Kelly Clarkson

Hammersmith Apollo, London, 26 March 2008

Support band: Jamie Scott and the Town

We know, we know, Kelly Clarkson. Not exactly hardcore in any way, but we have to admit that here at the e-Mo Magazine lair Kelly has always been one of our guilty pleasures.

From the first time she wailed her lungs out on American Idol, to sell-out gigs around the world, we have loved, loved, LOVED her. OK, her new album My December is a little pap, but we can forgive her anything for the sublime Breakaway. 
 
It was with real pleasure, then, that we headed off to the Apollo to watch the lovely little songstress from the US. The crowd was in high spirits, with a great vibe flooding the hall – it was clear from the massive range of people present that Kelly strikes a cord with fans of all ages and genders.

As usual, we were a little late to the gig (so much makeup to put on, so little time), so we missed most of the support band’s set, catching only the last two songs. We can confirm, however, that Jamie Scott is both seriously talented and seriously hot. e-Mo and CrazyCatGirl needed no encouragement to go and pester the band after their set, and we have a great signed copy of Jamie’s album to give away to one lucky reader. We may also have a restraining order against us, as CrazyCatGirl papped the poor lad as e-Mo distracted him... 
 
After a rather lengthy wait, the sound of guitars started playing the intro bars from One Minute, a cracking tune for Kelly’s latest album, and our eardrums nearly burst with the sudden high-pitched squeals that emanated from the thousands of fans rocking the Apollo. 
 
There is no other way to put it, then to say that Kelly was amazing. She is one of those rare and exceptional artists who sound better live than on CD, and boy does the girl have stage presence.

Despite the fact that she was dressed in an uninspiring and frankly unflattering get-up, she still lit up the stage with her beautiful voice and personality, cracking jokes with the audience and wooing us with her humble attitude.

She also tried to convince that she doesn’t really hate men, despite 90% of her songs telling us the contrary.
 
The set was a fantastic mix of new and old tracks, including her favourite (and ours) Because of You, which she wrote when she was just 16, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Miss Independent, Beautiful Disaster and Addicted.

She treated us to some of her new tracks, too, such as Be Still – her mum’s favourite record - Sober and Chivas. We have to admit to being won over to her new material, as the live performance really gives a kick to music that sounds almost bland on CD. As they changed the stage for the second half of the show, Kelly performed some acoustic sets of her own work and various covers, which showed off just what an astonishing singer she truly is. 
 
The night was superb, with the whole audience in the Circle standing for her encore and literally shaking the roof down. The only criticism we had about the whole concert was that occasionally the lighting guy decided to a) blind us and b) test out which members of the audience had epilepsy.

The lighting was literally so in your face for the start of Miss Independent, that we nearly missed Kelly’s spectacular entrance for the song as she stood giantess-like behind a silk screen. Other than that, a smashing night. Just ‘one minute’ of Kelly would never be enough. 

4/5