By Sara Al Ibrahim, for Loft965.com

Walking into the Flash Yas Arena I expected the standard pre-concert activities. Walking around trying to find friends, stocking up on food and drinks before the concessions stand gets too crowded, and the general standing and waiting for the star of the night to make their appearance. I was very pleasantly surprised by the pre-show entertainment, which consisted of games where concertgoers could win fun prizes, and a photo booth fully stocked with wacky accessories to make for some photos you’re sure to remember years later. The opening act of the night was Abri, who I must say set the mood for what was to come. His smooth vocals warmed up the crowd and seemed to bring people together in their excitement.

We weren’t kept waiting for long, as we could soon hear music that caused a mass rush towards the stage from all sides of the venue. Dramatic drums served as an intro to “Soldier of Love” where the sexy dark silhouette of Sade appeared center-stage ready to seduce our senses. We were taken on an emotional rollercoaster with her selection of 21 songs off her 10 studio albums, spanned over her 20+ year career, ranging from the happy upbeat “Color of Love,” the slow sad lullaby that is “Jezebel,” to what are arguably two of her biggest hits “Smooth Operator” and “Sweetest Taboo.”

The stage setup was simple and elegant, which is very fitting to Sade’s vocally-charged performance style. Her live vocals are arguably the best in today’s lip-synching laced concert market. The band followed her every move, note and word. The incorporation of her band into the song transitions made the concert flow as though seconds had passed by, and that she had never left the stage for a moment. Her wardrobe changes complimented the stage setups to a T, from wearing all black suit, to a long slinky white sequin gown, which left everyone wondering how she looks this good as a woman in her 50’s! I must add that she was barefoot most of the second half of the concert which left her free to move and dance and connect with her entranced adoring audience.

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Not one to disappoint, Sade used her strong, smooth, sexy voice to keep us in a daze throughout her almost 2 hour set, which was longer than most artists, but seemed to last for only a few moments.

Sade made a conscious effort to connect with the UAE, using Arabic words such as “Shukran” and even renaming Abu Dhabi to Adu Dhabi (Adu being her surname) for the night. Those little things made her concert feel personal to everyone there, even prompting people to say “She’s so down to earth” and “I felt like I was onstage with her”.

By the end of the night not a dry eye was in the house as this was the closing night of the tour. A teary-eyed Sade introduced and thanked every member of her band with heartfelt words that made the audience feel as though they were part of her tour family. The passion and love for music and performing Sade exhibited during her performance left you feeling like it was all a dream… a beautiful dream you never want to awake from.

For more writing from Sara, please visit her blog here. 

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