Sade – Toyota Center – Houston, Texas July 23, 2011
Concert Reviews
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Written by Michael Pittman
Jul 23, 2011
Image“It’s been so long…way too long”, She says. I agree totally and so did the sold out crowd of over 18,000 at The Toyota Center in downtown Houston. She took the stage with her trademark elegant backlit style and without a word started off Soldier of Love which is the title cut from 2010’s Soldier of Love project. I was on the complete other end of the floor and I could feel the joy..she seemed truly happy to be back on stage. Her voice was spotless and dead on and her smile reached across the entire floor when the entire audience rose to their feet. As she said in Dallas the next night..”We’re back in the saddle!”

I’ll have to say I think this show seemed more about getting reacquainted and reconnected after all this time rather than a tour to support a CD. Soldier of Love (2010) was the first studio release after a 10 year hiatus (there was a live album in 2002, but no new material) and there is a new Ultimate Collection with 4 new songs tacked onto the tail end of disc 2. Even with The Ultimate Collection’s debut at number 7 on Billboard’s 200 on May 12, Sade seemed more ready to perform than anything which is the mark of an artist.

As it is sometimes with a huge act like this, I could only get a photo pass to cover the first two songs of each artist so I made the best of it and I hope you enjoy the photographs because that’s about all I’m able to bring you this time around. Sorry bout that, but it happens and believe me, I’m glad to have this much!