Black Eyed Peas show love for T.O.

August 3rd, 2010

The Black Eyed Peas have made Toronto their second home over the past 12 years and during their back-to-back shows on July 27th and 28th showed they had nothing but love for the city. With elaborate, futuristic costume changes, impressive stunts such as a flying motorcycle and sky high DJ set, the Peas pulled out all the stops in support of their The E.N.D. tour.

Each member of the quartet got their moment to shine with a series of solos. Fergie’s mash-up performance of her singles from her debut solo album, including Fergalicious, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Glamourous, got the biggest response from the packed house at the Air Canada Centre. Apl.de.ap. showed that he is still a b-boy at heart with his breakdancing and Will.i.Am. wowed the crowd with his five-minute long freestyle based on BlackBerry BBM messages sent from fans that appeared on the jumbo screen. Product placement at it’s dopest.

BEP were able to keep the energetic crowd jumping throughout the night. Will.i.Am. took the crowd through an extremely long 15 minute DJ set that sounded like a 14 year-old’s iPod, which most likely was used to give the rest of the group time to rest.

The shout-outs for Toronto were non-stop as the Peas thanked the T-Dot for always supporting their music. Will.i.Am. told the crowd that Toronto is the only city that the group has spent more than two days in since their tour started over a year ago. What I found most amazing about the evening is that even though the group is nearing the end of their tour, which has taken them across the world playing over a staggering 99 shows, their energy and enthusiasm throughout the night never faded.

It’s easy to forget how many chart-topping hits the group has had in their decade-plus career. The Peas reminded their ecstatic crowd just how many different ways they’ve gotten their fans to shake their humps over the years. Saving I Got a Feeling, the break-out song of the year, for the encore, the Peas took time at the end of their two hour set to introduce not only their band, but their dancers as well. It’s obvious that this is a group that has paid their dues over the years and realize how important it is to give their crew a moment to shine.