Review: Alicia Keys spreads her energy all around the United Center on her Keys to the Summer tour

More than 20 years after her debut album, Alicia Keys is still able to command a room as a star. But what is perhaps most interesting about her live performances is how she is able to represent the dual sides of her career and her sound. Older fans, who may not be as familiar with her newer music, may be struck by the sense of fluidity Keys imbued in her shows. I certainly was. But this is a performer who has earned the right to play, to dance, to breathe in the glory of her eclectic and emotionally enriching body of work. As Keys said early in her set, “We’re here to break all the ceilings.” And she certainly accomplished that.

Audiences experienced this at the United Center Tuesday night. Keys opened with the first few lines of her hit song “Fallin” before audiences could even see her. Donning colorful, super wide-leg ‘60s-era print pants and a high ponytail of long braids, Keys was a captivating vision.

Although many of her greatest hits, like “Fallin’,” were crafted behind the piano, Keys took many moments to move around the stage. And what a stage it was! Rather than perform in a traditional stage set up positioned against one side of the arena, the Keys to the Summer tour is being performed in the round. Overall, it makes for a lovely viewing experience.

A tall platform leads down to a number of stairs and a long runway. In the center of the arena is a performance stage. Audiences with floor seats surround the main stage on all sides, with another long platform leading to the opposite end of the room. Even more delightful, Keys’ main stage piano rotates while she is playing. Keys takes advantage of this unique setup, often dancing and showing love to all areas of the audience. In an age of increasingly expensive and frustrating concert-going experiences, Keys’ tour is a perfect gift for audiences.

Her two artistic sides also played out during the show. It is easy to stereotype Keys as only a woman behind a piano, her Chicago show brimmed with charm whether she was sitting (like for “A Woman’s Worth” and “How Come U Don’t Call Me”) or grooving around the room. Songs blended seamlessly into one another, threading a connection between genre (soul and pop) and the phases of Keys’ career. Even the songs that seem slower on record here had a verve and energy that made the music pop.

And while many of the popular, classic R&B tracks like “You Don’t Know My Name” or “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)” elicited loud cheers, it was often her more recent and poppier tracks like “Girl on Fire” that truly made the audience roar in delight. The audience sang along, word-for-word.

Keys leaned into this energy, offering a short yet empowering speech about pursuing their dreams, even when they feel like an underdog. “They can’t tell you what you can’t accomplish,” she said at one point. “They don’t even know you.” It is clear her songs of empowerment are just as vital to Keys’ oeuvre as her songs of yearning.

Peppered throughout the evening were a number of covers (“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics) and interpretations of songs she performed with other artists. I most enjoyed her performance of “My Boo,” her award-winning duet with Usher. Here, Keys employed the help of a dynamic male modern dancer clad in a gray suit to “duet” with her in rhythm rather than sound for the performance. The two perfectly captured the heart of the song. It was a surprising, simple and sweet moment. Later, he rejoined her on stage for “In Common” toward the end of the show for another vibey dance moment.

That’s not to say that everything was perfect. Some of the visuals felt disconnected from each other, as if they were solely created for the song, and not connected to tell an overall story for the show. And the bass was occasionally so loud that it was difficult to hear Keys talking or singing.

But those problems, at least the latter, were not so frustrating as to ruin the show. Overall, it was a warm, lovely, beautiful moment in celebration of Keys, her career and hope for the future of her artistry.

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.