Will.i.am
at the Phones 4u Arena
Reviewed by Laure Parle
Will.i.am is synonymous for being a quirky over the top artist who also happens to be one of the world's most in-demand producers and collaborators so this show was always going to be a stage spectacular and the big question is did he live up to the hype… well there's only one answer YES he literally blew me and the eager crowd away.
Will.i.am headed to Manchester and the Phones 4u Arena for the opening night of his first ever solo tour, he told the crowd he hadn't toured since 2010 and that he was extremely nervous as it was his first time completely solo. For someone that was nervous you wouldn't have guessed as he delivered a faultless, funny, energetic set. I would love to see him at the end of the tour when he's not nervous as I think I would probably be speechless.
Will literally bounded onto a stage set with 2 giant heads (DJ booths) to the number one single That Power, the single itself is a collaboration between Will and Justin Beiber. Beiber's performance was projected onto large white screens so it felt like Will wasn't alone.
As the night progressed Will performed hit after hit to rapturous applause my personal favourite was 'Bang Bang' in which he did a fantastic tap dance. Midway through the show he changed tack and did one of the best DJ sets I have ever heard. The songs ranged from Lana Del Rey 'Summertime Sadness' to Nirvana ' Smells like Teen Spirit'
The final part of the show Will brought out Leah McFall who was part of team Will on The Voice, this amazingly feisty Irish singer wowed the crowd with her rendition of 'This is Love' I have to admit when the opening bars started was worried for her thinking how can someone improve on the original recording but I will happily say I had nothing to be worried about.
The final song of the night was a rendition of BEP's debut smash Where Is The Love this featured a few more alumni of the Voice, but the BEST performance of the night was still to come – Will's electric encore was to the crowd pleaser Scream +Shout everyone was dancing round singing and when the song finished everyone seemed so gutted that the party had ended and they had to go home.
Finally I just want to conclude and say that if you have a chance to get tickets, for Birmingham or London shows, then you should as you certainly won't regret it as not only is it a stage spectacular but it was a chance to actually get to the know the man himself as there was a lot of audience interaction.
Rating: 5/5 
To book tickets to see Will.i.am in Birmingham or London click here.
