We loved Jamie Foxx when he portrayed Ray Charles on the silver screen. We loved Jamie Foxx when he did an impression of Barack Obama at the pre-inaugural celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. We loved Jamie Foxx when he used Auto Tune to deliver the hit "Blame It" on the radio.
But can we love Jamie Foxx live in a 1¾-hour musical concert? Yes we can.
The strikingly sparse crowd of maybe 3,000 Thursday at Target Center loved Foxx's Obama impression, Michael Jackson dance moves, Ray Charles reprise, Prince-like falsetto, all of his slow jams, the dance groove of "I Don't Need It" and even his Auto Tune-less "Blame It" with a little of David Bowie's "Fame" mixed in.
Unquestionably, this 41-year-old Oscar-winning actor, sit-com-starring comic and chart-topping recording artist knows how to throw a party.
His performance was quite entertaining. He proved that he can sing ballads, with a sweet voice and a sexy falsetto. But his material was largely forgettable, mostly marginal attempts at being a PG-rated R. Kelly and a generic dance-party funkateer like, um, Eddie Murphy. Foxx's in-concert acting was Razzie award-worthy, the way he told all the Minneapolis woman how beautiful they were and the way he tried to act like an R&B star.
Foxx may be brilliant on the silver screen (go see "The Soloist") but he didn't know how to project big enough for an arena. His early dance moves in a black leather suit were fine for a club but not for a basketball palace.
Moreover, he insisted on hiding behind sunglasses almost the entire night. He has a familiar face that fans -- especially all those beautiful Minneapolis ladies -- wanted to see.
Take it off, Jamie! Those shades, that is. While we're at it, how 'bout some piano? Foxx is a classically trained pianist but he did his two Ray Charles numbers on Thursday standing front and center. His white grand piano seemed to be a prop until he played one brief passage, standing up, late in the evening.
