Did anyone see Jennifer Hudson at Hammerstein?..Comments

[ceeejaye]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:56am

Hi
If anyone saw Jennifer Hudson at Hammerstein last nite, would you provide feedback

Thanks
Updated On: 12/31/06 at 06:56 AM

[IveGottaBeME]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 3:55pm

anyopneee??

[Shirley Hemphill]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:04pm

Yes -- I was there. Unfortunately the event was horribly disorganized and grossly overpriced. There was chaos at the entrance will both the poorly managed will call line and the fact that the event staff & venue staff were totally unaware of the very simple distinctions between 3 different levels of ticketholders & access. There was also very little proper communication between the event & venue staff and most of the venue staff were in the dark in general, which only added to the confusion at the entrance, at will call, and in policing who had access to the main floor vs. the 1st & 2nd mezzanines.

While dance music was piped in for the early part of the evening, clearly most everyone was just waiting for the show to start, so very little actual dancing took place.

Due to the confusion at the front entrance, Jennifer's scheduled 11:15pm performance was held for nearly an hour, further infuriating the people who'd come to hear Junior Vasquez DJ afterwards (as he could only spin until 4am, so the longer Hudson's show was delayed, the less time they could dance after).

Finally, the lights came down & the curtain went up. The sound in the venue was HORRIBLE. It was nearly impossible for anyone on the main floor or up in the 1st mezzanine to hear any in-between song banter, but at least we could recognize the songs she was singing.

Just before the curtain went up, she sang 1 little line from "And I Am Telling You" -- just that one line. Her set included "Dreamgirls", "Move", "One Night Only", "Love You I Do" and "I Am Changing" along with covers of Aretha Franklin's "Respect", Donna Summer's "Last Dance", and Barry Manilow's "Weekend in New England"
Very awkwardly, she was joined a few times by poorly choreographed dancers with hideous costumes.

Also, after her rendition of "One Night Only", the more uptempo disco version kicked in, which she does NOT perform in the film or on the soundtrack. At first we thought she'd do the disco version, but instead, it played while the dancers came out and she just occassionally ooohed & aahhed over Beyonce's vocals. She looked very uncomfortable during this song & I wouldn't be surprised if someone forced her to do this just so there'd be another dance number in her set.

Jennifer herself complained onstage about not being able to hear the music & at one point ran offstage presumably for a costume change -- only to have the next song delayed because she forgot to take her mic with her & she reappeared wearing the exact same outfit -- so why did she run off in the first place????

She wandered through the crowed during "Last Dance" so most people in the venue couldn't even see her & then that was it. No encore... Yes, that's right, at the "One Night Only" event also billed as "Dreamgirls At Large" and "Dreamgirls (The Underground Club Mix)" the star of the film did NOT perform THE song that everyone came to hear. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???

She seemed somewhat uncomfortable onstage, not sure if it was the technical difficulties or if maybe she was embarrassed the whole thing was such a hot mess.

She was done up in a tacky giant big-haired 80's weave and her skin-tight sparkly dress suggests she either had a fantastic stylist over the past few weeks (who is no longer with her) OR that she's packed on a TON of weight since the premiere & press about a month back.

Poor sound, Poor organization, bad choreography, costumes & hair all added up to an overwhelmingly disappointing performance.

It's really unfortunate considering this was her first concert performance since the film's release & since she's been showered with awards & accolades for her role -- and in front of a primarily gay crowd too -- you'd think the place would've gone ape**** for her, but overall it was a let down.

To her credit, from what I could hear, she sang great & the crowd still seemed to make the best of it & try to enjoy her performance - but there were tons of complaints all around & when she left the stage without performing "And I Am Telling You..." many people were stunned in disbelief.

Updated On: 1/1/07 at 09:04 PM

[soulman83]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 11:15pm

Can she sing And i am telling you live like she did in the studio? I cant wait to find out...

Nobody is up for the demand of that song except for HOLLIDAY. loves it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Shirley Hemphill]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 1:40am

who knows? She did NOT perform it the other night & disappointed so many fans.

[gonnapassmealaw]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 1:49am

That is odd. She hasn't sang the song live on any of her television appearances. It is probably in an attempt not to make the song "over-played" and become a one-trick-pony a la her predecessing Jennifer. Also, that song is vocally taxing and emotionally taxing to sing. I'm not trying to validate her actions, by any means, but simply understanding what she was thinking.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 3:43am

it may also be the studio won't allow her to sing it which i have seen happen with other movie musicals and like i gave my for instance yesterday when Nicole Kidman did bewitched they wouldn't allow her to do the whole nose thing before the movie was released on dvd

Posted: 1/2/07 at 3:46am

I wonder if the studios don't want her to perform it so that people can really DISCOVER her via this song once they are lured into the movie via the other great songs she still gets to sing? It would make sense. Maybe only as final Oscar ballots go out do they let the song become a single or be performed in a very public venue...

[Shirley Hemphill]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 12:59pm

The song is NOT eligible for the Oscars -- ONLY songs written specifically for a film are eligible. Thus, only "Listen", "Love You I Do", "Patience", and "Perfect World" are eligible.

So those rumors about Hudson being contractually obligated not to sing THE song until the Oscars are absolutely horsecrap.