Janet Jackson, Live In Singapore

Janet's performance and songs saved a night of a myriad of what-could-be's. But is it really worth that price?

With all due respect to her talents, Janet Jackson had always been overshadowed by her more dramatic elder brother, late Michael Jackson. If that wasn't enough, she seemed to be remembered better for her controversial breast-flash when she teamed up with Justin Timberlake. Some called it the Nipplegate affair. Am I expecting to see something like this at her concert yesterday? Certainly not, because some 'accidents' will never happen twice.

Still, I was delighted to be seated among many others who were eagerly anticipating her appearance. That took a staggering 1 hour and 10 mins wait before she proceeded with her approximate 1.5 hour show. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

The concert was evidently set up to promote her new album - NUMBER ONES - and in all the publicities, it was touted to be up close and personal. Janet mouthed those words too in media interviews, as a promise. As a often-sceptical music lover, I doubt these claims. True enough, my doubts played out in reality during the concert.

There was absolutely nothing up close or personal between Janet and her Singapore fans, except for a couple of video montage of her early days. They depicted her short acting stinct. They also threw a slight depiction of her awful marriage. Needless to say, part of the montage included life with her late brother, the incredible MJ. It went only as far as that.

I was kinda taken aback that Janet made little effort (could I use the word, pathetic?) to interact with the audiences. Little was spoken by her to the audiences other than running through the routines of the show. It took a couple of songs in segments before she vanished backstage for her next costume change.

XIN/MSN: Returning to Singapore after 16 years (her last concert was held in 1995), the 44-year-old exclaimed bouts of love declarations for the city-state throughout her show in her wispy voice.

ED: Was I at a different concert with another artiste with the same name?

No talking, no interaction, no up and close, no intimacy. Period!

(UPDATE: And just to prove my point... I am not the only one feeling that way.)

I have always said the Singapore Indoor Stadium (SIS) was never designed and built for concerts. Last night, I had to stand by my words again. It was loud but if loudness was all it matters, the sound engineers should be out of jobs by now. Having attended shows in Singapore Expo Max Pavilion, Suntec Convention Centre and SIS, I have to promote Max Pavilion a little here. Max Pavilion still offers the best acoustic quality over SIS. Let's not talk about Esplanade, that venue is in a different league of its own. If anybody hears me, please do some serious reconsideration about hosting concerts at SIS. (If you don't care, that's of course a redundant move.)

The stadium filling up slowly with Singapore's trademark - lateness.

Janet delivered songs from her new album - NUMBER ONES - with precision. Familiar tunes were ringing in my ears all night long and it showed Janet of age. How long has it been that we've been listening to her music? Longer than I can remember, even though MJ was more attention grabbing all through the years. It's like wine, the longer you have it, the better it will taste as time goes. It was her choice of songs such as Nasty, That's The Way Love Goes etc that made it a bearable night. That's nothing much more to look forward to other than her music.

Somehow, I felt the stage did serious injustice to Janet Jackson. I was expecting something more elaborate for somebody like her. Sadly, the stage ended up more like a low budget film set. (I swear I am not alone about this.) How could they do this to her? How could they present one of the greatest original artistes in such unflattering style? Luckily, my tickets were given FOC. I felt sorry for those who spent hundreds or thousands on premium tickets only to be seated facing a low-budget-look-alike stage.

Music saved the night, for Queen Janet Jackson sang live. But perfect?