While it’s understood that Michael Jackson’s reign as King of Pop is eternal, that he can’t be supplanted, the search goes on to find an heir – someone worthy of being called pop’s prince. Lots of contenders have tossed their names in the hat: Chris Brown, the Justins (Timberlake; Bieber), and even The Weeknd. Jackson’s cultural DNA, diluted, misapplied, and misappropriated as it’s been, is all over the place as pretenders lay claim to the throne. Ironically, Belgian superstar Stromae – without mimicking either Jackson’s vocal delivery or style of dance, without giving any heavy-handed or obvious nod to MJ – is the only truly worthy candidate. He evokes Michael by being singularly himself.
“√Live,” the new concert video of Stromae’s sold-out 2015 world tour, is equal parts rave, cabaret, performance art, and Broadway musical, all seamlessly woven, sans any misstep. Backed by his crisp 4-piece band, an intricate light show, and inspired video projections, Stromae works his ass off for two hours, but the show is not merely an exercise in athleticism or stamina (though both are impressively displayed,) and never becomes the joyless, workmanlike performance so many big-name pop stars give in their spectacle-driven shows.
Opening night of American Tour. Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by DerekBrad.com
The concert kicks off with an animated Stromae strolling across the backdrop screen (with a quick cameo by the arachnid who appears in the video “Quand c’est,”) before the man himself takes the stage with “Ta fête,” setting the pace for the night with a high-energy performance that pulls the crowd into the palm of his hands. The song, as will most of the tracks performed, quickly becomes a crowd singalong. As hits and fan favorites are rolled out – “Peace or violence,” “Te quiero,” “Tous les mêmes,” and “Formidable” among them – Stromae alternates between cool master of ceremonies, strolling the length of the stage bantering and cracking jokes like a seasoned nightclub performer, and limbs flailing imp pulling faces, contorting his body to the beat, and wowing the crowd with his moves.
Also: Stromae: “Quand C’est?” Cements His Status as a Global Pop Visionary
He slips into characters – the sentimental drunk of “Formidable,” the dazzlingly gender-bending couple from the “Tous les mêmes,” video – with ease, and then slips back out again to engage the audience. He channels the world weariness of Serge Gainsbourg and the childlike joy of Charlie Chaplin, all filtered through the energy and cross-cultural savvy of a 21st century club kid. But even when he’s sitting in a chair crooning, the momentum never fades, and he serves up one show-stopping performance after another. He’s the most interesting and important global superstar right now. (The fact that he doesn’t sing or speak at all in English – even when his songs have English titles – only makes that fact more compelling.)
Opening night of American Tour. Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by DerekBrad.com
The biggest highlights in a night of highlights:
Stromae hoofing along with the tribal dancers that were projected during “Humain à l’eau;” the gorgeous African rhythms woven into the extended jam at the end of “Papaoutai;” the wistful electro-pop of “Merci,” with its evoking of vintage Pet Shop Boys and Erasure; the overhaul of “Alors on danse,” in which the band digs beneath that track’s EDM foundation and taps into EDM’s ‘90s House roots, interpolating both Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman” and MK’s remix of Nightcrawlers “Push the Feeling On (Dub Of Doom),” all as Stromae breaks out ‘90s dance moves like the Running Man.
“√Live,” filmed at the Centre Bell in Montreal, QC is smartly and artfully directed by Luc Junior Tam, Gautier & Leduc. Their cameras swoop over and across the stage, giving face time to all the band members, kicking into slo-mo to emphasize an especially balletic move by Stromae, and filming the show from behind its star so that the sea of camera phones seem like flickering lightning bugs against the darkness of the arena. And through it all the band is both taut and fluid, adroit partners in crime – right through to the end when they come from behind their instruments. They stand and croon a cappella with their boss who is flipping back and forth between masculine and feminine affect with a fearlessness that shames the machismo-gilded personas and performances of his male peers.
Opening night of American Tour. Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. Photo by DerekBrad.com
The full concert is below. If you actually purchase it, though (Amazon / iTunes) you get a specially designed digi-book hardcover and an 80-page booklet of pictures from the 209-date tour.
Photos by Derek Brad. More can be found here.
