Smoldering confidence coupled with some welcome authenticity scored the pop star a win in Newark Thursday
NEWARK -- In what was perhaps her performance's lone unscripted moment, Selena Gomez uttered an incredulous "whoa."
The young pop singer was shocked to hear the Prudential Center crowd's reaction, to her prodding of how many audience members were seeing her concert for the first time -- most were new to the scene.
Though an observer of Gomez's burgeoning music career-- a follow-up to her run as a Disney television star -- would be unsurprised to learn most of the 23-year-old's fans Thursday night were fresh. Gomez was merely a footnote on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this time last year, and was known to many as an ex-girlfriend to pop leviathan Justin Bieber's, or Taylor Swift's squad-mate.
But like her former beau, the Texas native has enjoyed a swift climb to the mainstream summit, largely by discarding her pop-rock bubblegum for the pulse of sultry, dance-club bangers.
Gomez's sophomore LP "Revival," released in October, yielded the cherubic singer's first three Top 10 singles, and birthed her second eponymous arena tour, an 80-date global trek that kicked off last month.
But as "Revival" the album is jacketed by a nude, gray-scaled Gomez -- in homage to Christina Aguilera's 2002 "Stripped," an influence on the record -- her new tour was the first to show the artist in a state of true exposure.
With welcome authenticity -- a pop star actually sang live, you guys! -- and confident smolder, Gomez reiterated what her latest, greatest tunes desperately work to achieve: continued self-discovery through a roaring dance blowout.
The Breakdown
The good:
- Visible maturity: The moniker "Revival" was surely chosen to signify Gomez's push toward greater pop credibility -- she all but screams "forget about Disney!" beneath the LP's undisguised sensuality and daring, dancehall minimalism -- and in the live setting, a sense of growth was apparent.
"You've seen my ups and downs, this album is my words," she told the crowd, comprised almost entirely of teen girls and parents.
Selena Gomez performs at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ 6/2/16 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Her first four outfits were restricted to muted colors (sequins notwithstanding), and her troupe of eight dancers utilized fewer flashy props on the relatively modest, catwalk-less stage. Glowing geometric shapes were rolled around for opener-smash "Same Old Love," and four leotarded dancers were tethered together for an interpretive dance during bonus track "Nobody." No pyrotechnics, no candy-colored visual assaults.
- Sing it!: Gomez is not a particularly virtuosic singer. Though her breathy delivery can play seductive, contemporaries Demi Lovato, Rihanna and Taylor Swift are all stronger vocalists. But kudos to Gomez nonetheless, as she sang most of her thumping tunes live -- early set numbers like the impassioned track "Sober" were delivered with no backing track at all -- and did a fine job balancing her commitment to the microphone and her choreography, especially on "Me and The Rhythm," and the latin-infused "Body Heat." That's more than can be said for Rihanna and Bieber's listless, recent area performances.
Selena Gomez performs at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ 6/2/16 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) - Glad to be back: Though this was her 18th show in less than a month, Gomez showed through plenty of toothy grins and thanks to the crowd that she was truly happy to be back in New Jersey, for the first time since 2013.
"I feel like I've grown up with you guys," she told the audience. And though "Revival" was the night's focus, the reimagined renditions of early hits "Slow Down" and "Love You Like A Love Song" were among the night's most danceable jams.
The bad:
- Made for Macy's: Plenty of pop stars employ pseudo-avant-garde visual interludes to occupy the crowd while they change costumes. But Gomez's first of four tapes, of her posing in different clothes in front of a whitewash, was too akin to a JC Penney commercial not to chuckle.
Selena Gomez performs at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ 6/2/16 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) - Dry eyes?: Initially, it was captivating to see Gomez doubled over the stage fan, singing while the wind messed her Pantene-sponsored, wavy locks. But she returned to that well a few too many times, as if the visual would save what was at times a mediocre vocal performance. All it accomplished was a night of frizz.
- Be abused: Gomez's choice to cover the Eurthymics' "Sweet Dreams" was unmemorable at best. She sang it straight-away, with little alteration from the original rendition, and it added nothing but an odd annotation to the performance.
The Set List
- "Same Old Love"
- "Come & Get It"
- "Sober"
- "Good for You"
- "Survivors"
- "Slow Down"
- "Love You Like a Love Song"
- "Hands to Myself"
- "Who Says"
- "Transfiguration" (Hillsong United cover)
- "Nobody"
- "Feel Me"
- "Me & My Girls"
- "Me & the Rhythm"
- "Body Heat"
- "Sweet Dreams" (Eurythmics cover)
- "Kill Em With Kindness"
- "I Want You To Know" (Zedd cover)
- "Revival" (Remix)
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.