There was a three-hour meeting of the bad boys club on stage at American Airlines Center Wednesday night, and thousands of screaming female fans turned up to witness it. I'm referring to the "Between the Sheets Tour," starring headliners Chris Brown and Trey Songz with opening act Tyga. It seemed that the primary mission for each of these men was to seduce every woman in the place by singing and rapping about their coital proclivities.
Rather than take you through what turned out to be an overly long and winding evening of bedroom jams (the word "tantric" springs to mind), it'd make more sense to let the highlights of the evening unfurl in a frequently-asked-questions format. Let's begin:
How was Tyga's opening set, and did he mention reported flame Kylie Jenner?
The 25-year-old Cali rapper didn't speak of his girlfriend at all. It might have killed the fantasy being created as he dedicated "Ayy Ladies" to the screaming crowd. He had them up and dancing throughout, and he never slowed down the pace. The backdrop for all the performers consisted of a large, two-level video wall. As Tyga paced the stage and pushed out verses from "Make It Nasty," footage of women twerking on Spring Break accompanied him. He eventually made his way into the crowd (with a little help from security) while performing "Lapdance." That song's title tells you all you need to know.
Did Chris Brown and Trey Songz start their co-headlining set together on stage?
No, and I thought that was a missed opportunity. All the building drama of the 10-minute countdown clock went to waste. They should have appeared together to do a song or two and then started their trade-off format. Instead, we were treated to 11 songz of Trey.
Eleven whole songs before the crowd laid eyes on Chris Brown?
Yes, and at the risk of upsetting the many Trey fans in the house, I felt that it was five or six songs too many. As nimble as his voice may be, Trey just doesn't fancy himself as much more than an unapologetic lothario. He was accompanied on most of his sensual hits by a gaggle of six female dancers who moved and dressed like strippers. From their French maid outfits to the way that Songz put his hands all over them ("choreography," he might call it), these ladies spent a lot of time doing moves better suited to a champagne room than a pop stage.
Did Chris Brown have female dancers, too?
Nope, his dancers were male, and they were fully clothed. As everyone knows, the 25-year-old singer they accompanied has an, ah, complicated personal history regarding the opposite sex, so it was fortunate that he mostly showcased his amazing choreography and growing catalog of radio hits. Brown's time on stage produced the most visceral thrills simply because he has pushed himself as a performer since he was a wee one. With occasional fog effects and lasers adding drama, he out-danced his whole crew during hits such as "Run it," "Wall to Wall" and "Look at Me Now." He did get dirty here and there, especially when he picked up a bra that was thrown on stage and smelled it. Yeah, I won't tell you what he said after that.
Did Songz and Brown ever perform together?
Oh yes, and while it was my least favorite part of the show, it went over extremely well with their dressed-to-the-hilt diehards. For their joint time on stage, Brown and Songz took turns singing increasingly eye-roll-worthy slow jams about, yep, doin' it. Brown made sweet love to the floor during "Take You Down." Songz sang a tune called "Panty Droppa" - a clear candidate for the Library of Congress' archives. After going back and forth for several turns, the two joined together on their R. Kelly-honoring duet, "Songs on 12 Play."
How did the night end, in the way of encores?
First Songz came back and, over the course of three or four songs ("Bottoms Up" included), got more handsy with his dancers and peeled off layers of his own clothing. He's fit - I'll give him that. Brown shared his encore set with opener Tyga for the most celebratory moments of the night, as they did two hits from their just-released duet album Fan of a Fan. They displayed some actual chemistry on stage. I'd rather have seen those two share the headlining set. But that doesn't take away from the fact that most in attendance treated the experience as a big-budget club outing, a chance to let loose. Sometimes it helps not to think too hard.
