Ciara: Live in Concert

Background and development

Ciara: Live in Concert was announced by Jive Records on October 10, 2006, via a press release. It was Ciara's first tour as a headliner; she had previously performed as the opening act for Gwen Stefani at the Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005). Ciara: Live in Concert previewed previously unreleased tracks from the singer's then-upcoming second album Ciara: The Evolution (2006). The tour began on October 26, 2006, at the club Love in Washington, D.C. and ended on December 10 at the Nokia Theatre in New York City. It was accompanied by several radio concerts and a concert with American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas in Los Angeles on December 1, 2006, as part of the group's Monkey Business Tour. Regarding the tour, Ciara stated:

Previewing the new record in a small setting gives my fans an exclusive experience where they can truly hear and see exactly where I'm going with Ciara: The Evolution. It's about so much more than just my personal growth — it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion. I want to bring a taste of all that to the fans in a one-on-one environment to get them excited for [the album].

Concert synopsis

The set list for the tour consisted of songs from Ciara: The Evolution and Goodies. As featured artists did not appear on the tour, their part of the songs were edited out, namely on "Oh" and "That's Right" and the featured singles "Like You" by Bow Wow and "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott. The set decor included risers and multicolored lights. The show began with Ciara appearing on a platform one story above the stage floor. She performed her debut single "Goodies", which was quickly followed by "Oh". She wore tight metallic pants, a cut-up white T-shirt and sunglasses. The tempo of "Make It Last Forever" was increased and the backup dancers performed "old-school" breakdancing. The performance ended with Ciara and her dancers freezing in "Vogue poses".

While performing "Lose Control", Ciara took off her shirt and revealed a silver bra underneath. The male back-up dancers also took their shirts off. Ciara performed her part in Bow Wow's "Like You" while appearing alone on stage. For "Like a Boy", Ciara and her female dancers switched to military-style clothing and performed male-oriented choreography. Later in the show came "Promise", for which Ciara recreated dance moves from the music video while sporting black pants, a jacket and a hoodie. She ended the song by lying face down while pounding on the stage with her fists. She closed the set with "Get Up". No musicians appeared on stage throughout the show and Ciara wore a headset microphone to fully focus on her dance moves. The show lasted 45 minutes.

Reception and recordings

The tour received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The Morning Call's Dalondo Moultrie was positive in his review of the tour and wrote that Ciara "put on one of the best performances I have seen yet at [Crocodile Rock]". Moultrie called her dance steps "incredible", noting that it was in sync with the music, "each pelvic thrust or body-bending twist" and the periodic bursts of light. In conclusion, Moultrie praised the concert and its "high-energy songs, sexy dance moves, flawless vocals and a top-flight light show". Bill White of Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote that due to Ciara's high energy, "it hardly mattered that she was singing to backing tracks". Regarding the pre-recorded vocals, he said: "Usually this type of performance seems cut-rate and dishonest, but Ciara, with the help of slick lighting and sharp choreography, made it work". White concluded: "It may have been a 45-minute infomercial for her second release, 'Evolution', but Ciara's explosive display of crunk was a minispectacle in its own right." Sia Michel of The New York Times wrote a positive review, stating: "Ciara led a squad of hip-hop dancers through stylishly choreographed routines. Striding about in a headset, she was a commanding and relentlessly professional presence."

Vincent Jackson of The Press of Atlantic City wrote that Ciara "exhibited a great deal of self-confidence during the course of the night". Jackson commented that Ciara is a "limited vocalist", stating that she made a "good decision to put most of her energy into her almost nonstop, aerobic dance performance". Newsday critic Glenn Gamboa was more critical, writing that "Pop concerts require strong personalities and, at 21, Ciara hasn't quite perfected hers yet". Gamboa called the show "as slick as an ice patch and often just as cool", but noted that sometimes she "got dwarfed by her surroundings" of eight dancers and recorded backing vocals. He praised the up-tempo songs and "Promise", but criticized the ballad "I'm Just Me" for "nearly halt[ing]" the set. He ended on a more positive note, writing that "Ciara shows that she is well on her way to becoming a superstar herself". Jon Gilbertson of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was largely critical of the show and criticized the singer for relying on backing tracks, stating that she failed to stand out as none of the songs "brought forth any recognizable vocal signatures".

AOL Music announced on December 8, 2006, that it would broadcast Ciara's concert at the Nokia Theatre. The concert was available worldwide for free via live streaming on AOL Music's website. When the show had ended, viewers could access it via an on demand service.