While she and her dancers readied the next number backstage, a video played of her spreading her legs, writhing around on a bed, and touching herself provocatively — something that seemed to make even her younger fans somewhat uncomfortable if they could figure out what was going on. But what must you expect when coming to a Christina Aguilera concert? You want nice? Go to Las Vegas and see Celine Dion belt out "My Heart Will Go On." When you shell out $100 to see the love child of Mariah Carey and Madonna, you're in for something naughty.
Quite possibly one of the gayest displays I've ever seen on stage was her performance of the Moulin Rouge-inspired "Lady Marmalade" — which at this point, the other three girls on the track should not even bother attempting it ever again — the song belongs to Aguilera. There were transvestites, there were feather boas and gloves, there was make-up, it was a gay old time. And in true Aguilera fashion, she sang the hell out of it.
Emerging from below the stage atop a carousel-esque horse and latched onto the pole, she did an electrifying version of her hit "Dirrty" which defined her entire Stripped era. Surprisingly, she managed to perform the song without making me want to grab her and start running some bath water. "Candyman," her current single and another of the audience favorites, got everyone up on their feet singing and dancing along, while her and her dancers sported sailor outfits moving to the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" inspired tune. When she hit the high note after the bridge the screams from the crowd were so loud I couldn't even hear the note anymore.
As in your face as the entire concert is, there are a few tender moments for those whose ears feel abused and battered. There's an emotional rendition of "Oh Mother," a song she wrote in dedication to her mother for rescuing her and her sister from domestic abuse, and the epic ballad "Hurt," a rarity in today's music scene but she pulls it off with finesse. One of the biggest highlights of the show was when she walked out onto the bare stage with a shirt and loosened tie and sang her signature hit "Beautiful." The crowd sang along as they waved their cell phones in the air, and it is one of the few times during the concert that Aguilera stops, breathes, and gets a chance to interact and connect with the audience a bit.
You can tell Aguilera fans love their self-empowerment songs — because as with "Can't Hold Us Down," and "Beautiful," her rabble-rousing performance of "Fighter" had entire arena in a craze. Even the 60-something year old woman in front of me who came with her husband was punching her fist into the air and screaming the lyrics at the top of her lungs as her glasses shook with each punch.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jane
Does this girl have any original bone? That's just a rip off of Madonna's 1993 tour and Confessions. Aguilera can't even sing a song without belting/screeching that's not singing. She screams the songs and the songs looses all meaning or it's point to entertain. Then there's the dancing. She can't dance even if her life depends on it. All she can do is two step and the choreographer should be ashame for creating such pathetic dance moves. The back up dancers are sorry excuses for dancers. They should take lesson from the crew at Dance Life. Aguilera should take lesson from Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, J.lo and etc on stage presence and ideas. Oh wait, she's already is mimicking their past routines. Sad!
2 - Caroline
Xtina's singing, or should i say SCREAMING, is so damn annoyingggg. It's not appealing at all. She screams the whole time and thinks it sounds good, but it honestly doesnt. Okay, we know you can sing, but please make a song thats more enjoyable and quit screaming all the time. On top of her lack of originality, she needs to wipe some of that Maybelline off her face... oh wait, i get it... her clown face is supposed to go with the whole circus theme. ahhhh!
3 - A Concerned Citizen
without belting/screeching that's not singing. She screams the songs and the songs looses all meaning or it's point to entertain?
Okay, we know you can sing, but please make a song thats more enjoyable and quit screaming all the time
Maybe it's your own stylistic preferences and not her singing? Being a guy, and not involved as a fan of the genre either, I can tell you that Aguilera's voice is 10x better than basically everyone else's in the genre is.
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with belting or see how that style could make a song "lose it's meaning". If you look at many of the great classic rock artists, they had a fair share of belting.
Expand your horizons.
4 - joe
about the review, nice. But once again I see lack of respect from those who say she screams..I'm not her fan but I do recognize she is powerful and a true artist, I get easily bored of those people who can't do anything else to prove who they are, for that matter there is a universe of opionions so you may like her or hate her but that doesn't give you right to give a destructive critic
5 - joe
By the way, did those who say she was screaming actually went to her concert or are you just guessing??? If you hate "oversinging" "screaming" and whatnot..then go to a High School Musical show, I am sure you'll all be pleased jajajjaj
6 - Jane
Just because people think Christina Aguilera screams doesn't mean it's lack of respect it's just the fact or more like an opinion. The reviewer of the concert act like she some great performer with stage presence when she's just copying Madonna and barely does anything on stage.
"Personally, I don't see anything wrong with belting or see how that style could make a song "lose it's meaning". If you look at many of the great classic rock artists, they had a fair share of belting"
They don't belt every word or in Christina Aguilera case scream every word. Other singers sing with emotion and actually sing the words not scream it. All the screaming really does is shock the eardrums and annoy people.
7 - Orlando
I don't get why people who have such disdain for Christina would bother wasting their time both reading and then commenting on her reviews. You don't have anything better to do with your time than sit online and bash people you don't even know?
8 - arger.
i saw the opening show in houston and i loved it. i wonder if the folks with the negative things to day did even see a show. if you did, why did you pay and go? and if you didn't, how can you form an opinion? she is, obviously, inspired by madonna and takes from that influence. madonna does the same thing. madonna perfected it. taking influences, inspirations, and reintrepreting them to make them her own. is she a little more original in her reinterpretations? sure, it could probably be argued that she does. she did use the same music director as madonna. jamie king. or whatever his title would be. he does the choreography, i believe. i think she's coming into her own as an artist and an entertainer. everything was on point. she didn't dance like a janet or a britney, but she moved with them and moved well and energetically. also, she chooses to really sing as opposed to lip sync to do some choreography. she is even approaching her videos in a more mature way. really trying to make artistic statements. ok i'm done with my rant.
9 - Jade
rofl.
Christina needs to take lessons from NO ONE. She is the one with the voice, just because she may have the horse thing doesn't make her copied. Anyway - who HASN'T copied Madonna? Go figure before you say someone isn't original.
10 - Julie
Christina Aguilera has disappointed fans by reportedly lip-syncing at a gig on Friday night.
The Beautiful star encountered undisclosed technical problems at the concert in Madison Square Garden, New York City, prompting the audience to speculate the star was miming during the entire set.
11 - Jennifer
Christina will NEVER be in the league of Madonna OR Mariah. She doesnt even come close to comparing with the originals. She can imitate but never duplicate.
12 - jade
Ok Madonna can't really sing really all she is famous for is changing her look mariah carey only singd high notes that really not that amazing. Christina is so much better than those two and a loy of others
13 - joe
@JANE-well that's your point of view..so i don't care about it as you don't care of mine..I think there are different points of view and perception of things so for you she screams and for me she sings..say no more
14 - bianca
xtina is simply the best ever!!!
15 - rosa
christina is wonderful.. better yet TALENTED!!! how can anyone compare her to Baldy Spears, SHE CANNOT SING!!!!! every concert she has ever had was lip-synched. I like talent, christina has it, no one can say ahe cannot sing give the girl her props and respect her gift, she is better than madonna and i love madonna, mariah, not in the same category. stop hating people!
16 - Candace
Xtina busted for lip synching.... too freaking funny!!! hahahaha
17 - Chris Evans
"Xtina busted for lip synching.... too freaking funny!!! hahahaha"
No, what's funnier is the same person posting under different names with the same IP number. The same person who hates Christina, yet is so fascinated with her that she can't keep away from articles about her. Not only funny, but also sad and pathetic.
Christina lip synchs about 3.5 songs in the total hour and half show. And the rest of the songs that she sings live, she sings full out. She's not the only person with a vocally demanding show that lips a portion of their show to preserve their voices. Celine Dion does it in her Vegas show, and Mariah Carey lipped nearly all of her most recent tour, and has been lip synching notes and performances on television for years.
The only thing wrong is that years ago Christina criticized others at the VMAs for lip synching, when her, Madonna, and Mary J. Blige were singing live.
But seeing as how you're not a fan, don't like her music, and don't like her voice, I fail to see how any of this affects you since you're not shelling out music to go to any of her concerts. Yet still, you waste your time.
18 - Daveyd
I agree, all artist have to lip-sync some of their tracks during concerts, especially if they are continuous the following 2 days etc... Christina does not scream, thats how she projects her voice to the song, this is how she is, hate or love it, i love it!!, and she was given singing lessons from Linda Perry, she showed Christina how to make her voice come out like that too!! Christina had no idea until she did the 'Stripped' album. Does that mean Pink screams too, or is that because she is in the rock catergory? Maybe thats where Christina should go for her next album..lol
19 - Marcus
I don't know why people are talking bad about Christina. She is one of the best female artists there are. She has the voice of an angel and she can sing so well. She moves around on stage a lot and she dosen't scream....she hits the high notes better than probably anybody that sings or is bashing her on this blog
20 - Kris
People, please.. she sings beautifully ... let her develop her own style.. .i lvoe it!!
21 - Don't Be Jealous
Christina Aguilera is my favorite female singer...I'm going to her concert in April,I can hardly wait and by the way she can sing, and for you who say she can't I bet you couldn't do any better...<3
22 - sherwin
fuck you all who said christina screams every song she does! if that's what you think, you dnt know anything about music.. get lost!!!
23 - Monica
Christina screams and she sucks - to top that off, she ugly as a mofo... deal with it!
24 - cheryn baster
christina u are 1 in million.u lot who slate her are soooooo jelous,look wot she has bin through an u r still comparin her.she does not scream her voice is so amazin her music is all i listen 2 ugo girl iluv ya.
25 - Kelly
ok everyone here is sooooo dumb maddona is how old??????? she says i feel better now than i did when i was 20.....bull shit she wants to be 20. I agreee that mariah is a good singer but not better than christina. Christina is the best singer out there. Mariah needs to retire....NOW!!