Nicole Scherzinger at The Olympia Theatre on February 16th 2012
Review and Photos by Abraham Tarrush
Tonight, Dublin is stop number 3 for Nicole Scherzinger, and her Killer Love tour. Having fully sold out, the Olympia Theatre is packed to the rafters. While originally entering the music industry as part of the Popstars girl band Eden’s Crush, Nicole rose to international fame, heading one of the biggest girl groups of the past decade, the Pussycat Dolls. She also clocked up a strong resume as a featured artist, and more recently, a stint as a judge on the US version of The X Factor.
Nicole enters centre stage atop a flight of stairs, opening with tracks Club Banger Nation, Poison and Killer Love. The screams from the crowd are almost unbearable, and there’s a distinct club party feel to the venue. Backed by a group of dancers, they make good use of the stage production and keep the crowd entertained.
After performing some more tracks from the album, Baby Love, Pretty and You Will Be Loved (with hints of How to Love by Lil Wayne incorporated), we’re treated to an upbeat medley of some the bigger Pussycat Dolls singles, including Buttons, Jai Ho, Wait a Minute, Hush Hush, I Hate this Part, and even elements of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. Considering the amount of songs used, the medley is pretty short, albeit a sweet one. I’m a bit surprised by the abundance of Pussycat Doll songs incorporated into the set list, but considering that Nicole co-wrote most of the singles, and they go well with the Killer Love tracks, it’s not too big an issue.
I think tonight’s biggest surprise for the crowd is the power and range of Nicole’s voice. Based on the image of the Pussycat Dolls, it would be easy to assume that such artists are dancers who happen to be able to hold a note, but this isn’t the case with Nicole. She has a somewhat classical tone to her voice, with strong balanced vibrato that rarely gets the chance to shine through on her own material. It’s more evident in cover songs, and her recent performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Variety show were highly acclaimed. With the right tracks going forward, she could take her live show to a whole new level.
Returning after the ‘last’ performance of the night, Don’t Cha, Nicole kicks off a lively Olé chant, then closes the night with the albums lead single Don’t Hold Your Breath.
It’s safe to say that everyone in the room, myself included, have been well entertained. It’s nice to see Nicole Scherzinger has crossed the group-to-solo transition well. There’s a definite niche for her show, and it will be interesting to see where it’s taken in the future.
Nicole Scherzinger Image Gallery
