Review: Alicia Keys delivers triumphant Tampa set as she kicks off summer tour in Florida [PHOTOS]

Alicia Keys has an uncanny ability to make someone feel like they can accomplish anything, and for nearly two hours on Friday night she injected that triumphant energy into Tampa’s Amalie Arena, which was on fire for the second date of the 42-year-old’s “Keys To The Summer Tour."

Just over 11,000 fans surrounded the stage, which has re-invented the in-the-round arena setup by placing Keys, her shimmering Yamaha grand piano, and a sharp, five-piece band in the center of the arena while leaving two catwalks for the singer-songwriter-pianist plenty of opportunity to dance and get face-to-face with devotees over the course of a 32-song set.

Any questions about how quickly the Hell’s Kitchen-born phenom wanted to get out of the gate were immediately answered after the house lights dimmed and Keys walked onto the stage and immediately started a solo piano version of her breakthrough hit “Fallin’.” Some artists perform their biggest singles early in a set while wearing big, let-me-get-this-song-out-of-the-way energy, but the 15-time Grammy-winner seemed intent on lighting a flame under an audience that was more than ready to get on board.

The singalongs sounded like soccer chants on “New Day,” and fans kept pace with the band as it blazed through six songs—including a hot slice of almost one-drop-style reggae on “Limitedness”—in the first 12 minutes of the show.
Keys played Tampa’s Hard Rock Event Center just last September to just over 1,400 ticket holders, but spent the months between playing U.S. amphitheaters and arenas in Central and South America. The band—anchored by the piano, but also bass from Dammo Farmer and timekeeping by drummer Garrison Brown—is clearly firing on all cylinders.

Bedroom vibes on “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)” were bolstered by a big, brawny tone. Harmonies from singer Norelle Simpson and guitarist Curt Chambers unfolded seamlessly on a synth-driven reading of “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart” and a shoulder-shimmying version of “Diary.” The band nearly stole the show on “City Of Gods (Part II) after Keys disappeared into the stairs on the end of one catwalk.

As Keys changed backstage, the ensemble laid down almost house-music-esque break beats so that a lone dancer (JJ, what’s your last name?) could make his way across the catwalk as strobes and the band sent the show into its first peak.

She reappeared atop the staircase for an eight-song solo piano set that opened with a cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?,” which was every bit as confident and cool as the Purple One himself. Prince and Keys are both once-in-a-generation talents with visceral, but sterling, vocals—and while she belts out notes with the power of a prizefighter, Keys never ever oversings.

Everything, she makes it seem, happens effortlessly for Keys who played the part of balladeer in the coolest shades on “Superwoman,” piano virtuoso on “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” a maestro of banter during “A Woman’s Worth,” and tear-jerking troubadour on “Not Even The King.”

“A lot of people have been asking me for this song,” Keys explained before playing the Girl On Fire hidden gem. “It’s a reminder that only certain things matter.”

For Keys, onstage at least, the only things that seem to matter are the here and now. During “I Need You,” she sang with eyes closed, squeezed her eyelids tight after each line and smiled as she recovered every breath.

She constantly expresses how grateful she is for her fans and implores them to live in the moment. They reciprocate by delivering deafening calls for an encore (Keys obliged, and even made room for them when they took over the first chorus of show-closer “If I Ain’t Got You”).

And for the moment, Keys is the most believable superstar on the road right now.

Her music, from the arrangements to lyrics, is empowering in every sense of the word, but her easy going nature and everywoman vibe (come on, we all dance to the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” like that, guys) work like bridges to make fans feel like they, too, can be a girl on fire who ends up conquering the Empire State.

Despite her immense talent, it’s easy to feel like you have a lot in common with Alicia Keys. Not too many pop stars with resumes like hers can say the same—no one, no one, will argue with you on that.

Setlist
Falling
New Day
Love Looks Better
Limitedness
You Don’t Know My Name
Teenage Love Affair
Karma
Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)
Underdog
Blended Family (What You Do For Love)
Holy War
Come For Me (Unlocked?)
My Boo
City Of Gods (Part II)
—
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? (Prince)
The Thing About Love
A Woman’s Worth
Superwoman
Not Even The King
That’s How Strong My Love Is
Diary
Like You’ll Never See Me Again
—
I Need You
The Gospel
Where Do We Go From Here
Girl On Fire
Empire State Of Mind
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics)
In Common
No One

Encore
If I Ain’t Got You