Backstage Pass

Forget all the hype about Lykke Li being the Swedish Bjork. She's both more grounded -- as evidenced by her occasional cat-cat-cat hip-hop dance moves and the effortless way she busted out a version of A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?" -- and more ethereal -- as her breathy vocals and Stevie Nicks-y shawl would suggest.

Li pulled out one surprise after another in her 50-minute set, from her live mash-up of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa" with her own "Dance Dance Dance," to a stirring cover of the Wendy Rene Stax soul nugget "After Laughter Comes Tears." And she served up songs from her own "Youth Novels" debut far more passionately than the recorded version, both in the dancey "Complaint Department" and the touching ballad "Tonight."

SETLIST: Dance Dance Dance / Let It Fall / I'm Good, I'm Gone / Hanging High / Cape Cod Kwassa / Little Bit / Complaint Department / After Laughter Comes Tears / Window Blues / I Don’t Mind (Jump On It) / Breaking It Up // ENCORES: Tonight / Can I Kick It?

Madonna, "Into the Groove" (Live in Cardiff)

Forget subtlety.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour, which made its American debut Saturday night at the Izod Center, is overwhelming, a musical shock-and-awe overstuffed with intense techno beats, roaring guitars and an unshakable feeling of standing at the edge of the apocalypse.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

She played nine songs from her dance-oriented "Hard Candy" album, beefing up "Candy Shop" and "Beat Goes On" enough to open the show and counting on the new single "Give It to Me" to be big enough to close it. The bulk of her oldies -- from "Borderline" to "Hung Up," either got the metal-guitar riff treatment or got sped up or both.

The result was dizzying, with Madonna flying across the stage so relentlessly that her dancers often took the stage in shifts just to keep up with her. Unlike previous tours that were more about staging, costuming and interpretive dance, the “Sticky and Sweet” tour (which hits Madison Square Garden tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday) is about partying in the midst of turmoil. The Material Mom sure does have a knack for timing cultural shifts doesn’t she?

The best of her re-imaginings was "Into the Groove," which, despite its new tougher techno backbeat, retained its innocent quality as Madonna jumped rope as playful Keith Haring images bounced on all the massive video screens. The new treatment telegraphed the heavy metal guitar versions of “Borderline” and “Ray of Light,” a continuity that helped the wild, far-flung show hold together.

Everything seemed amped-up so much that when it slowed down slightly, the show deflated a bit, even though Madonna's delivery on the "Evita" ballad "You Must Love Me" was truly lovely. That small respite was a momentum-builder to hammer home the final segment of the show, which included revved-up versions of “4 Minutes” and “Ray of Light” and a thunderous “Like a Prayer.”

With this tour, Madonna somehow conjures up the distraction while still referencing what we need to be distracted from. “Sticky and Sweet” succeeds at moving minds and feet, though, this being Madonna, the latter always comes first.

SETLIST: Candy Shop / Beat Goes On / Human Nature / Vogue / Die Another Day (Video) / Into The Groove / Heartbeat / Borderline / She’s Not Me / Music / Rain (Video) / Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You / Spanish Lesson / Miles Away / La Isla Bonita / Doli Doli / You Must Love Me / Get Stupid (Video) / 4 Minutes / Like A Prayer / Ray Of Light / Hung Up / Give It To Me

CELEBRITIES SPOTTED: Rosie O'Donnell, front and center

Madonna, "Open Your Heart" (Live at Izod Center)

10. “This is the sound of Sarah Palin’s husband’s snowmobile when it won’t start.” (She then launched into a guitar solo.)
9. “You can sing along if you like.”
8. “Habla espanol?”
7. “[Expletive]! It’s too high for me!” (As she realized she started “Open Your Heart” in a key too high for her to finish.)
6. “Are you guys having a good time? There are still people sitting down. I’m not sitting down. Fair is fair.”
5. “I’m having a bit of a memory problem these days.”
4. “You’re thinking: ‘What’s going on here? I paid good money for these tickets! Who’s doing the show?’ It’s not Sarah Palin. She’s not in my show. She will never be in my show... nothing personal.”
3. “Opa!”
2. “Did you ever have a best friend who wanted to do everything you wanted to do including [expletive] your boyfriend?”
1. “I’m about to live out my fantasy here with you tonight... I want you to sing the chorus while I jump rope.”

In case there was any doubt left, Lucinda Williams is now a rocker. Sure, she has built her considerable reputation as an alt-country pioneer and she did deliver the George-Jones-and-Tammy-Wynette styled country charmer “Jailhouse Tears” at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. But the rest of her nearly two-hour concert was all about rock in its various forms.

From the opening Southern-fried current single “Real Love” to the final encore cover of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top” (yes, you read that right), Williams was in fine form, backed by Buick 6, featuring the great guitarist Doug Pettibone. The mix for the evening was slightly off, with Williams’ vocals a little too loud. Depending on the artist, that issue could be anywhere from mildly annoying to completely catastrophic, but in this case, it worked to her advantage.

The little boost helped Williams’ vocals, which were as gorgeous and affecting as usual, stand up to their rockier environments, as Pettibone’s fiery guitar solos uncoiled in song after song. Whether it was the stunning “Little Rock Star,” a Phil Spector-inspired throwback that serves as one of the many highlights of her upcoming “Little Honey” album, to the Paul Westerberg-inspired “Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings,” Williams was charting new territory for herself and for female rockers.

The bash-it-out “Honey Bee,” the covers of Fats Domino’s “I Live My Life” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” the raucous version of “Changed the Locks” – they all showed why Williams is heading towards another landmark in her already-impressive career.

SETLIST: Real Love / Steal Your Love / Tears of Joy / People Talking / Jailhouse Tears / Car Wheels on a Gravel Road / Drunken Angel / Out of Touch / Little Rock Star / Essence / Come On / Changed the Locks / Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings / Honey Bee / Joy / Righteously // ENCORES: I Live My Life / For What It’s Worth / It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)

PHOTO: Lucinda Williams by Danny Clinch for Lost Highway

New Kids on the Block delivered a big reunion valentine to Long Island last night at Nassau Coliseum, taking time out of introducing their new material to fans from back in the day and introducing themselves to the new fans they have won over in the past 14 years since their last tour.

"You don't know how good it feels to be in this building tonight," said Donnie Wahlberg. "Long Island has always been a special place for us."

As the group rolled through their comeback hit "Summertime," Joey McIntyre yelled, "Jones Beach, 1988!" a nod to a major show in their heyday.

For two hours, the New Kids mixed the old and the new, with songs from "The Block" faring just as well, if not better, than most of their classic material. "Dirty Dancing," delivered from a small stage in the center of the floor, worked well, as did the groovy "2 in the Morning" and the electro-tinged "Twisted."

Adding "We Will Rock You" to "Hangin' Tough" seemed a little unnecessary (though not as clumsy as Celine Dion's version earlier this month) and one of the ballads "If You Go Away" or "Baby I Believe in You" could easily have been cut, but for the most part, the show was tight and as well-choreographed as their new dance steps.

Main review: New Kids on the Block sound better [Newsday]

SETLIST: Single / My Favorite Girl / (You Got It) The Right Stuff / Didn't I Blow Your Mind/Valentine Girl / Please Don't Go Girl / Grown Man / No More Games / If You Go Away / 2 In The Morning / Dirty Dancing / Tonight / Twisted / Baby I Believe In You / Give It To You (Jordan Knight solo) / Stay The Same (Joey McIntyre solo) / Cover Girl (Donnie Wahlberg solo) / I'll Be Loving You Forever / Click Click Click / Summertime // ENCORES: Step by Step /// Hangin' Tough/We Will Rock You

PHOTO: Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight at Nassau Coliseum by Paul J. Bereswill for Newsday.

Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook is a man of his word.

He told me recently, “I get really irritated when people do horrible arrangements of their own songs. I understand why people do it and I've done it myself and will probably do it again, but sometimes you just want to hear the songs the way you know it.” And last night, at a raucous Radio City Music Hall, that’s exactly what the reunited Squeeze delivered.

It was wonderful to hear “Goodbye Girl” in the original, synth-heavy, reggae-riddim-tinged version that appeared on “Cool for Cats” in 1979, while the bittersweet “Up the Junction,” from the same album, showed why the compositions of Chris Difford and Tilbrook will stand among the best, timeless examples of British new wave.

But even more thrilling was the renewed energy injected into their sharp, quirky slices-of-life pop, revving up “Is That Love” and the closer “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell).” And the images of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan flashing behind the band nicely tied “Revue” into today’s celebrity culture, even though it was written 30 years ago.

Though the band dispatched its best-known American hits relatively early in the set – with “Black Coffee in Bed” turning into an extended jam and “Tempted” settling into its loping soulful groove – they had plenty of new wave steam to bring it home in impressive style and leave the crowd wanting more, even after 90 minutes of rapid-fire hits.

SETLIST: Strong in Reason / If I Didn't Love You / Revue / Up the Junction / Take Me, I'm Yours / I Think I'm Go-Go / Separate Beds / Piccadilly / It's So Dirty / Black Coffee in Bed / Annie Get Your Gun / Goodbye Girl / Melody Motel / Tempted / Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken / Is That Love / Cool for Cats / Another Nail in My Heart / Hourglass // ENCORE: Slap and Tickle / Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)

PHOTO: squeezeofficial.com

 In case all the video screens, the 10-foot high rotating pedestal, the massive, multi-tiered stage with mechanized walkways, and the platforms that move like turrets in some sort of Vegas pop musical castle didn’t make the point, Celine Dion is a bit over-the-top.
    She has 10 musicians, including a percussionist and a drummer, along with eight dancers and she’s primarily known as a balladeer, OK?
    There’s nothing wrong with that except sometimes less really is more. Dion doesn’t get that all the vocal curlicues and extraneous loopiness of her performances – the forearm slapping, the air punching, the quick kicks and, because the show is in the round, her odd 90-degree turns – detract from the music.
    Take the reworking of the already-bombastic “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” unveiled during the 110-minute show at Nassau Coliseum Saturday night. The original highlighted her magnificent voice and her incredible control. The “improved” version makes her backing singers annoyingly “ooh” and “ahhh” as she delivers the verses.
    Dion shines when she keeps things in check, as in the gorgeous duet “The Prayer” with Andrea Bocelli, who performs his half on film, or the relatively understated “Because You Loved Me.” Even “Taking Chances,” the title track from her album and inspiration for the current tour, works by saving her booming voice for the song’s walloping ending.
    Dion knows how to make drama work for her, because she uses it to great effect in the weepy “All By Myself” and in the finale “My Heart Will Go On.” But so often, she oversells – both when she talks and sings – and oversteps, thinking her voice can transform on anything.
    Rock isn’t good for her, especially not Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Soul isn’t her thing either, screeching her way through the last half of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”
    Taking chances on material is all well and good, but Dion needs to deliver the payoff. When you’re reaching that far over-the-top, the fall can be really far.

PHOTO: Dion at Nassau Coliseum by Jin Lee for Newsday. [More photos]

SETLIST: I Drove All Night / The Power of Love / Taking Chances / It's All Coming Back to Me Now / Because You Loved Me / To Love You More / All By Myself / I'm Alive / Shades of Love / Fade Away / I'm Your Angel / Alone / My Love / The Prayer / Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore / We Will Rock You / The Show Must Go On / BREAK: Soul Man (Medley) / It's a Man's Man's Man's World / Love Can Move Mountains // ENCORES: River Deep Mountain High / My Heart Will Go On

EXTRAS:When Dion slipped slightly on a walkway during "To Love You More," you just knew action would be taken. There were stagehands -- sometimes as many as eight, who Dion at one point referred to as "the cleaning ladies," which I'm sure went over well with the burly guys -- wiping down the stage. She said the moisture may have been caused by the humidity or "because we're all so hot." She then went on to offer up her road crew to any fans who needed their houses cleaned. (It's usually the unscripted moments that say the most.) After she tested out the floor and exaggeratedly slid around she said, "I can play hockey right now."

Celine isn't the only member of the family who knows how to work the crowd. Her husband/manager, Rene Angelil, made quite the scene as he took his seat before the house lights went down, posing for pictures and shaking hands. Charmingly, he even showed the usher his tickets, as if the security escort wasn't hint enough that he was kinda important. Speaking of security, I made it out of Nassau County in record time Saturday night as I tucked behind the police-escorted Dion motorcade as they high-tailed it into the city. Maybe she wanted to see Tina Fey on "SNL.".

    It was as if the “Fashion Rocks” organizers were inspired by a constant loop of Tim Gunn uttering his trademark phrase, “Make it work.”
    After all, the Fashion Week kick-off event, celebrating its 5th anniversary, was faced with an organizational challenge – nearly all of music’s most fashionable (and most Conde-Nast-magazine friendly) stars weren’t releasing new music in time for the Radio City Music Hall event on Friday.
    So what did they do? Lots of tributes. There was a Motown tribute featuring Justin Timberlake admirably taking on Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” Kid Rock and Mary J. Blige roughing up The Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” and Timberlake and Beyonce handling “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”
    Beyonce, who will be playing Etta James in the upcoming movie “Cadillac Records,” did a loving tribute to the legend, who was in attendance, by knocking her classic “At Last” out of the park. And the Black Eyed Peas did a stellar tribute to the Rolling Stones by filtering the classic “Miss You” through Sly Stone and George Clinton funk to create a thrilling spectacle. Unfortunately, the Peas’ Fergie didn’t fare so well on a misguided tribute to punk, despite Deborah Harry’s considerable help on “Call Me.”
    Even those who performed their own music were paying tribute in some way. Mariah Carey unveiled the release of her disco-themed “That Chick” in true glammed-out fashion, with Chris Brown's acrobatic filled "Forever" moved along similar lines. Solange played up her retro-soul vibe on “I Decided,” as did Duffy with her smash “Mercy.” And Kid Rock’s surprise hit “All Summer Long” got an extra Southern-fried rock kick when Lynyrd Skynyrd appeared to expand the song’s riff an add a chorus of “Sweet Home Alabama.”
     Because so many of the stars of the “Just Stand Up” charity single were already on the bill, 13 of the song’s 14 female singers – including Beyonce, Blige, Carey, Rihanna, Ashanti and Miley Cyrus – performed the song as part of Friday night’s “Stand Up to Cancer” special and the “Fashion Rocks” special, set to air Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CBS.
    But it was the tribute to producer-songwriter Timbaland that seemed to fit Fashion Week best. He linked together performances by a wildly eclectic lineup of One Republic, Chris Cornell and The Pussycat Dolls and then walked onstage afterwards, like a designer, to share in the accolades. Somehow, that worked too.

PHOTO: Justin Timberlake and Beyonce take on "Ain't Nothing like the Real Thing" at Fashion Rocks. Photo by Jeff Christensen for Associated Press.

SETLIST: Rihanna - Vogue / Beyonce - At Last / Keith Urban - You Look Good in My Shirt / Stand Up to Cancer - Just Stand Up / Duffy - Mercy / Black Eyed Peas - Miss You / Solange - I Decided / Chris Brown - Cupid/Forever / Justin Timberlake - Got to Give It Up / Kid Rock & Mary J. Blige - (I Know) I'm Losing You / Beyonce & Timberlake - Ain't Nothing like The Real Thing / One Republic - Apologize / Chris Cornell - Scream / Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up / Fergie & Deborah Harry - Call Me / Mariah Carey - That Chick / Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynyrd - All Summer Long/Sweet Home Alabama

 Jesse McCartney’s new tour leaves no doubt that he is set for a while new level of stardom.
    His album “Departure,” with its smash hit “Leavin’,” recast the former teen-pop star as an R&B-leaning pop singer, with a taste for ‘80s dance music. But his concert proves the transformation is far grander than that. McCartney has developed into a true triple threat, displaying his singing, dancing and even acting skills in his well-paced entertaining show.
    McCartney rolled out 10 new songs to the shrieking delight of the mostly teenaged crowd, backing up his new sound with slick choreographed routines with his two backing singers that turned “My Baby” into an extravaganza that looked like The Temptations and sounded like it was born in the mid-‘80s (like the 21-year-old McCartney himself). Even his previous hit “Beautiful Soul” has been updated to rock out a bit in the middle.
    His new single, the Timbaland/Timberlake-ish “It’s Over,” is even more impressive in concert, as McCartney gets to show off his vocals and phrasing as he dances. His vocal agility shows up in his remarkably cover of T-Pain’s “Buy You a Drank,” as well.
    Unlike his touring partner Jordin Sparks, though, McCartney leaves the crowd wanting much more, with a knockout one-two punch of “Relapse,” which sounds apocalyptic in concert with the massive synth sounds and the fiery guitar riffs, and the light-hearted “Leavin’,” which he plays up to its poppy potential as well.
    Thanks to his acting career and Disney-backing, McCartney has been a star for years, but with his latest great leap forward, he has now become an artistic force as well.

SETLIST: Freaky / Makeup / My Baby / Beautiful Soul / It’s Over / Rock You / Runnin’ / Not Your Enemy / She’s No You / Jessie’s Girl / Oxygen / How Do You Sleep? / Buy You a Drank / Told You So / Relapse / Leavin’

PHOTO: McCartney at Zootopia in May by Charles Eckert for Newsday