The Chicago Theatre packed in the audiences this past week with two shows that stood out for queer attendees.
Starting with pop singer Christina Aguilera on Oct. 16, this landmark venue filled up for the two nights. Eager fans had waited for the singer in hopes that she wouldn't cancel as she did the week before in Detroit and Orilla. The blonde bombshell wasn't feigning sickness though, sounding congested when she said, "I was determined to not cancel this show. It would be so much easier if I lip-synched!"
The trooper didn't cut any of her setlist that night and plowed through her memorable hits "Genie in a Bottle" and "Dirrty."
Her backup dancers supported her well and the costume changes went smoothly throughout the evening. The set and production was arena ready but in a smaller venue so a rare opportunity for fans to get a chance to shake her hand up close and personal.
Her recent albums have not had much radio airplay so The Liberation Tour was strong reminder of how powerful her voice is and why she has the job. Even under the weather, "Beautiful" still captivated and "Say Something" was touchingly heartfelt.
She stuck to "Lady Marmalade" and James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" as cover songs. She had a lot of territory to cover with her own catalogue of "Fighter" and "Can't Hold Us Down" among many others in two hours.
There were video montages along the way and for the encore a Brazilian couple were brought onstage to become engaged.
The finale, "Let There Be Love," had Aguilera showing her support of the LGBT community by bringing some local divas of drag to dance with her. Mercedes and Detox were the first night, with Shea Coulee and Mimi Marks on the second night.
The queen was back to regain her throne that night and, hopefully, she returns again in full health soon.
The following Friday, Oct. 19, another bug plagued a concert at the same venue with Troye Sivan also fighting a sickness on his Bloom Tour. He said he had been bed trying to recuperate. Don't pop singers know about flu shots?
Recently interviewed in WCT, Carlie Hanson got her feet wet opening the show with Kim Petras, following her with bubblegum pop. Petras mentioned performing at the local nightspot Berlin the previous night.
Sivan entered solo for his set simply standing in front of the curtain to "Seventeen." He said, "The gays are out tonight" and it was true, with rainbow flags being waved around and flamboyant attendees in every corner. It was refreshing to see many parents accompanying their teens to the show and how genuinely friendly the crowd was with each other. The fun vibe continued with more pop gems like "Bloom" and "Fools."
Sivan talked about having a crush on Zac Efron before the song "Heaven" that contains lyrics of "counting to 15." This was a reference to the singer waiting until that age to see if he would still be gay.
The openness of the Australian singer as an artist spilled over to the crowd and made his statements just as important as his music. Hopefully, his message continues to grow on The Bloom Tour as it marches on the rest of this year.
