Three concerts, three venues in a week
Take your pick of entertainment options now that spring's here
Spring’s here, and so are popular music tours.
I happened to take in three shows during the past week. And what a variety. Gladys Knight at Waukee’s Vibrant Music Hall on Sunday, Nicki Minaj at Chicago’s United Center Wednesday and guitar heroes Joe Satriani and Steve Vai at the Des Moines Civic Center Thursday.
Most music fans don’t blend those three acts together. But I’m one to break the mold.
Gladys Knight performed Sunday at Waukee’s Vibrant Music Hall. (Photo by John Naughton.)
Knight is a music legend. She’s now 79 years old and Thiis already a member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, along with her famous 1970s-era backup singers, the Pips.
She still has a powerful, soulful voice. Knight ran through a mix of her hits, cover songs and a few Gospel tunes during her show.
This was the first real concert I watched at the still quite new Waukee venue. I visited during its show-and-tell opening last fall and wrote about it here.
Nicki Minaj brought a sea of pink-clad fans to Chicago’s United Center Wednesday. (Photo by John Naughton.)
Knight appeared a few years ago at Hoyt Sherman Place. That show was more formal, with a longer program and talk between songs. This was different.
Gladys ran through her set list with very little chatter. Some of the songs, including her signature No. 1 hit “Midnight Train to Georgia,” were abbreviated.
Waukee’s Live Nation venue is still finding its footing, programming-wise. Some shows feature mostly general admission standing crowds. For Knight’s audience, the fans were seated.
This didn’t sell particularly well. I bought a single ticket from a secondary seller (an online resale market) for cheap. There were a lot of empty seats, and I’m sure the performers noticed.
Still, I saw Knight from a Hoyt Sherman balcony seat, craning my neck to see the stage. It was wonderful to see her with Vibrant’s beautiful staging and what may be the best sound system in the metro.
Chicago’s United Center is home to some of the nation’s biggest concert tours. (Photo by John Naughton.)
Do you know Nicki Minaj? She’s a very popular performer that you may recognize from the “Barbie” movie soundtrack.
Taylor Swift and Beyonce were the two biggest U.S. music tours in 2023 — generating hundreds of millions of dollars. Minaj will bring in megamillions in 2024.
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