Heading to Hammersmith on Saturday for the prospect of seeing the Black Eyed Peas minus Fergie, there was a feeling that tonight might just be a long night.
So it proved. Fergie’s de facto replacement, Jessica Reynoso, a finalist on the Philippines version of The Voice, shares her predecessor’s elastic vocal range but none of her sass. It says much about a pop concert when the highlight is a vocal cameo from Nicole Scherzinger, but her charismatic turn on This Is Love was a reminder of what was missing.
Equally, it would be unfair to lay the blame for this lacklustre gig squarely at the feet of Reynoso, who has big boots to fill and is still learning her trade. By contrast, will.i.am and the other Peas — Taboo and apl.de.ap — have been performing together for
30 years.
Yet there was something loose and amateurish about old favourites such as Let’s Get It Started, the Black Eyed Peas sounding like a bad karaoke version of their younger selves.
Alongside the toe-curling mash-ups of (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life were a few musical gems. Constant Pt 1 Pt 2, taken from new album Masters Of The Sun Vol 1, was slick and funky. Pump It was a prime piece of will.i.am magpie pop — equal parts infuriating and irresistible — while Reynoso’s note-perfect rendition of Beyoncé’s Love On Top would have no doubt sent chairs swivelling on The Voice. The triangular set design and innovative light show, too, went some way to retaining interest when the music took a nosedive.
However, despite will.i.am’s assertion that this was the start of the next exciting chapter in the band’s history, this show ultimately suggested the opposite: that Black Eyed Peas’ best days are, in fact, a long way behind them.
