REVIEW: Missy Elliott off to see the wizard at ‘Out of This World’ show at Oakland Arena
Missy Elliott performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024. Courtesy Alexis Smith/crowdMGMT.
OAKLAND — Grammy-winning rapper Missy Elliott stopped at Oakland Arena Tuesday night, on the third date of her first headlining tour of her decades-long career.
“I want y’all to know I’ve been doing this now for almost 30 years, and everyone on this Out of This World Tour has been in the business for 20 years or more,” she said late in the show.
The tour, which featured performances by Ciara, Busta Rhymes and producer Timbaland, offered up a blockbuster-style space and mystical theme—referencing “The Wizard of Oz” numerous times—and Broadway-worthy production. It looked like Elliott spared no expense.
Throughout the 75-minute performance, she looked confident, displaying the energy, enthusiasm, charisma and endurance of artists half her age.
Four gear-shaped screens hovered over the crowd. A dancer—who’d emerge at several points to perform to narration—appeared in a shiny yellow and white costume and pantomimed as a voice addressed the audience. A huge video screen flashed a series of images hinting of a space odyssey that led to a portal in the screen emerging, revealing the tip of a spaceship.
There was fog and dancers before Elliott rose out from under the stage on a lift. Decked out in a sparkling yellow and white space suit with a matching helmet, she got straight to work. Dancing a choreographed number, she worked the stage during a partial medley of “Throw It Back,” “Cool Off,” “We Run This” and “4 My People.”
It was difficult to hear Elliott over the music tracks early on, which were sometimes muffled and staticky. However, the 53-year-old was amazingly energetic, keeping up with her dancers and her own choreography, giving attendees at the front and on both sides of the stage ample attention. The sound engineers worked out the various issues after this start so that Elliott could finally be heard.
On “Sock It to Me,” Elliott’s voice was not only strong and on key, but she didn’t even lose a step or note while dancing.
“Everybody get up!” she yelled during “I’m Hot” as she marched confidently down a catwalk, hitting a quick two-step move at the end. She continued to charge to both sides of the stage, interacting with dancers and attendees, creating a party-like atmosphere. Flames shot up in blasts during the chorus and then at the end, a semi-circular screen lowered onto the stage while the narrative dancer returned and performed a tap number to “Singing in the Rain.” That set up “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).”
Elliott, now in a black patent leather outfit accompanied by similarly costumed dancers, rapped the lyrics powerfully. The song sounded like a recording had come to life. Next, the dancers rolled out balancing balls for “I’m Better,” working them into the choreography. She was also impressive on “She’s a Bitch,” which was different enough to tell she was performing live but just as weighty.
Another circular stage lowered from the rafters, and Elliott and two dancers boarded it, floating over the crowd for “Gossip Folks.” She took this time to wave to people as the stage floated down the arena, including those in the upper seats.
After audience favorite “Get Ur Freak On,” Elliott rolled into “Lick Shots,” “One Minute Man” and “Hot Boyz.”
There was a dance break to Beyonce’s “Cuff It” while Elliott disappeared for a moment, and she returned for “Beep Me 911,” “DripDemeanor” and “Pussycat.” Then a horn blast pulled from “The Wiz” soundtrack, and she ended her main set with “Bad Man.”
During an encore break, a DJ and hype man played Missy-Elliott-produced songs by artists like Aaliyah, 702 and Keisha Cole. The encore consisted of “Ching A Ling,” “WTF (Where They From)” and “Work It,” during which Elliott went on a walk through the crowd, circling the entire arena.
She finished the song back on stage and quickly moved on to “Pass That Dutch,” as her crew line-danced in front of corn stalks and a UFO hovered over them on the screen. She rounded out the performance by inviting tour mates Timbaland (“Up Jumps the Boogie”), Busta Rhymes (“Touch It”) and Ciara (“Lose Control”) up on stage to perform Missy’s collaborative cuts.
East Coast icon Busta Rhymes preceded Elliott, performing with Spliff Star from his Flipmode Squad. Busta who’d canceled a headlining tour of his own earlier this year in support of a new album, ran through many of his hits, including collabs with Janet Jackson (“What’s It Gonna Be?”) and Mariah Carey (“I Know What You Want”).
Impressively, Busta didn’t use any backing vocal tracks. He showed why he’s considered one of the greatest hip-hop lyricists of all time during his verse on Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” and even spit out some mesmerizing lyrics a cappella.
The crowd roared when he spit out his verse on Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” and he ended his set triumphantly spraying attendees with champagne on “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II.”
Ciara covered her own songbook with hits like “Goodies,” “Get Up” and “Oh.” Her dancing was spectacular, and notably, her selection of dancers seemed to speak for body positivity as they were of all shapes and sizes. She switched back and forth between live singing and relying on the backing track during the more intense, athletic choreography. Wearing a sparkling bodysuit under a baggy denim outfit, she looked to be in peak condition after recently giving birth a few months ago. She ended her set with “Like a Boy” and “Level Up.”
Legendary producer Timbaland kicked off the show with his cache of hits he produced for artists from Justin Timberlake to Beyonce.
- Busta Rhymes performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024. Courtesy Priscilla Rodriguez.
- Busta Rhymes performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024.
- Busta Rhymes performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024.
- Busta Rhymes and Timbaland perform at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024.
- Ciara performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024.
- Ciara performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 9, 2024.
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