...In which Leona Lewis DANCES

So we've just returned from the very first date of Leona Lewis' first ever tour. Expectations on the way there were not high for two reasons.

1. It was taking place in Sheffield.
2. There was a genuine fear that the entire night would involve Leona talking about everything being "amazing" and how she's "just pleased to be here."

And, to be fair, there was a fair bit of the latter.

THAT SAID, any doubts about this girl's ability to perform and put on a show were completely and utterly smashed on that stage last night, which bodes well for the upcoming dates.

Firstly, the whole thing was themed (loosely) to the movie Labyrinth. Calm down, calm down, Leona never came out wearing trousers like this:

Truth be told, the Labyrinth thing was basically an excuse to have some plastic looking trees and a swing involved but the whole concept worked genuinely brilliantly. It lent the whole show a real atmosphere which from the very opening gave the whole thing an energy and a darkness which worked fantastically with Leona's voice, the staging and the choreography.

Yes, readers, Leona Lewis danced.

Without wanting to give away the entire setlist for those who are planning to attend the future dates, we'll point out some of the real highlights.

Firstly, there was a definite "horse" theme but at no point did Leona ride an actual horse. Health and safety were probably involved.

Secondly, Better In Time was majorly ramped up and was guitar rather than piano driven. It definitely worked and injected a real energy into the song. Leona looked absolutely commanding up there during this and the darker and rockier tone to the song was a sublime choice. To this end, can we please advise SyCo that this girl is more than comfortable singing up-tempo songs. Indeed, she can more than keep up with a guitar or three. Please, please, don't make the next thing she releases a mid-tempo ballad. If we left with one impression of Leona after this concert, is that she is incredibly versatile when she's given the chance.

Thirdly, there was nothing "safe" about these performances. Forgive Me, one of her few naturally up-tempo numbers, was chuched out in the first half and massively re-jigged, again to lend the whole thing a darker sound. Remember Cheryl's Brits performance with Loretta Holloway mixed in to the second verse. Think that type of effect. It was VERY good

Fourthly, the costume changes were hidden with some amazing work by the dancers (she's borrowed the aerialists which P!nk used on her last tour performing "Glitter In The Air"). Usually, this was accompanied by some properly amazing VTs. One featured Leona looking demented while riding a swan. Another featured a mash-up of Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster Stronger" and Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" this was properly amazing. And frankly, was good enought to be released as a single. It would certainly stop her being seen as a one trick pony.

Fifthly, there were some cover versions. Run of course was there and was the climax to the pre-encore show. It was suitably epic and elicited a genuine standing ovation. Also, The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face was a choice we really questioned at first, but she delivered an absolutely blistering vocal which slowed the tempo down without killing the momentum. She completely won us over. What was truly special, however, were the decisions to cover Could It Be Magic and Sweet Dreams. The latter was full-on mental with strobes, amazing choreography and got the whole place finally on their feet. It was an excellent choice, a very competent cover which did something new with the song not only by its choreography but also by the very fact that Leona's vocals were involved. She also did a very acoustic version of Cry Me A River which was brilliant as well.

Sixthly, there were some very interesting omissions to this setlist. There was no Stop Crying Your Heart Out, no My Hands and, amazingly, no Footprints in the Sand. This was not a concert for playing it safe. And my God it worked.

Seventhly, we've mentioned elsewhere how we felt that Outta My Head should have been released as a single. She did it last night and the place went mental. For the first time in the night, people were on their feet which, given that this is just an album track, is no mean feat. There was strobe lighting, laser shows, and Leona danced and didn't look terrified about the prospect of moving. Why this hasn't been released as a single is just beyond us as it's one of the strongest showcases for Leona's evolution as an artist and a performer. The video below really doesn't do justice to how well this was put together. Think about 50x more stuff going on with the lighting and you'll be there.



Finally, the encore was, predictably Bleeding Love. Watch the video below and just witness how much improved a performer this girl has become.



It was an absolutely stunning concert, which certainly reminded us of why we thought she was such a special talent from the start. Crucially, it proved that this girl is not just "a big voice for hire". She's an accomplished, polished performer who clearly isn't afraid to take risks with her live showcases. We just hope that Syco learn from this and allow her to take risks with her recorded output.

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Also, Gabriella Cilmi was there. On A Mission was alright (is it supposed to sound like Van Halen's jump, or is that just us being mental?). On the other hand we're so over Sweet About Me it's ridiculous. Also, the whole thing would have been better if she'd done the song from the Co-Op ad at Christmas.