Review: Mary J. Blige overcomes odd entrance and pacing to give regal concert in St. Paul

Mary J. Blige, the queen of hip-hop soul, deserves a regal entrance.

On Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, she had what amounted to two entrances, believe it or not.

Blige first appeared, rising from beneath a satellite stage at the back of the arena, a striking vision in a furry turquoise coat, stylish sunglasses and a bejeweled sky-blue bodysuit as the music of “Take Me as I Am” played.

The queen reached out and touched hands with her followers around the small stage as her band segued into “A Dream.” Suddenly, a tiara-topped platform descended from on high and the queen, secured by a harness, hopped on and flew over fans, eventually landing on the main stage.

As an entrance, kind of underwhelming. However, after a video of some of her career highlights was broadcast, the queen, sans the shaggy-as-Cookie-Monster coat, reemerged underneath two giant hands holding a humongous crown to sing “Love No Limit” amid swirling lights, tumbling dancers and poofs of stage fog.

Now that’s an entrance, Hail to the Queen! (Let’s give her her propers with a capital Q.)

It’s been too long since Blige got her props in the Twin Cities. She last headlined here 23 years ago at Target Center. She last performed here in 2010 as part of a Lilith Fair redux on a 10-artist bill that featured Heart, Metric and others at the Timberwolves arena.

It seemed fitting that Blige’s current For My Fans Tour is something of an overview of her nearly 35-year career, which landed her deservedly and belatedly in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.

The nine-time Grammy winner squeezed in about 30 selections on Sunday and too often it felt as if she were rushed. “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” didn’t last very long, “Everyday It Rains” was hardly a drizzle. In the first 25 minutes, Blige delivered a startling 12 songs. Too often the 100-minute performance felt like speed dating, not the therapy sessions that are the oeuvre of MJB.

Still, the oddly paced show had the right tunes, occasional remarkable vocals and enough rewards to be a fan pleaser for 8,000 concertgoers, most of whom were female and all of whom were stylin.’

Straight out of the Bronx with one foot in R&B and the other in hip-hop, Blige made her reputation as a storyteller about the vicissitudes of life, the ups and downs of relationships, lessons to be learned. Hence, her songs need their full renditions in concert so the drama that defines her can build its necessary tension and reach a resolve, if there is one.

That worked wonderfully Sunday on the self-empowering 2022 sermon “Good Morning Gorgeous,” 2006’s fiery ballad “Be Without You” and the 1996 smash “Not Gon' Cry,” during which Blige’s voice went from a low moan to a thrilling scream, the kind of raw emotion she’s known for.

Other hits stood out, including the 2006 banger “Enough Cryin’” and the surging, melodramatic “No More Drama,” a 2001 project with Minneapolis-launched producer/songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. She also offered a handful of numbers from last year’s “Gratitude,” her 15th album.

The show featured six dancers, six musicians, three backup singers, the usual arena effects like flame throwers, fireworks showers and confetti as well as four different flashy outfits with killer boots for Blige.

As a dancer, the 54-year-old superstar seemed to labor a bit. And, even though the tour opened six weeks ago, the show hasn’t hit its stride. The pacing was problematic and seams were showing. Not only were too many songs abbreviated but there were unnecessarily long pauses for outfit changes; either the band and backup singers entertained for as long as seven minutes or, at one point late in the evening, Technician the DJ spun music for five minutes.

At least the most important thing — Blige’s voice — was spot on. It remains as impressive as ever, masterfully expressing passionate R&B with elements of gospel, jazz and hip-hop seamlessly mixed in. It seems so real when Mary J. Blige sings it. That’s why she’s still the queen of hip-hop soul.

Opening the concert were two younger R&B veterans, Mario and Ne-Yo, who recently competed on Fox’s “The Masked Singer.” (Ne-Yo finished in first place in 2023, Mario was runner-up in ‘24.)

In his fast-paced half-hour kick-off, Mario, 38, accompanied by two dancers and recorded music, charmed with “Just a Friend 2002” and “Let Me Love You.”

Ne-Yo, 45, gave one of the most ambitious opening sets in memory, complete with pyro, live video screens and eight hard-working dancers. Dressed in a cowboy hat and red leather duster, he offered an energetic, sweaty 50 minutes that embraced his hits, such as “So Sick” and “Sexy Love,” as well as tunes he cowrote and was featured on including Pitbull’s irresistibly festive “Give Me Everything.”