Erykah Badu @ The Sydney OperaHouse, Sydney (19/02/2012)

Wed 22nd Feb, 2012 in Gig Reviews

There’s a reason Erykah Badu has been labelled the Queen of Soul. It’s in every move she makes as she confidently controls her stage. It’s there every time she opens her mouth, whether she is merely addressing her audience or melting even the hardest hearts with her sweet yet powerful vocals. Yes, Erykah Badu is the true definition of a Queen.

Badu’s band, consisting of bass, keys, drums and a DJ are the first to take the stage at the Sydney Opera House. After putting the finishing touches on their sound-check, they begin a slow instrumental in near darkness. A single spotlight lights a slowly moving figure coming out from the wings.

Badu stalks onto the stage wearing the overly self-assured ice-cold stare of a diva. She might have come across tough and a little intimidating, but the wry smile she is trying her hardest to suppress keeps giving her away. Once at the front of her performance space she looks her audience up and down as if sizing them up. Then makes her way to centre stage where she has an MPC and laptop set up either side of her mic stand. A quick taste of what she can do on the MPC is followed by her opening number, 20 Feet Tall.

The Healer puts the needle into the groove of her set, during this track she is also joined by four backing vocalists who will remain with her for the rest of the night. The crowd have so far remained seated as she begins a trip back to 1997, the time of Baduizim. On and On sees her ad-libbing in the middle “All the people in the front, they bump and they hump, all the people in the back…what the fuck you lookin’ at?” She waits for the laughter in the room to die away before continuing on with the track, she has clearly amused herself in the process also.

Appletree cops a surprise re-working. Starting with a solo from Badu on her drum machine before giving the lyrics a jazzy ‘scat-style’ remix. It’s enough to spark a bums-off-seats rebellion that will last the rest of the night. The set flawlessly bounces on as the Opera House is treated to a beautifully soulful version of Love of My Life, a joint that usually features Chi-town emcee Common. Before the end of the set proper, stomping renditions of I Want You and Danger will also be added to the nights highlight reel. At the conclusion of Danger, Erykah waves a short goodbye and leaves the stage for the first time.

Erykah’s stage manager informs the crowd that if we want to see her again she is going to have to hear us. “Badu…Badu…Badu” is the response from the crowd, and a short moment later she is back centre stage. She instructs the audience to help her out with the “Yes-sir-ee” parts of the next song, before making Soldier, the first cab off the encore rank. She interrupts the track mid-way through to make a political statement, granting solid insight into the frame of mind she was in when writing Soldier and the album it belongs to.

The farewell track for the night is Bag Lady which is performed while the lady of the night comes to meet everybody in the first few rows. Erykah Badu truly tore the roof off the Opera House tonight: Long live the Queen.