August 7, 2022 – The Met, Philadelphia PA

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

Philadelphia welcomed the 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist, activist, and R&B royal Alicia Keys last night with a (more than sold out) packed house at The Met in Philly for “The Alicia + Keys World Tour”.

When I say “more than sold out” I reference what I noticed when I arrived at the box office – a long line that wasn’t moving. This show had been rescheduled from when the world and all entertainment events were stopped in their tracks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fans who purchased their tickets over a year ago apparently found that their seats were also more recently sold to others as the current show was re-released for sale. There were multiple groups of individuals with this same issue and the box office and the reception windows in the lobby of the venue were subject to irate concert goers.

Regardless, the show eventually opened with Pink Sweat$ who was promoting his debut album, Pink Planet, which was released in February 2021. As Pink Sweat$ performed, I noticed the place getting more and more packed with fans who were long awaiting their date night with their significant others… and Alicia Keys. 

I loved the way she appeared on stage, the set design was beautiful. The theatre went dark, and the stage was lit with blue lighting and a giant LED display, the length and height of the entire stage, showed video of an eclipsed Moon with the Sun slowly rising behind it.  As the sun rose, the light grew stronger and spotlights turned from blue to “sunset orange” as the stars from the universe whipped past. Then out of the light of the Sun, the silhouette of Alicia appeared to an elated, applauding crowd. 

Alicia was dressed in all black with shiny silver sequins accents and a sheer cloak. Her gorgeous piano rolled out on a moving platform, stage right, and she began to play.  I love the way she plays the keys and the command and comfort level she has over the ebonies & ivories. It’s like an extension of her body. She plays standing up and striking poses as she performs. Vocally, Alicia is capable of singing complex vocal runs and possesses a rich mezzo-soprano voice with a very solid lower register, and is able to hold notes for periods of time without wavering in pitch or tone. She often reaches well outside her comfort zone (particularly noticeable live). I always enjoy hearing her sing and watching her perform.  She interacted with the crowd and even came down the isles singing and parading through the audience, making for up-close and personal moments for attendees as they quickly shuffled for their phones as to not miss the opportunity to capture a lasting close-up moment as she passed by.

She’s a brilliant artist with a nice welcoming, soft, peaceful approach to her performances. I loved it!

For more info please visit http://www.aliciakeys.com

Setlist

1. Nat King Cole
2. You Don’t Know My Name
3. Wasted Energy
4. Time Machine
5. Karma
6. New Day
7. Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)
8. So Done
9. Me x 7
10. Diary
11. The Gospel
12. Plentiful
13. The Truth
14. One For Peedi Crakk
15. Skydive
16. Is It Insane
17. Only You
18. Unbreakable
19. My Boo
20. City of Gods (Part II)
21. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
22. Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart
23. Girl on Fire
24. Superwoman
25. Fallin’
26. In Common
27. Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)
28. Underdog
29. No One
30. Like You’ll Never See Me Again (Encore)
31. If I Ain’t Got You (Encore)