By Jim Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Janet Jackson has a lot to live up to, and overcome, on her Rock Witchu Tour, the singer's first concert outing in more than seven years.
First, there is her own track record on the road. And then there is her recent track record on the charts.
On the road, Jackson's famous for delivering big time. Her first-ever worldwide tour, in support of 1989's "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814," was such a smash success that it still holds records at some venues (for instance, that tour sold out four nights at the 48,000-capacity Tokyo Dome in just seven minutes).
Subsequent globe-trots also proved successful, both in terms of ticket sales as well as the high quality of the stage presentation. Over the years, Jackson has become known as an artist who puts on really big shows, flashy extravaganzas filled with dance routines and theatrics. It's going to take a lot of work and effort to meet, hopefully even surpass, fans' expectations as she rolls out the new tour this week, with a stop set for Saturday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
And Jackson says she and her crew are ready.
"We know what the goal is and we know what it takes," the 42-year-old vocalist said during a recent teleconference call. "And we push and we push until we get there, even if it's beyond the hours that we would normally (work). At some point, it boils down to seven hours, seven days a week, and beyond your eight-hour day.
"You have a show to put on. So whatever that takes, that's what you put into it. That's the work that you put into it. I don't think it's changed. I've always been a hard worker. That's how I was raised. Everyone in my family's like that, and I don't think I'll ever be any different."
What is different, however, is Jackson's place in the industry. Once the biggest female star in the pop music galaxy, the vocalist has been surpassed to in recent years by such R&B/soul songbirds as Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Leona Lewis.
Her 10th studio album, "Discipline," did debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts back in February, but it quickly slunk downward on the charts and failed to produce any true smash singles. Her label, Def Jam, appears to have stopped promoting the album, a hypothesis strengthened when Jackson says there will be no new single from "Discipline" released in conjunction with the tour.
To make matters worse, Jackson has become at least as well-known for making tabloid headlines as for making music — the scandal surrounding the famous "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show continues to shadow her. Thus, despite selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and scoring 10 No. 1 singles, Jackson now seems in need of a comeback.
The Rock Witchu Tour looks like a good start. Jackson says it's a fan-friendly offering that will touch upon the new album as well as her most-beloved hits.
"This show is for the fans," she says. "That's something I have to stress. This show is for all the fans."
Many performers say that, but very few take the time to actually take fans' calls. Jackson did.
"A lot of the kids have told me what they'd like to hear," she says. "I have a number — a call-in number for fans and they can leave a message. I leave a message for them. A lot of them I call and speak to (them) directly. I can leave a message on their home phone, and I've asked them to tell me what they'd like hear, what they'd like to see, what they want.
"And being so dedicated and so loyal, they told me what they've wanted and this is what I'm trying to give them. So, hopefully, they'll be happy. Like I said, this show is for them."
Reach Jim Harrington at jharrington@bayareanews group.com. Read his Concert Blog at www.ibabuzz.com/ concerts.
LL Cool J
7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland
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Dear Janet, since you're not dominating the pop and R&B charts quite like you once did, it's time to diversify. Here are few career suggestions.
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