Reviews: Elton John, Kylie Minogue, J. Cole & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Elton John in Toronto; Kylie Minogue in London; J. Cole in Columbus, Ohio; Nine Inch Nails in Atlanta; Jeff Tweedy in Spokane, Wash.; and Alina Baraz in Cleveland.

Amy Harris / Invision / AP – Elton John
Elton John brings his “Wonderful Crazy Night Tour” to Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., March 7.

Elton John @ Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Sept. 25 – “Visually, the show was stunning … with short films that accompanied ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ (dancers), ‘Rocket Man’ (an ignition countdown and earth in space), ‘Candle in the Wind,’ which saw John’s piano move around the stage (an homage to Norma Jean/Marilyn Monroe), ‘The Bitch is Back’ (drag queens), ‘I’m Still Standing’ (various incarnations of Elton over the years) and so on.” – Jane Stevenson / Chatham Daily News

Kylie Minogue @ The O2 – London in London, England, Sept. 27 – “On the opening night of her O2 takeover, Minogue proved a gracious host, repeatedly thanking the crowd for embracing the new material that peppered the greatest hits set. Complementing the country-tinged songs from Golden, she appeared framed by video screens depicting rolling prairies and arid grasslands, and was joined by a team of Stetson-clad dancers.” – Gemma Samways / The Evening Standard

J. Cole @ Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 23 – “A touching moment occurred after Cole performed a series of old classics. Sitting on a stool, he talked to the audience further about processing pain in a healthy way. Even if one is critical of his solutions — he’s received flak for his simple ‘meditate, don’t medicate’ directive on the new album — it’s impossible not to see his passion for helping his fans, most of whom are relatively young.” – Erica Thompson / Columbus Alive 

Maggie Boyd – J. Cole
J. Cole emotes for the crowd at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, Aug. 19.

Nine Inch Nails @ Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 26 – “A NIN show is always a frenzy of sound and light and the presentation of ‘March of the Pigs’ was particularly effective, with Reznor quietly offering his rhetorical question (‘Now doesn’t that make you feel better?’) before an explosive auditory assault. 

“Reznor is an innovator as well an astute student of visual wizardry. He knows how to captivate an audience, whether through a deluge of flashing strobes or simple clouds of dry ice and solid blue lights, which accompanied the mesmerizing ‘Find My Way.’” – Melissa Ruggieri / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jeff Tweedy @ Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, Wash., Sept. 26 – “Indeed, Tweedy himself said the strange energy and contentious back-and-forth with the crowd had given him ‘adrenaline rushes’ during the show. They’ll probably help him remember his Spokane gig, but I’m afraid they won’t help convince him to come back to do it again any time soon.” – Dan Nailen / Inlander

Alina Baraz @ House Of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 26 – “Baraz’s performance wasn’t perfect – it could have placed more emphasis on the backing band, and filled up more of the stage with performers. More dialogue could have spiced things up. The energy, overall, could have been kicked up a few notches. But for a young star performing a hometown show for hundreds of loyal followers, the evening proved to be Baraz’s promising start.” – Anne Nickoloff / Cleveland.com