Missy Elliott has the most euphoric tour of the summer and this is why
WASHINGTON – Missy Elliott gave us a hint of her live ambitions during her electrifying Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction performance last fall.
Turns out that was merely the aperitif.
While it still seems absurd that this is the first headlining tour for the musical innovator, she clearly stashed away years of ideas.
Lucky us that she finally uncorked this dazzling circus, a futuristic blast of confetti that summarized her 25-plus-year career with 75 minutes of supple hip-hop, captivating visuals, cool sparkly jumpsuits and one very enviable feathered hat.
It all adds up to pure euphoria.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The Out of This World Tour, which kicked off in early July and steamrolls the country through the end of August, is a triumph not only for Elliott – who, at 53, is as vital and vigorous as ever – but also for her like-minded comrades Busta Rhymes, Ciara and producer/consigliere Timbaland.
Their collective four hours of music, which unspooled with precision, reminded me of their influence on the genre (Rhymes cheekily demonstrating with hand motions how a turntable works “for all the streamers out there” was particularly amusing) as well as their established ingenuity.
At Capital One Arena in the district on Thursday, a sold-out crowd – as all have been on the tour – basked in the nostalgia inevitably nestled in the veins of a show comprised of artists who penetrated musical barriers in the ‘90s and ‘00s.
Nothing wrong with that.
But older can still be fresh. Elliott can still be the superhero from her “Sock it 2 Me” video, which was recreated in gigantic form on stage. And now, she’s serving as the ringleader of the splashy spectacle that owns this summer’s concert landscape.
More:Missy Elliott is ditching sweets to prepare to tour, says her dog is 'like my best friend'
Timbaland, Busta Rhymes and Ciara hopped aboard the spaceship
All of the performers adopted a look to suit the space-age motif of the tour: Timbaland’s beefy biceps were exposed in sleeveless black leather, Rhymes opted for a baggier black ensemble with wraparound shades and Ciara thoroughly seductive in a pinkish-red jumpsuit with chaps.
Each player also instituted a personal stage style. Timbaland and his DJ showcased the numerous smashes he’s produced (aside from Elliott, his resume includes Beyoncé, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake and nice-to-hear-you-again Nelly Furtado) in a glorified DJ set. Though really, what else could a guy renowned for production do on stage?
Busta Rhymes was old-school and on message
Rhymes, along with his sparkplug sidekick Spliff Star and DJ Scratch, boasted about his old-school style (“We don’t use special effects – WE are the special effects!” he bellowed) as he ran through his blistering set of memories.
His guttural vocals and quadruple-speed rapping – didn’t matter if it was lyrics or gibberish, it was impressive – hit the highlights including “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” a champagne-spraying “Pass the Courvoisier Part II” and “Scenario,” the song from A Tribe Called Quest that introduced him in 1992.
He emphasized unity while also reprimanding anyone in his sightline sitting during his set and wrapped with a glowing soliloquy about “the royal empress” – Elliott – and his tour mates and longtime friends.
“We are a family, not a team,” Rhymes, 52, said. “Team players get traded. We’re a family.”
Ciara packaged attitude, warmth and impressive dance moves
By opening with one of her best-known songs, “Goodies,” Ciara made the statement there would be much more to come.
By head-banging her long blond hair, twerking in line with her dancers and landing in a semi-split during “Get Up,” the mom of four (three kids with NFL quarterback husband Russell Wilson and a son with rapper Future), made the statement that at 38, she can still wipe the stage with any upstarts.
Ciara hasn’t toured since her 2019 “Beauty Marks” album and her return immediately silenced anyone who thought she was only the pretty window dressing in this lineup.
A slanted stage served as her playground as she slid backward, grinding down into a squat before popping upright for the sultry finger-snapper “Ride,” and when she changed into a faded T-shirt and stacked baseball caps representing her Atlanta hometown, she was suitably prepped for the danceathon of “1, 2 Step” and “Level Up.”
“I’m going to cherish this moment forever,” she said, as the crowd’s zealous response to her performance seemed to take her by surprise. “Remember, it’s never too late for your dreams to happen. Age don’t matter, baby.”
More:50 essential hip-hop songs to celebrate 50 years: Grandmaster Flash, Jay-Z, Outkast, more
Missy Elliott emanated joy onstage
But even with a beguiling opening trio, Elliott is the centerpiece of this production, as creative and visually arresting as her memorable Hype Williams-directed videos.
It’s a Broadway production set to her quirky hip-hop pop songs, with unceasing energy and the unmistakable feeling that Elliott is receiving her overdue flowers.
Who else could blend a nod to “Singin’ in the Rain” with a rumbling spacecraft accented by a blinking sea of lights from the crowd’s light-up wristbands in the same show?
Only the diminutive figure who zipped to the lip of the stage, tongue wagging as she grinned her way through “We Run This” and “4 My People,” and bounced with an army of dancers behind her.
Her flow was as nimble as her air punches were fiery, Elliott, in her copper and silver jumpsuit and kicks, emanated joy.
V-shaped pyro shot elegantly from the sides of the stage (“Hot,” natch) and Elliott donned her iconic black trash bag look – obviously, a glam statement now – as gothic-looking ballerinas danced around her and shards of green lasers during “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).”
It was a fever dream of awesomeness, highlighted by her airborne trip on a curved platform during “Gossip Folks,” the pounding beat and earworm chorus of the sassy “One Minute Man” and the neon palette that accompanied her clip-clop rhymes in “Ching-A-Ling.”
In a graffiti-splattered Day-Glo trench coat and fuzzy fuchsia hat, Elliott bobbed through the crowd, shaking hands and smiling wide as she delivered the twisty “Work It.”
Though she didn’t say much throughout her set, Elliott did pause for a moment after “Pass That Dutch” to thank the roaring throng for their decades of support.
“I don’t want you to ever think I take it for granted,” she said while catching her breath.
It was gracious and humble and another signal that the Elliott era is far from over.