Between Demi Lovato’s public struggles with drugs and alcohol, and Miley Cyrus’s struggle to keep clothes on and her tongue in her mouth, it’s refreshing to see Selena Gomez survive the Disney machine with her dignity intact.
The native Texan brought her "Stars Dance" tour to Toyota Center Saturday, much to the delight of thousands of screaming tween and teen girls who have watched Gomez morph from a sarcastic wizard on the Disney Channel to a pop princess.
Gomez has also endured the scrutiny of seriously dating and then breaking up with baggy pants-wearing singer Justin Bieber. If we learned nothing else from her 90-minute show it was that they are never, ever, ever getting back together. Gomez made that clear during “Love Will Remember,” with lines like “You said you loved me, I said I loved you back, What happened to that? What happened to that?”
If we learned nothing else from her 90-minute show it was that they are never, ever, ever getting back together.
Before slipping into ballads, Gomez started off the dance party with "Bang, Bang." Dressed in a white crop top, sheer skirt and tall white lattice boots, Gomez and her dancers worked their way through choreographed moves, moving quickly into hits "Round and Round" from 2010 and "B.E.A.T" from her current Stars Dance album.
Gomez donned a sparkly purple costume for "Stars Dance," "Write Your Name" and "Birthday,"all songs from her current album. She includes either Lorde’s "Royal" or Katy Perry’s "Roar" in each show and the Houston audience was more than happy to sing along to "Roar" Saturday night. It was the first of two anthems that resonated with girls and their parents alike.
“Everyday I’m told I need to be more sexy. You know what’s being classy, sexy? Me, just being me. I wouldn’t want to be anyone else,” Gomez said before launching into "Who Says."
Gomez is clearly conscious she’s playing to an arena of fans as young as four and as impressionable as 14. Her costumes strategically show skin, but in a way that looks more fashionable than flashy. Her dance moves recall old school Britney and Janet, with just enough hip rolls to entertain.
She’s a grown-up after all, recently turning 21 with a fitting bash. Recent radio hits "Undercover" and "Slow Down" aren’t ambiguous references to flirting with a boy and going steady, rather they are full come-ons, showing Gomez is moving on musically and personally.
Sorry, Biebs.
Gomez has morphed from a sarcastic wizard on the Disney Channel to a pop princess.
