Last night, the Staples Center traded in their usual Gold and Purple color scheme for black and pink Selena Gomez apparel that appeared at every corner, worn by hundreds of screaming girls with their screaming mothers not too far behind them.Gomez graced us with her presence last night, with an outstanding performance of her “Stars Dance” tour at the Staple Center.
Before the pop star hit the stage she welcomed you tube singing sensation Christina Grimmie. Grimmie has millions of hits on her popular covers of songs by Miley Cyrus, Nelly, Katy Perry, and Gotye just to name a few. Grimme’s set included her songs, "Absolutely Final Good Bye" and "Tell My Mama."
After the rising star finished her set, another talented group of fresh new faces approached the stage. These three guys that made up the band Emblem3 had the girls in the crowd screaming, as they opened with their song "Girl Next Door." The band, who made their name known through "The X Factor," released their debut album, "Nothing to Lose," in summer 2013. Emblem3 closed their set with the album’s hit song "Chloe (You’re the One I Want)."
The lights dimmed and the LCD screen towering over the performance stage taunted the audience who anxiously waited for Gomez to appear. When Gomez’s face appeared on the LCD screen the crowd went nuts. “I love you Selena,” “You are so beautiful,” and “Oh My Gosh,” phrases were over powered by screams so loud, they prevented you from hearing yourself speak.
Gomez appeared on the LCD screen in a empty black space with white doors surrounding her. With a confused look on her face trying to decide which door to pick, she moved towards a door and enters it.
Gomez hit the stage with enough energy to power the room, performing her song "Bang Bang Bang." The singer, dressed in a white, joined her dancers, to give a power packed opening number. The set changed up to a reggaeton look. Green, red, and yellow lights filled the arena while Gomez performed "Round and Round."
The show was full of surprises, that really exhibited Gomez’s grown up sexier side. Still in white, the stage lights shifted to a blue and white twilight scheme. All spot lights down on Gomez she starts to rap: “I’ve been up all night, tryna get that rich, I’ve been work work work work working on my,” raps Gomez as she performs "B.E.A.T." where she sampled Iggy Azealea’s "Work."
The sample from T.I’s Australian prodigy gave the older crowd in the audience a taste of her more adult image. We saw multiple glimpses of that side throughout the show. Including her song "Birthday," where she sampled Rihanna’s "Birthday Cake." Gomez also covered artists including Katy Perry and Priscilla Ahn.
The LCD displayed Gomez in a black space with white doors, when Gomez selected another door that took her through a Wonderland like space where there was a gift for her. When she pulled the sheer pink ribbon to open the white box, there was a microphone bedazzled in pink and silver rhinestones with “Selena” going down the handle.
The arena hit a somber moment when Gomez appeared on the stage with a long black gown performing "Love Will Remember." Everyone tuned on their cellphone’s flashlights and waved them in the air along to the music, making the arena twinkle while she performed the song about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber.
Energy was pumped back into the crowd while Gomez preformed her hit "Naturally." The full band came out on to the stage, while Gomez ran up the runway to shake hands with fans. Her dancers joined her for the performance. There was no indication that Gomez had played 40 shows previous to coming to L.A. because she was so energetic.
The last two songs in the performance were a show in itself. Gomez chose a door that led her to a thunderstorm. The arena was then transformed to a Bollywood feel as Gomez performed "Come and Get It." Everyone in the stadium regardless of gender or age sang along to the hit song.
Gomez saved "Slow Down" for the show’s final song. The current radio hit kept up the crowd's energy. The music video of the song played in the background as Gomez performed live on the stage with her dancers. Pink streamers exploded from the stage while silver and gold confetti fell from the ceiling making the whole audience sparkle.
