“You the guys are the show! Iconic, ageless art-pop fusionist Grace Jones told the audience in West Hollywood Park on Saturday as she headlined Los Angeles’ Outloud @ WeHo Pride festival. “I could just watch you, and not sing a word!” But then I would be crucified.
False words were never spoken. First, Jones could have sat quietly on stage in front of a slowly drying canvas of paint, and the adoring audience would still have been transfixed. And two, as the Outloud crowd came slaying in their Saturday best, all glitter, rainbows and glitter, it was nothing for Jones obscene. The androgynous singer’s many rapidly rotating headgear, all dutifully handed to her (along with an occasional goblet of “communion wine”) by her loyal minions, included a Michael Schmidt-designed spiky sculpture of neon stems that appeared to float , like a DNA helix, around his famous chiseled features; a Sally Bowles rhinestone bowler hat; a waist-length Aphrodite wig made from real gold leaf; a feathered equestrian helmet; a Philip Treacy royal wedding hat and “Keith Haring undress” for the aptly titled “Amazing Grace”; and a red, gold and green striped headdress/kaftan fit for a queen during “My Jamaican Guy.” And those space-age hats were all paired with a molded suede corset, thigh-high stiletto boots and a thong that revealed Jones’ Haring body paint really covered her whole body.
Oh and SO there was the final moment when the post-disco diva, who incredibly turned 75 last month, purred her biggest hit, Trevor Horn-produced ‘Slave to the Rhythm’, while spinning a hoop around of his corseted torso. She never missed a beat or note, and stayed true to that song’s “keep it up, keep it that way” refrain by never dropping that hoop for more than six minutes of the song, though she had already played out of breath for almost an hour at that point. .
And there was also a rare celebrity sighting, a genuine moment of respect for queens, when Jones’ equally statuesque, high-cheekbones longtime friend Brigitte Nielsen (Jones dated Nielsen Rocky IV co-star Dolph Lundgren in the early 80s), was – quite easily – spotted “grooving” in the VIP section.
While Jones’s Outloud set – which took place on a main stage which included previous performances by Australian dreampop band Cub Sport, electro-rock provocateur Santigold, All of RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars pioneering trans winner Kylie Sonic Love, american idol alum Rayvon Owen and masked country crooner Orville Peck – didn’t brag about the massive production on Jones’ other recent live forces tour (including his previous LA-area gig at the Hollywood Bowl last September), his formidable presence was more than enough. In fact, her deliciously self-deprecating banter would have been worth the price of admission alone, and the relatively small presentation actually made her seem a bit less formidable.
Jones staggered relatively in her five-inch heels, complaining that she could not see her feet, as one of her distinguished gentlemen helped her down the stairs. When she and another assistant struggled to change hats as her hair got in the way, Jones amusingly imagined aloud that one day she would impulsively cut off her dreadlocks on stage and throw them into the audience. She even remarked, “I need a little more ass!” – doing a quick series of effortless squats as she pounded her bare, paint-scribbled butt on a stage riser – before performing the penultimate classic from her set, “Pull Up to My Bumper,” while astride the shoulders of a security guard, victory lap style, across the field at West Hollywood Park.
Grace Jones’ short but jaw-dropping setlist for Outloud @ WeHo Pride is below. The festival, which kicked off Friday with Idina Menzel, Tinashe, and Jessie Ware, wraps up Sunday with Carly Rae Jepsen, Passion Pit, Princess Nokia, and more.
“Nightclub”
“It is”
“Private life”
“My Jamaican Guy”
“The Blood of Williams”
“Amazing Grace”
“Love is the drug”
“Shoot to the Bumper”
“Slave to the Rhythm”
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