Halfway through Gwen Stefani’s concert Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center, the pop star asked who, of her thousands of Denver fans, saw her last tour stop here.
It’s not an uncommon question for artists to ask, especially when they’re playing a larger venue, as Stefani was, having graduated from the smaller Magness Arena to the mammoth sports arena.
After the crowd’s requisite applause and screams acknowledging their loyalty to Stefani, she admitted that she was sick as a dog backstage during the last show. She was in the early stages of her pregnancy, but more important, it was so early that she wasn’t telling anybody yet.
And suddenly, her last swing through Denver made sense. Her last show featured Stefani as an awkward mess, a performer with the stage presence of a cardboard box. As it turns out, she looked uncomfortable onstage for a reason.
Wednesday’s show was proof of Stefani the rock star. While she’s still better suited for the sneering pop-ska of her band No Doubt, she does all right with the glittery, hip-hop-fueled Top 40-loving music on which she has built her solo career.
She started the night off strong with the tour’s namesake song, “The Sweet Escape,” utilizing the crystalline voice of her opener and collaborator, Akon. The song fits Stefani well, capturing an ideal mix of wistful pop and urban sensibilities. Akon is a natural on stage. And while he looked more comfortable than Stefani, they made a keen team.
Impressively and unexpectedly, the brightest point of the night came with “Rich Girl,” the second song of the night. Played à la an espionage movie – seriously – it was better than any James Bond single from the past couple of decades. The song crept along and celebrated all that is Gwen: sexiness, lightheartedness and beats that make you shake your bum.
Even Gwen can make a song like “Luxurious” work, which is impressive given some of its lines. “We got hydroponic love and we smoke it” is questionable, but particularly ridiculous is “We’re luxurious like Egyptian cotton.” The song worked better than “Hollaback Girl” even. And it was a nice moment.
“Yummy” came early in the set, and the hottest song of Stefani’s second record was tight in her live show, too. “Orange County Girl” came late and remains obnoxious.
Toward the end of her show, Stefani took to the floor and walked through the aisles (with her handlers) to the tune of “We’re Cool,” and she was.
