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"Vegas-style glam trumped musical substance Thursday night when Janet Jackson kicked off her Velvet Rope World Tour with a hellzapoppin&amp;apos; spectacle that featured enough over-the-top special effects to make Armageddon look like Driving Miss Daisy.\r\nPacing the big event at breakneck speed, the tireless Jackson crammed twenty-six hits, twenty-plus dance numbers, nine costume changes, four (almost laughably) elaborate sets, constant pyrotechnics and approximately 300 &amp;quot;I love you, D.C.!&amp;quot;&amp;apos;s into two-and-a-half hours of sheer summer-entertainment bliss. Her voice and footwork may suffer when compared to older brother Michael&amp;apos;s, but the King of Pop has a legitimate family challenger when it comes to pure showmanship.\r\nBy blending equal parts A Clockwork Orange, Mummenschantz, Lewis Carroll, and Solid Gold -- yes, as damn freaky as it sounds -- the thirty-two-year-old Jackson framed the concert as a lust-driven fairy tale, complete with a giant storybook, containing a massive video screen, that opened and closed the show. As far as a consistent color scheme went, well, just imagine a well-lighted explosion at the Crayola factory.\r\nAfter literally erupting onto the stage, Jackson, backed by eight male and female dancers, humped and bumped her way through &amp;quot;Velvet Rope&amp;quot; (an actual red and gold velvet rope dangled like an anaconda over the stage for most of the night), &amp;quot;If,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;You.&amp;quot; Giving crew and crowd an early breather, Jackson then took to a center stage stool and, accompanied by a strictly ornamental acoustic guitarist -- even Janet tries to go &amp;quot;unplugged&amp;quot; these days -- warbled through keyboard-fueled takes of &amp;quot;Let&amp;apos;s Wait Awhile&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Again.&amp;quot;\r\n After a frenzied medley of &amp;quot;Control,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Pleasure Principle,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;What Have You Done for Me Lately?,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Nasty,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Throb&amp;quot; -- her band is late-night talk show, at best -- a red crushed-velvet curtain closed the stage, and a hidden light-and-sound show of Close Encounters proportions -- a clever way to entertain during set changes -- hinted to the deranged madness to come. When the stage was revealed, Jackson, in a jester&amp;apos;s headdress and satin bustier, and her dancers, dressed as flowers, Mad Hatters, and horny gnomes, bounded across a blindingly bright, poppy-induced set design of inflatable moons, clocks, vases, and books, and worked through a much-too-happy medley of &amp;quot;Escapade,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;When I Think of You,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Miss You Much,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Runaway&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Love Will Never Do Without You.&amp;quot;\r\nAfter that hallucinatory moment, it was a comfort when Jackson, changing the set yet again, this time into a steamy burlesque house, raunched things up -- after all, we are talking about velvet ropes here -- with a steamy succession of &amp;quot;Alright,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;I Get Lonely,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Black Cat,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Rhythm Nation.&amp;quot; For &amp;quot;Rope Burn,&amp;quot; Jackson stripped down to a black bra and tight pants, ordered up a man from the crowd (pointing and demanding, &amp;quot;You!&amp;quot;) and proceeded to wriggle and purr up in the lucky guy&amp;apos;s lap while two of her near-naked dancers pole-danced behind. (Can this really be little Penny from Good Times? Man, Jimmie Walker must feel so dirty.)\r\nFormer Gen. Colin Powell, with whom Jackson has formed the America&amp;apos;s Promise charity for at-risk children, introduced the performer for the lengthy encore -- classed up with chandeliers and sensible clothing -- which included &amp;quot;That&amp;apos;s the Way Love Goes,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Got &amp;apos;Til It&amp;apos;s Gone,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Go Deep&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Together Again.&amp;quot; All in all, Janet&amp;apos;s still as nasty as she wants to be."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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