Concert review: Erykah Badu at Chicago Theatre
Erykah Badu could’ve passed for Cleopatra with earrings that curved from underneath her bronzed hair and accented her mocha skin – that is if Cleopatra wore a T-shirt and sweat pants rolled up at the knees.
The look encapsulated Badu in all her contradictions: exotic, earthy, regal, irreverent. She gingerly walked on stage Wednesday at the Chicago Theatre as if she were lost, and took her time settling in between a laptop and a synthetic percussion kit. Then she pretty much owned the place for the next two hours.Badu’s fun to watch. While singing, her hands twirl beautiful shapes in the air, as if performing invisible calligraphy. She also uses those hands to conduct her band, occasionally embellishing the gestures with verbal instructions: “Bridge!” “Break it down!” “Give me something I can wiggle my back to.”
Spontaneity ruled. Over the jittery “I Want You,” with her backing singers creating a wordless rhythm bed, Badu called out for some crowd assistance: “Show me how to dance to this.” A couple in the audience obliged and were called up. “Follow me,” she said, and the dancers locked into a slower groove she tapped out on a percussion pad. “More bounce to the ounce,” Badu intoned, offering a running commentary on the impromptu dance contest raging on her stage.
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