My Review Of Christina Aguilera’s Manchester Show

Contributed anonymously:

Just thought I would start a discussion for Christina, I saw her in concert last night and she was AMAZING she has the best voice in the world and that was the best concert that I have ever been to here is my review:

What did I think? Well, I was always slightly dubious of her vocal capabilities. Sure she sounds great on CD but her vocals have more layers than her makeup – is her voice genuine, I thought? I couldn’t stand Christina pre-Stripped but now I adore her. And last nights show made me love her even more.

From the opening bars of ‘Stripped’ with massive video screens displaying images of our Xtina, I was captivated. With the music flowing into Dirrty, and silhouettes of the set and Christina gradually emerging, the curtain dropped amid huge flames and cannons. The place was WILD. Get Mine, Get Yours followed, note perfect, with the pace slowing down for ‘The Voice Within’. Contrary to what JohnDaly said, I actually thought she sounded superb on this even though I don’t particularly care for the song.

‘Genie…’ remixed proceeded, sounding f**king amazing. Outstanding vocals and energy from Christina. Can’t Hold Us Down was next, with flawless vocals. This really was a great rendition. Again, not a particular favorite of mine, but was very very very popular with the crowd. Make Over was next, another highlight. So much energy and vibrancy, sounded fantastic. I don’t think this was mimed, but certainly it wasn’t entirely live. The verses sounded dubbed. Perhaps it was live, I don’t know. Anyone who has listened to this song realizes how loud it is, and the band seemed to drown out her vocals so I couldn’t really tell whether they were mimed or not.

The Spanish type thing was next. I was pleasantly surprised. This is when I’d have my toilet break, I thought, with the performance probably being very boring, but I stayed and watched. With the songs being Spanish and not very well known to the casual fan, she compensated by pairing them with a great performance. Very nice indeed. Infatuation continued the Latin section, with amazing vocals. This sounded very good live, in fact flowing into the soulful version of ‘Come On Over’. I had already downloaded this prior to the concert, but it still sounded amazing. Outstanding vocals from Christina. Her voice really suits this type of song. Really great. Worth downloading.

The next section, for me, was the best. This was Christina’s time to showcase her astounding voice and she didn’t disappoint. Cruz was even better than on CD, very reminiscent of Early Mariah vocal-wise, spanning f*ck knows how many octaves and even getting a dog whistle in there. Impossible followed, again with much passion and soul in her voice than on CD. She just let rip on this and gave it her all. You can tell this is her personal fave on the album – she really got into it. Amazing. The next song was the highlight of the entire show though – a cover a Etta James, ‘At Last’. Its actually a really boring song, but her vocals are the most amazing. My mates were trying to f*ck off to the loo during this song, saying it was boring, but I told them they had to wait and listen to the final note – they did and they were amazed. As were the rest of the arena. I swear to god…. She sounds incredible in this, holding a note for something like 20 seconds, SMOOTH. She left the crowd mesmerized and received a standing ovation

A fantastic rendition of Lady Marmalade followed, a perfect song to get the crowd back on its feet!! Superb vocals and clothes – just an all round great performance. Another highlight followed – Walk Away. Her vocals were incredible on this and this song in particular has had several nods from reviews for being the highlight – quite a simple performance but truly amazing vocals. Sent shivers down my spine. GORGEOUS.

Fighter and a rockier version of What A Girl Wants ended the show – both great versions. She sounded MUCH better than she did at the VMA’s, as did the band – it sounds naff but it really did capture the energy and spirit of the song. With actual backing singers, unlike the VMA’s, it gave the song that something extra. ‘What A Girl…’ was unnecessary, in my opinion. OK song, albeit fantastic vocals, but ‘Fighter’ was such a mammoth performance and crowd pleaser, she ought to have ended on that. She did an encore of Beautiful and f*ck, it was. 18,000 people were singing the song back to her, and she looked really genuinely touched. Ironically, despite having no dancers or fancy set, dance routine or clothes, this performance – of just Christina in a T-Shirt and jeans, was the highlight of the show. Her voice was enough to carry it. She didn’t need anything else. Amazing.