Alicia Keys demonstrated that no matter how many times you perform and how many tracks you produce, each show is like your first — so long as one new fan shows up. There is something to be said about artists who’ve been in the game for 10+ years and still put on heartfelt shows. Alicia Keys is one of those artists.
Even after the fame, fortune and sold-out shows, the multi-Grammy Award winner entertains like it’s her make-or-break moment in the industry. It’s theatrical, passionate and engaging and Bellco Theatre was lucky enough to experience the essence of her music in all its glory last night as part of her tour promoting her latest album, KEYS II.
NEW YORK – AUGUST 12: Alicia Keys performs onstage at Radio City Music Hall on August 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AK)
Keys made her entrance in a bejeweled trenchcoat as fashionable and adaptable as herself. She looked like business but spoke like pleasure. “Anything that’s weighing you down, tonight we’re letting it go. It’s not ours tonight. We’re here to sing at the top of our lungs,” she stated at the beginning of the night. The audience cheered and screamed in unity but still remained composed and wide-eyed at the singer’s request, knowing full well what was in store for them. She comforted the crowd before stunning them into complete adoration. Like a mother putting a newborn to sleep, each sentence, each interaction soothed the audience into a deeper trance in admiration for the singer’s talents — on and off the microphone.
She made clear early in her set that booking a venue like the Bellco Theatre was important to her. She made sure she could perform in front of a large group of fans while maintaining a level of intimacy and exclusivity. Any audience member that was fortunate enough to be sitting in the aisle she passed could attest to that — no seat was a bad seat.
NEW YORK – AUGUST 12: Alicia Keys performs onstage at Radio City Music Hall on August 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AK)
“You Don’t Know My Name” was one of the first songs she sang while propping a phone to her ear as she dissected the theatric lyrics of an interested waitress shooting her shot. Each song shared the same intention as the one before — in the moment, authentic and engaging at every opportunity. Her set was nonstop with the healthiest amount of audience-performer dialogue. She spoke to the crowd, even asking about their preference for the original versus “unlocked” versions from KEYS II. “It’s not going to hurt my feelings,” she clarified about choosing, “Either one you choose is still mine.” Her confidence radiated out through Keys’ lyrics, but more importantly, her presence.
NEW YORK – AUGUST 12: Alicia Keys performs onstage at Radio City Music Hall on August 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AK)
Of course, it wasn’t all promotional performance. A class act like Alicia Keys didn’t forget the fan favorites like, “Girl on Fire,” “I Ain’t Got You” and “No One” as part of her set. As an artist whose official discography started in 2001, she’s done countless performances. It’s too often seen after a certain amount of years that artists or musical groups lose the passion they started out with. It’s painfully obvious in live performances, but that is far off from how Keys goes about her shows. Watching Alicia Keys live is like watching a breakout singer rising to fame while still maintaining a high level of humility and gratitude for where she’s at — even now, 21 years past that first album.