Post by Tori on Oct 6, 2004 14:54:40 GMT -5
``Dear Fans, Thank you,'' it began, as the 23,000 peopleinside the suburban Chicago stadium cheered each word. ``So many times I started to quit and walk away ...'' another line read. False friends were excoriated, loyal fans praised. ``For those of you wondering how I'm doing ... I'M ALL RIGHT,'' the note added. It was signed: R. Kelly.
As Kelly and Jay-Z kicked off their long-awaited Best of Both Worlds Tour, this was the first and only time the R&B icon acknowledged that, in his world, things could be better.
But on Thursday night, much of the Chicago audience seemed unconcerned with the hometown star's legal troubles. For three-plus hours, they sweated and swayed to the string of hits unleashed by Kelly and Jay-Z, the purportedly``retired'' hip-hop capo.
After waiting more than two hours past the scheduled starting time, most fans seemed elated that the show --slated to visit 40 cities over the next few months to promote Kelly and Jay-Z's second collaboration, ``Best of
Both Worlds: Unfinished Business'' -- was finally underway.However, Kelly's performance was considerably tamer than what he'd offered the night before. At the previous show,the tour's first, Kelly appeared to make light of the charges on several occasions. During one segment, the giant video monitors displayed a mock text message from Kelly seeking a female partner who ``MUST be down for anything.''
Then it added: ``She must be 19 or over.'' He also
performed a skit in which the singer dressed in a
prison-style jumpsuit and simulated intercourse with two
women inside of a cage. After critics decried these segments as inappropriate and callous, Kelly quickly removed them from Thursday's performance, with only the ``letter'' serving as any overt reminder of his ordeal. Chicago newspapers have suggested that Kelly's changes led to the two-hour delay in the second performance and may have angered Jay-Z. Reports also said the resulting tension between the two stars may have led to the cancellation of the show's third date in Cincinnati.
As Kelly and Jay-Z kicked off their long-awaited Best of Both Worlds Tour, this was the first and only time the R&B icon acknowledged that, in his world, things could be better.
But on Thursday night, much of the Chicago audience seemed unconcerned with the hometown star's legal troubles. For three-plus hours, they sweated and swayed to the string of hits unleashed by Kelly and Jay-Z, the purportedly``retired'' hip-hop capo.
After waiting more than two hours past the scheduled starting time, most fans seemed elated that the show --slated to visit 40 cities over the next few months to promote Kelly and Jay-Z's second collaboration, ``Best of
Both Worlds: Unfinished Business'' -- was finally underway.However, Kelly's performance was considerably tamer than what he'd offered the night before. At the previous show,the tour's first, Kelly appeared to make light of the charges on several occasions. During one segment, the giant video monitors displayed a mock text message from Kelly seeking a female partner who ``MUST be down for anything.''
Then it added: ``She must be 19 or over.'' He also
performed a skit in which the singer dressed in a
prison-style jumpsuit and simulated intercourse with two
women inside of a cage. After critics decried these segments as inappropriate and callous, Kelly quickly removed them from Thursday's performance, with only the ``letter'' serving as any overt reminder of his ordeal. Chicago newspapers have suggested that Kelly's changes led to the two-hour delay in the second performance and may have angered Jay-Z. Reports also said the resulting tension between the two stars may have led to the cancellation of the show's third date in Cincinnati.
