Janet Jackson kicked off her highly anticipated Together Again tour this weekend in Florida with an epic, 40-plus-song set list and a guest appearance from “Today” co-host Sheinelle Jones.
The revered performer opened her tour Friday at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla., where she sang a number of classic hits including “Control,” “Nasty,” “All for You,” “Scream” and “Rhythm Nation,” according to NME.
She also performed a few songs — such as “Damita Jo,” “Enjoy,” “Girlfriend/Boyfriend,” “Like You Don’t Love Me” and “Do It 2 Me” — live for the first time, NME reported. The show, which features music from her 1993 “Janet” and 1997 “Velvet Rope” albums as well as several other songs from her back catalog, consists of six acts.
Here’s the full set list, per USA Today:
1. “Damita Jo”
2. “Together Again” (DJ Premier Remix)
3. “Feedback”
4. “So Much Betta”
5. “If”
6. “No Sleeep” / “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” / “That’s the Way Love Goes” / “Enjoy”
7. “What Have You Done For Me Lately” / “Nasty”
8. “The Pleasure Principle”
9. “Because of Love”
10. “When I Think of You” / “Diamonds”
11. “The Best Things in Life Are Free”
12. “Control”
13. “When We Oooo” (intermission interlude)
14. “Together Again” (Deeper Remix)
15. “Come Back to Me” / “Let’s Wait Awhile”
16. “Lonely” / “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)” (Remix)
17. “Again”
18. “Any Time, Any Place”
19. “I Get Lonely” (TNT Remix)
20. “The Body That Loves You” (interlude) (contains elements of “Runaway,” “You Want This” and “Spending Time With You”)
21. “Doesn’t Really Matter”
22. “All for You”
23. “Come On Get Up”
24. “Free Xone” / “Throb”
25. “Girlfriend/Boyfriend” / “Like You Don’t Love Me” / “Do It 2 Me”
26. “So Excited”
27. “New Agenda” / “The Knowledge”
28. “Miss You Much”
29. “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
30. “Alright” / “Escapade”
31. “Scream”
32. “Black Cat”
33. “Rhythm Nation”
34. “Together Again” (encore)
During Jackson’s encore performance of “Together Again,”Jones joined her onstage. The “That’s the Way Love Goes” artist extended an invitation for the broadcast journalist to be one of her backup dancers for the day after Jones channeled Jackson for the 2019 Halloween episode of NBC’s “Today” show.
“I would love for you to join me,” Jackson told Jones a few months ago while promoting her tour on the morning program. “You should.”
Fast-forward to this weekend, when Jackson gave Jones a backstage tour and a rare interview reflecting on her life, career and upcoming documentary, which will include footage from the Together Again tour.
“Maybe it’s because I’m not as shy as I used to be,” Jackson said of her decision to document this phase of her journey. “I’m a little bit more open to sharing more in my life than I ever did before.”
After practicing for hours with Jackson’s backup dancers and alone in her hotel room, Jones performed a short routine to the tune of “Together Again” alongside her idol at the Hard Rock Live.
“Last night I kept trying to find the place between being out of my body and trying to stay in my body and actually get on that stage,” Jones said Monday on “Today.”
“When I was in high school, I had pictures of news anchors on one wall, and then I had pictures of Janet Jackson on another … and when I was in seventh grade, I would make up dances to Janet. And so to be on that stage last night, it was … surreal.”
Jackson’s Together Again tour encompasses more than 30 cities across the United States and Canada, including five stops in California. The veteran musician is scheduled to come to Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, Highland and Mountain View in June.
On June 10, Jackson will headline opening night of the Hollywood Bowl’s 2023 season with support from Ludacris and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s youth orchestra.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
