I have only been to one previous concert of Angelina Jordan: her 2023 concert at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. (I have seen others online.) I was hoping that the acoustics in the Intenational Theater (Westgate, Las Vegas) would be a step up from the Music Hall, but the overall sound quality was actually quite similar. That is to say, it could have been better. I think this is something Angelina's team needs to work on. In particular, the loudest parts were far too loud (in some songs, painfully so — especially with the brass section going full-throttle). This is not merely an issue of the musicians playing too loud: it's a mixing issue for the sound being piped through the speakers in the venue. OTOH, most of the songs sounded OK — loud, but not unacceptably so — especially in the more subdued second half of the show. And actually, the second show was noticeably better in this regard than the first. Granted, this might have been partly due to where I was seated.
As for the performers, the band was noticeably better than in Portsmouth, but some of the muscial arrangements were just unnecessarily intrusive. If someone in Angelina's camp happens to be reading this, please remember: most people are there just to hear Angelina sing, and we could really care less about the musical accompaniment, as long as it supports her vocals. (Personally, I would have loved it if Angelina had come out alone, and performed the entire concert a cappella. But, hey, that's just me.) When Angelina was younger she seemed to know instinctively that her vocals should be front and center, and not have to compete with the musical accompaniment. I fear that idea may be getting lost over time, as people start thinking more in terms of "putting on a show". The "show"is Angelina's voice. Please never forget that.
So, what about Angelina's singing? On the whole, it was excellent. In Portsmouth, I felt like she was holding back a bit in several places where she could have "gone for it"more. Fortunately, I don't need a lot of "big moments"to enjoy her singing (I actually prefer her more subtle stuff), but if you're gonna do songs that contain big moments, you kinda have to go for it in those moments, right? In these Vegas concerts, I didn't get that feeling nearly as much. In fact, I don't actually remember any particular examples of her "holding back", although there might have been some.
Comparing the two shows to each other, the first show was beset by technical problems with the background video imagery. Fortunately, those problems did not reoccur in the second show (except maybe a tiny glitch at one point? I can't remember). I was a little surprised that Angelina seemed to be more comfortable and "freer"in the second show. (I wouldn't have thought that would be an issue for her.) This was reflected in both how she sang certain parts of songs and the way that she addressed her baby cousin and sister, respectively, at two points in the show when she heard them calling out from the audience. The combination of these things (no video problems, and a more relaxed Angelina — and the slightly better sound, as I mentioned before) made the second show significantly better than the first.
One thing that is very noticeable is that Angelina doesn't have canned "patter"memorized, for use in between songs. In both her song introductions and when simply showing her appreciation for her fans, she seems to be coming up with the words anew every time. This is very endearing, of course, but it can also be a bit awkward (something she admitted at one point in her Portsmouth concert, when she caught herself repeating the same things she had already said more than once). Fortunately, she was better at it in these Vegas shows, and a little better in the second show than in the first (although she did repeat one small remark, not remembering that she had already said it earlier in the same show). In any case, I still marvel at how awkward she can be introducing, say, "Million Miles", even though she must have talked about the meaning behind that song at least 100 times before. (!)
The setlist was almost identical in both shows, but she sang "Moon River"in the first show and not the second, and "My Funny Valentine"in the second show and not the first. I say it that way because I'm not sure if one song was simply swapped for the other, or if they occurred at slightly different places in the rundown. (I think the latter?)
The highlight of the evening (in both shows) was the debut of her as yet unreleased song, "Princess of Ruins". Not much to say about that except she had me tearing up as she introduced the song, before she even sang a word of it.
In conclusion: both shows had some shortcomings, with most of these being of a technical nature and affecting the first show more than the second. Angelina was in fine form when she wasn't being drowned out by the musical accompaniment. Would I go to another Angelina Jordan concert? Yes. Of course.