Concert Review: He's So Dreamy

I knew Brian McKnight could bring middle-aged women to tears; the question I brought with me to the "Brian McKnight: Back At One" concert on the night of March 23 was whether he could bring a young, strapping college man to tears. Maybe. In my mind already a certified sex-you-up-ologist, Brian McKnight did not display too much more of a range as a performer, but really that was unimportant, for he does do one thing tremendously well- and that is making women swoon.

After the opening stylings of 702, famous for their hit single "Where My Girls At," Brian appeared on stage from within the opening jaws of a staircase. While incongruous with the Wang Theatre setting, the stage was well designed, with plenty of faux silver to provide glitter for the packed house. However, the projection screen, which was impressive during his entrance, never fully employed the power, projecting only nature scenes or a Mase appearance.

But that didn't really matter. From the very first appearance of a soulful Brian McKnight ballad, it was apparent that the size of the audience did not matter too much to its individual members. While he fed upon the joyous ecstasy of the group, Brian McKnight communicated solely with each member, speaking directly to your heart, making love to you if you will. From classics such as "Cherish" to "Anytime," he gave the audience what it wanted-the unhindered use of an amazing voice.

McKnight's attempt at mixing his slow R&B up by changing into different form-fitting clothes seemed gratuitous at parts. Yet it is hard to blame him when the ladies in his audience demanded the sway of the hips here, the unbuttoning of the shirt there. Nevertheless, I got the feeling during the sagging conversational interludes that he wasn't particularly concerned about his dynamic sensual energy, but the love that each person found in his or her own lives. This was most exemplified by the startling gospel interlude, during which he preached about the amazing works of Jesus and sang a couple of gospel songs, with a projected cross in the background. While many in the audience enthusiastically applauded Brian's attempt to cross the separation between religion and pop, others chose to go to the bathroom or abstain from the wild applause of before. Only when he returned to the keyboards to serenade did the real performance seem to continue again.

Still, by the end of the evening, I found myself caught up in the natural energy of the crowd. While seated as though in a movie theater, the audience provided ample electricity to make the concert seem natural. When my favorite song "Back At One" came on, I too waved my arms in unison to the numbers Brian called out. Perhaps that song represents Brian McKnight well: its bad, even cheesy lyrics had enough smooth delivery and sensuality to override those problems in the eyes of the fans. It felt comforti