Occasionally we at mxdwn have the chance to see supremely special shows in unusual and special locations. In Los Angeles, one such location is the styled out, broadcast hub known as the Red Bull Sound Space: a modest, makeshift concert venue nestled inside the Los Angeles radio station complex used for either KROQ or AMP Radio as a location to live stream and record special performances. We were fortunate enough to join the throngs for an AMP Radio broadcast of a solo performance by the one and only Alicia Keys.
Following a brief interview, Keys took center stage at a standing piano. She performed solo with no other instrumentation or backing tracks. Following a week where many Los Angeles natives were reeling in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s successful bid to be President of the United States, Keys warmly greeted the screaming fans saying, “Guess what. We made it.” True to form and reputation, Keys has an easy luminescence to her demeanor. She rocks a radiant smile through the duration of the set, appearing as if her mood was never anything but “chill.” On the heels of her newest album released last week, Here, she opened with her ode to her own complicated family (and complicated families everywhere) “Blended Family.” She follows it up with her nod to hard working and determined females “Superwoman.” With none of the instrumentation that often accompanies these songs in their produced form, Keys has room to demonstrate the full breadth of her skills, effortlessly banging out elaborate piano melodies while singing with full range and power.
She next plays the devotional “If I Ain’t Got You,” singing with impressive power, “Some people want it all / But I don’t want nothing at all / if it ain’t you, baby / If I ain’t got you, baby.” Sets at the Red Bull Sound Space are necessarily short, and this one is no different as she ends the set proper with the closing track from her new album, “Holy War.” It’s an oddly prescient song given the divisive moment the nation is gripped in. One lyric emotes “Baptized in boundaries, schooled in sin / Divided by Different, sexuality and skin” and then is later is followed up with in the chorus later, “Maybe we should love somebody? / Maybe we should care a little more?”
Thankfully there is time enough for a brief encore for the packed room on hand. Keys opts to perform the opener “Blended Family” again (likely to provide a second attempt at nailing the song). She then ends strong on her hit “No One,” prompting the crowd to sing with her on the song’s ending “oh oh oh” melody. It may not have been a wildly long set, but it was without a doubt special beyond compare, a rare treat to see someone of her caliber in such an untreated, raw performance.
Setlist:
“Blended Family”
“Superwoman”
“If I Ain’t Got You”
“Holy War”
-Encore-
“Blended Family”
“No One”
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