Alicia Keys Hits The Flow (Literally) at the Essence Fest!

Alicia Keys didn’t take the stage until after 12:30am last night at New Orleans’ Essence Festival.  Almost an hour after her original time to go on, it sounds like the timing just didn’t work in her favor.  Many folks walked out before her set was over, and others said her performance was mediocre.

We’ve got video (of a video) of the pregnant Ms. Keys taking a slightly scary tumble on stage.  And a writer blasted her for her diva antics before she went on.

Check the video of the video.  We’ll post better footage when it’s available.  She continued on with her performance so hopefully everything was all good.

But a writer for New Orleans’ paper the Times Picayune pretty much let Alicia and her diva antics have it this morning.  They wrote:

Keys is only four months or so along in her pregnancy, but she is apparently sensitive about her appearance. Before her Saturday night headlining set at Essence Fest, her representatives forbade professional photographers from shooting her. (The ban had no effect on the dozens of fans snapping photos.)

Newsflash, Alicia: We all know you’re pregnant. And you have no reason to be self-conscious, not when you flatter four-inch heels, tight leather pants and a functional yet snazzy black top with green sequins.

Keys returned to the Superdome with a .500 average. She fell flat at Essence in 2002, then redeemed herself in 2005. Early on Saturday, she flirted with a repeat of ’02. That year, she looked as if she expected adoration simply for showing up; her look-at-me dabbling on multiple instruments failed to impress an audience well-schooled in R&B authenticity.

She dabbled some this year, too, at one point squaring off with a guitarist armed with a key-tar guitar/keyboard combo. She seemed slightly winded after “You Don’t Know My Name,” and guzzled water often. In ’02, the curtain dropped before she performed “Fallin’,” her breakthrough. This year, she got it out of the way early, but it failed to catch fire to match the flames filling the video backdrop.

The “Essence exit” began. Folks streamed into the aisles, figuring they were better off beating traffic than staying with a set that started 50 minutes late and didn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.

……………….

A double-time bass drum drove the final “No One.” Keys disappeared after barely 70 minutes on stage. Clearly it’s better to quit while you’re ahead.