By: Jerry Zhang

Missy Elliott’s performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday, August 15 was a spectacle for many. Despite never having toured at this level in her three-decade-long music career, she delivered a spectacular show, showcasing her ability and imagination, along with her signature unconventional and sensual music.

A highly influential figure in hip-hop and pop music, Missy Elliott has built a career defined by her hyperreal imagery and her music that evokes an intergalactic, quirky, and sensual future that feels distant and out of this world.

The tour, titled “Out of This World — the Missy Elliott Experience,” was a restless, exhilarating, and visually stunning 75-minute spectacle, blending a collage of styles that ranged from intricate and dazzling to bold and imaginative.

According to The New York Times, the event at times rivaled the complexity and spectacle of recent high-profile pop performances like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and The Weeknd’s 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, while at others, it was more closely related to the creative absurdity and precision of Baz Luhrmann’s films, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

Another unconventional aspect of this performance was that it felt less like a traditional concert and more like a dynamic, carnivalesque D.J. set, seamlessly weaving together hits written or produced by Elliott. The show unfolded as one continuous experience, starting with tracks like “Sock It 2 Me,” “I’m Really Hot” and “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”, then flowing into “Get Ur Freak On,” “One Minute Man” and “Hot Boyz.” Neither of those sections was more dominating or distinctive than the other with each part flowing into the next without any choppiness.

This event marks the beginning of her weeks-long tour, with several more performances to come. Hopefully, her upcoming shows will be just as thrilling and extraordinary as this one.