As the set opened, Keys attempted to capture the feeling of an inner city block party, through set and music. She went through her repertoire of songs with reckless abandon, rarely completing one, which kept the show up-tempo and interesting to watch.

However, this put a large dent into the limited songs she has available to perform. At this point everyone in attendance at the show, which was a rare pavilion only affair, enjoyed the fast-paced feel of the show, but they would soon pay for the fun.

Keys’ shining moment in the set was a blistering version of “Call Me,” which utilized the street corner set, complete with pay phone. Keys shined with youthful exuberance, which was replaced with faux-attitude on Songs In A Minor. She played on the stage and toyed with audience, demanding their attention.

In a move for all the young ladies in attendance, Keys stepped into the booth, placed a call and as soon as the male voice on the other end answered, she slammed the phone down, to the approving squeals of all the ladies in the house.

After hitting this high point, Keys bailed from the stage for a “DJ vs. Band” face-off, which was stale, boring and had been done a million times. If it had been a reasonable length, people could have enjoyed the show more, but for nearly 20 minutes, people who paid $40 to see the show were subjected to a back-up band boring them to death with Jackson 5 covers and imitated street attitude.

As the stupidity came to an end, Keys did the most intelligent thing she could do to regain the audience’s trust, she came out alone. Complete with full-scale grand piano. It was at this moment that the playful young lady disappeared and a woman with musical knowledge emerged.

Playing tidbits from various old favorites and classical compositions, Keys mesmerized the audience, making them take notice that she is more than a mouthpiece, she is an artist.

Performing under a pale white light with a purple wash, Keys stood out from the starlight backdrop. It was in this moment that Keys looked more like a lonely street musician than a superstar; this was where she seemed most sincere and breathtaking.