop to the sparse “Jezebel.”
That song was one of many to highlight Matthewman’s searing sax, and while no one can upstage Sade, his impressive runs frequently commandeered the spotlight.
Several times during the show, a gauzy canopy lowered to shroud the stage, becoming another video screen. Though it was a novel approach when first used for “Bring Me Home,” with Sade and the band seen performing behind the sheer curtains, it was more of a distraction the second time around, for “Morning Bird.”
Still, it’s difficult to get too distracted by anything when Sade is singing, and on Tuesday, she sounded flawless whether romping through “Paradise,” which gave the show a punchy jolt, or sashaying flirtatiously in bare feet and a white gown, her loose hair hanging to her shoulders, for the gliding “The Sweetest Taboo.”
Throughout this tour, which wraps in September before heading back to Europe in November, Sade is booked for multiple nights in a handful of major cities (Atlanta included). In this currently squishy concert – and economical – environment, it’s a rarity when an artist sells out one arena show, never mind maintains a great enough audience appeal to do two.
But nothing about Sade has ever been typical.
Opening this North American leg of the tour is R&B prince John Legend, an appropriate pairing given Legend’s propensity for thoughtful musicianship.
He began a nearly one-hour set with his potent version of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” sung mostly acapella with only his drummer striking the rim of his snare drum as background.
But that simplicity quickly burst into a full-fledged affair, as Legend, his seven-piece band and three backup singers dove into “Used to Love U.”
During the first few songs of his performance, Legend, looking debonair in a cream-colored suit, was overpowered by his drummer and three-piece brass section, his voice nearly impossible to discern. But he did quickly nullify the perception that he’s only a contemplative balladeer by displaying a hearty dose of showmanship in a set spanning the summery soulfulness of “P.D.A. (We Just Don’t Care)” to a full-throttle “Green Light.”
When he first slid behind his grand piano for the sweetly melodic “This Time,” though, Legend’s voice rang clear through the arena – it was just a shame that the still-arriving crowd was too busy chattering to fully appreciate his efforts.
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66 comments Add your comment
Terease
July 14th, 2011
8:34 am
SADE……BADDDDD to the bone!!!!! Smooth, sexy with class, and just plain talented. I was mesmerized with the show. Wish I could’ve gone the second night. John Legend was a good opening act, but SADE….. whew, on a whole other level. Plan on buying Sade cds asap! Thanks for coming to the ATL Sade. X0XO
Rob
July 14th, 2011
9:05 am
sade band members are great musicians, she’s beatiful,smooth and classy love the back drop that was used for visual affects. This was my 1st live concert for Sade loved it ….. sweetback yeah babby !!! that’s what I’m talking about !!!!
Abrem
July 14th, 2011
10:09 am
it was totally awesome! By far best ever!
ATLAS
July 14th, 2011
10:56 am
Sade was amazing last night such a class act she did all her hits and then some her vocal abilities an tone was effortless no vocal stunts and acrobats like the main stream female acts of today. The encore was a jaw dropping moment still humming ‘I Cherish The Day’
Alee
July 14th, 2011
12:13 pm
I feel sooooooooo left OUT!!!!…It looks like I am going have to take a trip to Houston,TX and catch her there!
DominiquelovesSade
July 14th, 2011
1:32 pm
After 10 years she is still the all time best. Elegant, Seductive, Classy and just a rare talent. Tuesday’s show marked the third time I have seen her. Until Tuesday I though her Chastain performance was bar none the best. Tuesday was a revelation. From start to finish they were flawless. They killed it on Jezebel, Is it a Crime and the finale Cherish the Day was just a dream. I swayed and danced all night and I think I burned about 300 calories at least. That band is just awesome! the guitar, sax and keyboards took me to another level!!!! I hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years but if so it is well worth it! Bravo SADE!!!
Sade ROCKS!!
July 14th, 2011
2:41 pm
Went to the second show last night! One of the best shows I have EVER been to. Sade looks amazing, and tore the roof off of Philips! I love that woman! Well worth the money!
Jimmy from Marietta
July 14th, 2011
3:42 pm
Great, accurate review. Sade was absolutely amazing. I’ve seen Michael, Prince (several times), Janet, Sting, Babyface, Luther, Maxwell, Shakira, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Rachelle Ferrell and many others. However, her performance was the best overall concert I’ve ever seen. It was perfect in so many ways. It wasn’t just a performance or an event; it was an experience! Her smooth, yet powerful vocals, left me in awww. Her back up band, Sweetback’s performance was as tight as her pony-tail worn during the opening. (BTW, she actually had stilletos on at the beginning of her concert. It wasn’t until she changed into the beautiful white dress with the bright pink push up top that we got a peek at both her chest and her bare feet. She also brought her long, flowing hair down for this change.) The staging, lighting, curtains, backdrops drapes, etc were beautiful and synchronized as well as any Broadway production. The synching of the videos with her music was as flawless as her face. The whole performance was a revelation it was revoluntionary. I’ve never seen so much thought given towards production, lighting, etc. Despite changes in tempo, each song seemed to flow seamlessly one to another. The peformance of “Jezebelle” with the black and white video backdrop and spot lights highlighting each band member’s solo performance was intoxicating. The sweet, sensuous, lush sounds of Mattherman’s sax was as full as her lips and (doubtlessly) neither would disappoint. Another highlight for me was when she did “Love is Found”–she defintely made my “heart go ba boom ba boom, da ba boom da boom boom.” The flashing black and white images of her dancing with a male dancer really enhanced the track. The marquee and city light imagery used to set up “Smooth Operator” was very cool. I was little disappointed that “Babyfather” and “Every Word You Say” were not performed but she made up for it with the encore of a longtime favorite of mine–”Cherish the Day”. We were also rewarded by another dress change, this time into a striking red dress. As noted by others, she seemed to appreciate her fans. It was also very evident the love she has for her band members and singers (very much unlike the vibe I’ve gotten from say Anita Baker or Diana Ross). Though in a large venue it still had the feel of an intimate, sophisticated setting. It was way too hot though? I thought I was going to pass out. Are we certain that she requested that or did the Spirit Group forget to pay a bill again? (Perhaps the bill got mixed up with the Thrasher’s bags and is in Canada?) John Legend was good, but the sound wasn’t as good for his set. I’ve missed her twice because of work conflicts and I swore that it wouldn’t happen this time. I’m so glad I finally saw her. THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER. I simply must see her again. It was worth every penny. If I had the disposable income (and connections) to get floor seats I would do so without reservation. Although it probably won’t do her justice, I hope she’ll make a video so that I can re-live the experience! Simply put, wow!!!!
AtlRikki
July 14th, 2011
4:26 pm
This concert was awesome!! I saw her before when she came to Philips and that was awesome then, she definitely took it up a notch or two. I loved, loved, loved the cinematography. If you watched the screens, they looked like videos. Loved that! Her band was chock full of talented musicians.
I also heard that the air off request came from the Diva herself. Didn’t matter, I loved it anyway. She rocked that place. I enjoyed Jon Legend too. Not the background singers outfits so much. I guess you have to be a guy to have liked that. I thought they needed to hit the gym a little more. Not hating, just stating. Lol!
Jealous!
July 14th, 2011
8:53 pm
I am so jealous of everyone that attend LOL! The $$$$ for the tickets priced me out. Sade is absolutely AMAZING! I was treated by my wife to her Chastain show in the 90’s. A friend got us floor tickets for the King of Sorrow tour at Philips (by the way the emerging star India.Arie was simply spectacular on that tour!). I have Sade’s first three original albums from the 1980’s on CD plus her Greatest Hits CD. I agree with everyone’s accolades – timeless, artistic, beautiful, the musicianship, jazzy, classy, hypnotic, etc.! I hope to see her next tour.
Jackie D.
July 14th, 2011
10:37 pm
HANDS DOWN……THE BEST SHOW I’VE SEEN EVER!
SADE Live in Seattle! The countdown begins! | Venece Smith
July 15th, 2011
12:42 am
[...] What can I say? I had to give her a line to herself, lol. After hearing people rave over her performance here in Atlanta for two nights in a row at Philips Arena, I am nothing less than GEEKED about seeing her in [...]
Rod M
July 15th, 2011
12:19 pm
A Clean Crisp Production it was the best concert I ever saw!
Frankfidy
July 15th, 2011
12:32 pm
Folks, it cannot be overstated. Sade’s is the best live performance you will ever see. She is actually much better live than on CD. If you had to ask anyone how was the show then you obviously have never seen her perform live. If you ever get the chance to see her do yourself a favor and go, it’s worth every penny!
Still Buzzed
July 15th, 2011
2:05 pm
I knew what was coming the second night, but I STILL LOVED the show. Every once in a while(far too infrequent IMO) you get to experience a show that leaves this lasting impression in your mind.
You relive the experience over and over in your mind…..that night…July 2011….WOW!…is the response your brain keeps coming up with. I first saw Sade in the 80’s at Merriweather Post Pavilion (think Chastain on steroids) LOVED it then LOVED it even more this time. I would still like to see her outside because the incredible imagery on stage is matched by the natural beauty of sparkling stars overhead…cuddlling on a blanket… and SADE seranading you LIVE!
Bart
July 15th, 2011
7:08 pm
Sade and John Legend were amazing both great performers, only problem was the lady sitting next to me on her phone during John Legend and on Facebook during Sade, I mean really….