Angélique Kidjo played at UCSB to an enthusiastic and participative audience. Kidjo, performing from her new CD, Eve, was juicy for her voice and visual performance. Dressed in a magenta and orange African patterned ruffled outfit, she swirled and danced with energy and expression.
The music, Afrobeat in nature, took on reggae tones when the steel guitar accompanied the luscious vocals.
Immediately in the performance, a small group of the audience started dancing in a side aisle. Slowly, the group grew so that people were dancing the whole length of the side aisles. Two-thirds into the concert, Kidjo commented that if we didn’t want to dance to her music, there must be something wrong! She invited the audience to come to the front of the stage and those who had been in the side aisles rushed to the front, requiring the whole audience to stand to see the performance. She began a call-response with us and came into the audience through the middle aisles to sing and dance.
Upon returning to the stage, she then invited people to join her on stage where individual would dance with one of her percussionists, front and center. The white girls, even inspired by the rhythmic beat pounding at their body, still danced like white girls. But everyone was welcomed and celebrated for their spirit they displayed.
Kidjo talked between her songs about the plight of girls in Africa, of her UNICEF work, about her family, and the state of the world. She was inspirational and engaging in her message and musical styling.