THE mighty Ms Jackson bombarded fans with two hours of merciless groove and left them begging for mercy.

This little lady is one tough cookie, and from the opening number of her Velvet Rope Tour she grabbed us and rocked us for all we were worth.

'Radiant' was how my son described her, dreamily, afterwards. 'Ferocious', I thought.

The JJ experience is something quite apart from the music alone. Janet and her troupe - band, backing singers and excellent dancers - put on stunning show after stunning show. The whole performance was highly theatrical and polished to perfection.

The best set was reminiscent of Disney's Beauty and the Beast with huge stuffed books and clocks and things scattered around.

There was masquerade, military, and even a warring couple as part of the spectacle.

One member of the audience had a memorable time after Janet picked him to be bound to a chair during 'Burn'. She then subjected him to some extremely rude dancing at very close quarters before catching him in a passionate embrace. He had to be helped from the stage.

I had heard many of the singles and the other songs were a mixture of old and new. She switches from the sweetest of ballads to her trademark relentless funk rock in the blink of her piercing eyes.

What comes across is that she is not only wedded to her music but is absolutely dedicated to the show and the team that makes it happen.

At times it's like watching a musical rather than a pop concert.

Janet was supported by all-male quartet Another Level, who have had a couple of successful singles, along with the new 'Freak Me'. Zoe Harewood

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