Music Reviews

Tinashe at Phoenix Concert Theatre

Photos by Dawn Hamilton

For an artist whose popularity is mainly attributed to ambient R&B and passionate cheerleaders around the digital cafeteria, Tinashe is committed to shedding the indie impression and leaping towards full-fledged stardom with the Joyride World Tour, which stopped in Toronto this past weekend. The fullness and timely coordination of the hour-long set quickly directed attention to the fact that this tour is built by someone with a big vision; a near twenty songs performed, vigorous choreography, adaptive vocals, a flashy backdrop and multiple costume changes made for an entertaining show that lacked a connection, making the evening a little underwhelming.

Besides collaborations with nearly every favourite rapper you can think of and the pivotal opening spots for Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry’s stadium tours, Tinashe is delving further into the R&B-pop realm with the impending release of Joyride, which includes Max Martin, Boi-1da and Dr.Luke in the production lines. With the obvious desire to push her career to further heights, it is no wonder Tinashe took a meticulous approach to craft this tour and send a message; she is, above all else, a performer.

With a full back-up band and four dancers on hand, Tinashe pushed the idea with intense dance sequences and live takes on new works from her upcoming album, including opening numbers “Ride Of Your Life” and “Party Favors”, and old favourites “Bet”, “All Hands On Deck” and “Far Side of the Moon” from debut Aquarius. When she wasn’t confidently balancing quick set moves with pitch perfect renditions, she was soulfully crooning her way through Selena Gomez covers and new ballad “Fires and Flames”, leaving little room to interact with those who turned out at the Phoenix, save for one lucky fan who got a Tinashe-directed Snapchat.

The intimacy underscoring much of Tinashe’s record needed to be more present in order to bind her audience into the new path that she is set on forging. While impressive and true to her talent, her efforts did not make the same impact on the audience that it could have. Where songs like “Boss” and “How Many Times” should have created a more ambient, slinky vibe, the turnover between each was too quick to fully commit to the experience found on recording. This extended all the way to the concluding performance of breakout single “2 On”, dance intermission included, which reached excitement heights without fully delivering the triumph one would hope for from a popular song. In this case, the joyride needed to be slowed down and savoured, just for a little bit.

About author

Mehek is a Toronto-based writer who dwells in music, film, tech, and everything in between. Find her on Twitter at @whatthemehek where she’s probably talking about the latest release, sharing GIFs, or retelling her awkward encounter with Childish Gambino.