Ke$ha Concert Review: Sleaze Sells

Ke$ha has come a long way in the past few years. The Get Sleazy Tour has been guaranteed money in the pockets of concert promoters and her catchy snyth fueled songs about drunken nights in the club are all over radio and television. The pop star has even graced the pages of Maxim and her quirky outfits have gotten the attention of every teen girl in the country.

Raley Field in Sacramento was packed as 107.9 The End put together a great line up that also featured Far East Movement and T-Pain among others. Although the annual Endfest kicked off amidst pouring rain that didn’t stop the fans from making the trek to the stadium. When Ke$ha hit the stage glitter quickly replaced the rain drops and Ke$ha officially got the party started.

When a T-Pain record comes on the radio, his voice is instantly recognizable. Pain sings hooks. Not songs. It became quite clear within the first ten minutes of his set that he could sing without the help of auto tune and that he really didn’t have a complete song to perform. Dancers flanked Pain throughout the 40 minute performance as the star sang, lip synced, and danced his way through the set.

No doubt T-Pain has a songbook to delve into and he knows how to work a crowd. Although, the live vocals were helped dramatically by a backing track as Pain had to worry about his physically exhausting dance routines. Pain is both a singer and a dancer. He’s just not both of them at once.

Ke$ha brought two drummers along, as well as a crew of dancers and glitter. Lots of glitter. As the fans chanted her name she launched into a 60 minute performance that was non stop pop radio fodder. Among the hits were “We R Who We R,” “Blah, Blah, Blah,” and “Tik Tok.” The fans ate it up as Ke$ha strutted around the stage donning a ridiculous costume armed with a gun that shot glitter and confetti at her adoring fans.

The routine during “Cannibal,” showed off the on stage persona of the pop star. The scene mimicked the lyrics perfectly. As Ke$ha sang about eating a man, she and the dance crew devoured a male singer. She ended up front and center covered in fake blood with the dancer’s heart in her hand. A KISS rip off? Maybe. But, it was still entertaining.

Her rebel message rang through loud and clear. When a microphone failed to work she laid into the roadie who handed it to her. “Wrong fucking mic, douchebag,” she bellowed as she flung the useless mic across the stage. There’s something about Ke$ha that seems put on. Like she’s screaming out for attention for all the wrong reasons. Problem is, you can’t help but watch her.

As confetti and dollar bills, that featured Ke$sha’s name, rained down on the audience it became apparent that she really is a walking, talking party. She made Endfest what it was. And she did it her way.