More should've been there to see Stefani's effervescent solo comeback
CAMDEN -- Of all the gigs to recall, Gwen Stefani vividly remembers the last time she played Camden.
It was May 24, 2007, two days before her son Kingston's first birthday.
"We had his birthday cake backstage," she told the BB&T Pavilion crowd Tuesday night. "It's spectacular to be back."
In 2007, Stefani was a new mother, happily married (or so we thought) to Bush singer Gavin Rossdale and in the midst of her Sweet Escape tour, the last solo trek she'd endure for nearly a decade. Even then, the effervescent No Doubt frontwoman and fashionista's popularity waned -- that Camden show she mentioned was only sold to 70 percent capacity.
Flash forward to 2016 and Stefani, 46, now has three boys, she's split from Rossdale after a highly publicized divorce, and a whole new crop of teens know her not as the dexterous ska-punk wailer or Hollaback Girl, but as the bubbly coach on NBC's reality show "The Voice."
And again, Stefani's new roadshow -- this time in support of her confessional new LP "This Is What The Truth Feels Like" -- struggles to fill its venues.
News of the tour's poor ticket sales surfaced in May, and in Camden Tuesday, a generous estimate put the amphitheater's sprawling lawn as only one-quarter full.
Seats closer to the stage were filled more evenly, but the low turnout was still unfortunate -- Stefani's set was a captivating, ponytail-flipping romp through not only new tracks and solo hits, but enough No Doubt classics to satiate the casual fan.
MOMENTS + NOTES
- Sure, Stefani hadn't dropped a solo album in a decade, but the nature of Stefani's March return -- more pointedly its lukewarm reviews and line-toeing between raw introspection and listening to a melodramatic gal pal whine about boys for an hour -- may be most to blame for the attendance issue.
For 25 years, the cool Cali girl has been defined -- even exalted -- for her ostensibly unpredictable career zags. At No Doubt's peak popularity, the singer traded her rock roots for brassy "Hollaback" pop, and embraced Madonna and Japanese Harajuku culture over early influencers The Police and Violent Femmes.
Gwen Stefani performs live at BB&T Pavillion in Camden, NJ 7/19/16 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) But every song off 2016's "Truth" articulates either her gossip-laden breakup with Rossdale or further exposes her tabloid romance with country star Blake Shelton.
For the first time since "Don't Speak" set her on the mainstream, Stefani sacrificed edge for honesty, and lyrics like "why'd you have to go and make me like you," came off as unimaginative, even a little juvenile. And Tuesday, her screaming "I hate liars!" to the crowd, during the reggae-tinged "Baby Don't Lie," was probably a bit too on the nose.
- All that being said, Stefani is still a magnetic live entertainer -- the same bounding band leader from her "Just A Girl" days -- and her nearly two-hour performance in Camden was, if nothing else, great summer fun.
To call the singer ageless would be naive -- she's surely had some level of cosmetic surgery -- but frankly, she looks great. And with energy to match, she bopped around like a 20-something Zumba instructor, her ink-dipped blonde locks bouncing between as many as eight dancers and a worthy four-piece band. The fashion icon's costuming mostly followed a red-and-black theme ("Rock Steady" colors?), the best of which was a rose-adorned top and punkish plaid pants. Fishnets covered a toned mid-drift that somehow once fostered children.
Gwen Stefani performs live at BB&T Pavillion in Camden, NJ 7/19/16 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The crowd synced with Stefani's energy, and oldies "Hella Good," "Hollaback Girl" and "What You Waiting For" really rocked the joint.
- The new "Truth" tracks -- she played 10 off the album -- had their moments in the live setting, too. The record's opener "Misery" offered some money notes from Stefani's distinct alto, and the audience shrieked in support when her histrionic single "Used To Love You" reached its telling, "look at what you lost!" line.
- The set was almost entirely straightforward, sans the mid-set re-emergence of rapper Eve, who opened the show. The Philadelphia-bred emcee joined Stefani for their two smash collaborations: 2001's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and the "L.A.M.B." single "Rich Girl." The crowd went wild for Eve's hype tactics, and after years of friendship, the ladies played off each other beautifully.
- Through it all she was gracious, and thanked fans over and over for coming to see her, and pulled a few on stage for photos and autographs.
"I don't think you understand how much love I've been saving for you guys," she beamed.
THE SET LIST
- "Red Flag"
- "Wind It Up"
- "Baby Don't Lie"
- "Obsessed"
- "Where Would I Be?"
- "Cool"
- "Make Me Like You"
- "Underneath it All" (No Doubt song)
- "Misery"
- "Luxurious"
- "Harajuku Girls"
- "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (Eve cover)
- "Rich Girl" (with Eve)
- "Hella Good" (No Doubt song)
- "What You Waiting For?"
- "Rare"
- "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" (Blake Shelton cover) (with Blake Shelton)
- "It's My Life" (Talk Talk cover)
- "Asking 4 It"
- "Don't Speak" (No Doubt song)
- "Naughty"
- "Used to Love You"
- "Hollaback Girl"
- "Truth"
- "Just a Girl" (No Doubt song)
- "The Sweet Escape"
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.