Janet Jackson Tours Again to Celebrate 50 Years of the Entertainment Industry

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion crowd fell silent as the opening piano chords of “Again” drifted into the night sky. As the volume of the chords rises, Janet Jackson stands center stage, but soon sits down and overlooks the crowd as concertgoers pull out their phones, turn on their flashlights, and begin singing “Janet,” her fifth studio album Ballads in .

“Sing Houston with me!” the singer yelled as the audience rocked back and forth during the chorus.

this Janet Jackson: Together Again Saturday night landed at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as the 27th stop of the 36-city North American show, highlighting the music icon’s five-plus decades in the entertainment industry.The show also commemorates the 30th anniversary Janetthe mega-selling fifth studio album produced the hits “That’s The Way Love Goes,” “Any Time, Any Place” and “Again,” and went on to sell more than 14 million copies worldwide.

her next album, velvet rope, helped her continue to dominate the industry and produced the single for the tour. Together Again was announced by Janet via Instagram in December and will run until the end of June, and while Janet hasn’t toured in six years, the fan response was immediate and overwhelming. Her performance at Madison Square Garden is her highest-grossing stage concert of all time so far, with the multi-talented entertainer earning nearly $2 million on that day alone.

With fans clamoring for all things Janet, the singer delivers a four-act, two-hour show and gives fans as much of her extensive catalog as they can, and it doesn’t disappoint. While the first act was a mix of hits and obvious chart-toppers like “Got ’til ITs Gone” and the DJ Premier Remix of “Together Again,” the second act was more like a hit through the single “When I Think of You.” , “The Pleasure Principle,” “Control,” and “What Have You Done For Me Lately.” While Acts 1 and 2 may please Janet fans, there are two more sections filled with hits.

Janet Jackson was a singer, songwriter, actress and dancer who could accomplish the impossible. She rose to icon status while being associated with her late brother, Michael Jackson, one of the most genre-defining icons the world has seen. She did it at the height of the MTV era, with stunning video visuals, intricate stage presence and hit songs that influenced generations to come. Her talent should be obvious, considering she’s on a sold-out tour that same summer with artists like Lizzo, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

For today’s pop artist, the blueprint is Janet Jackson, whose creative DNA can be seen in artists like Britney Spears, Rihanna, Ciara, and Jennifer Lopez. Artists who once emulated the “Control” singer’s style are continuing to reach their heights, and Janet remains a perpetual mainstay in the music industry. The show highlights Janet’s 50 years in the industry through video interludes projected on giant screens suspended from the stage, recognizing her place in music’s past, present and future. Four acts, 40 songs and multiple costume changes, and she left nothing behind. For a fan like Kita McCray, the show is everything she could have wanted it to be, and more.

“My favorite part about all of this is that Janet still has it,” McRae exclaims during the break between acts three and four. “She doesn’t age. She’s timeless. She’s like a fine wine. She still sounds the same, she still has so much energy, and I’m so happy to see her back in Houston.”