Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 30- MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,

FAN POSTS ON THE FORUM

TickTockTiff-WL, DGIT full videos (and pics!!) from LV
"i recorded all of wonderful life in las vegas. i kept it mostly on the background images because i love them. gwen is so beautiful it is sickening haha".

Tiff has also taken some great photos!! below you can see just two go to the forum to see more great pictures taken by Tiff.


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nbaby-The Vegas Crowd SUCKED!
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GWEN AND MADELINE

COOL


VIDEOS THANKS TO delilah84

Despite road weariness, Gwen Stefani engages crowd

MERRIE LEININGER
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

Looking out at the crowd of mothers just a few years older than me, holding hands with their 8-year-old daughters, I was reminded of the last time I saw Gwen Stefani in concert. It was right after "Tragic Kingdom" came out and I was a junior in college.

That No Doubt show had a lot fewer sparkles, costume changes, dancers and a couple thousand fewer screaming fans, but Gwen was exactly the same. She rocked that empty Columbus arena (those who wanted to see the Goo Goo Dolls and Bush rolled in later) just like she rocked the Reno Events Center on Friday night.

It truly was family night, with an age range of 3-years-old to around 65. Gwen herself had family on her mind -- she talked about how Reno was the second-to-last show on the tour, she was tired, her toe hurt from a slip in the bathtub, and she was clearly missing her family. Then she dedicated "The Real Thing" to her husband, Gavin Rossdale.

"I never do this, but I have not seen my husband in six weeks, and I'll see him tomorrow, so this is for Gavin," she said. "That is so embarrassing."

Despite being road-weary, Gwen repeatedly told the Reno crowd how much she appreciated their loud and constant vocal praise.

"Really, this was unexpectedly very, very fun," she said before starting her encore. "You guys have been amazing. Really, one of my favorite shows and it's because of you that I had fun tonight."

Most of the crowd seemed completely star-stuck, especially when Gwen left the stage, ran to a little platform in the back to introduce her niece, and then sang "Cool" while standing on the seats in the far upper right, almost drowning in a sea of adoring fans' faces and arms reaching up to touch her.

Whether she was in the front, the back or running in between, the sound was amazing. Maybe I've been to too many heavy rock and local band shows, but I can't remember the last time I could actually understand every word a singer spoke from stage. The production quality was equally high from everything: the six-piece band, eight dancers, nine costumes and the videos, treadmills and trampolines on stage. It must have taken them more time to choreograph the show than they actually spent on the road. And the crowd appreciated it. They never even seemed to get bored when Gwen took time to share the love and introduce every single person on stage with her.

Beyond all the glitz and spectacle of the show, I have to say I was the most impressed with Gwen. Despite being clearly tired, she really was just as energetic, talkative, emotive and engaged with the crowd as she was when about 15 people were listening to her sing "Just a Girl" 12 years ago in Columbus. And that's why I am still listening to her and why mothers were there with their children Friday night.


source

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 29 Reno, NV, Reno Events Center

GLAMBLOVER-im back from the reno show!!!!!!!!! this is a long post
the reno concert was great! i was second row and pretty much in the center. gwen was gorgeous as usual! we left a little late and were rushing to get there. we hit traffic from our house all the way through sacramento and into roseville, which i pretty much expected because of friday night commute traffic. my husband was doing about 90 through the mountain to get us there on time. i was panicked ;)....
(read the rest of GLAMBLOVER'S great review of her night on the forum)

Gwen makes a guest appearance in Lady Sov's tour diary-27th Santa Barbara

Lady Sovereign

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 27-Santa Barbara Bowl-

Check out nodoubtweb for some of Julios great pics and full video of Wonderful Life

The Sweet Escape Tour in Santa Barbara June 26th

pictures thanks to celebutopia

Gwen Stefani at the Santa Barbara Bowl

Skin Deep
By Charles Donelan


As Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives” echoed through the Santa Barbara Bowl on Tuesday, dancers began to appear among the crowd. These were the Harajuku girls, Gwen Stefani’s roving entourage of breakdancing Japanese-style fetishists, and they signaled the imminent arrival of her holiness, the reigning queen of Orange County mall chic, the original hollaback girl. But tonight, the Harajukus were not the only human accessories in the house, as Stefani indicated early on that her brand-new baby boy, Kingston, was in the audience for one of his first-ever shows.

Photo by Paul Wellman
Gwen Stefani brought her squeaky-clean song stylings to an energetic and diverse crowd at the S.B. Bowl.

At 37, Stefani has become a mother herself, and the direction her life has taken toward raising a family was reflected in the mix of people in the audience, which included plenty of parents and many young children. With her platinum blonde locks and sexy rock-star attitude, one might wonder if the forthcoming material would be entirely appropriate for all these youngsters, many of whom appeared to be enjoying a special dispensation to stay up past their regular bedtime. Never fear — however risqué Gwen’s concepts, her execution remains so squeaky clean and Disney-plastic that no one could possibly be offended.

Take the opening number, “The Sweet Escape,” which saw dancers cavorting in pantomimes of cops and robbers as Stefani was wheeled onstage in a mobile prison cell. In other hands — say Madonna’s, or Christina’s, or Britney’s — the women-in-prison motif would conjure up heavy sexual innuendo, but for Stefani, it’s just another cool costume change. No matter how roughed up or eager the man in stripes may seem to get at those women in police leotards, he will still have plenty of bounce left when the time comes for him to breakdance on the prison cell’s roof.

In other words, if you were looking for a political statement, or even a theme that makes any sense, then Stefani’s Sweet Escape tour is not your exit. Leave the implications of bondage and domination to other, less carefree pop stars. If Gwen wants to go to jail, it’s because she likes how she looks in stripes.

Her singing was mostly strong, particularly on the straight-ahead ballads. The audience of course loved it all, and went wild when Stefani and two members of the band popped up in the middle of the stands, playing a couple numbers right from among the seats. The beauty here may not be more than skin deep, but few contemporary performers are as happy and radiant in the spotlight as Gwen Stefani.


source

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 26-Santa Barbara Bowl

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM


(Jordan)NoDoubtisawsome37-Santa Barbara show review!
so!..... this morning i got really mad cuz we left late from our house to go to the santa barbara bowl but when we got there we didnt go to the venue cuz they said they didnt want to go that eaily and we would get there at 5:00! so i just had to deal with it =/ but any way! and went out to lunch then walked around the mall and i really wanted to go to nords to smell "L" so we went there and MY DAD BAOUGHT IT FOR ME!!!!!! i was soooooo happy! but after a little walking around we went to the venue and there was a really really short line where i saw a forumer *the one who keeps getting to go on stage with gwen and he has beaces* but any wasy.....we waited for about an hour and finally got in *we snuck our sign in....my dad lied to the guard =D* so we hurried up a huge hill the the merch stand and i gotthe wounderful life tour doll, stickers, a white tour shirt, 4 pins, and! my dad got my a watch!


well we waited for about an hour an a half for lady sov and her set was really really good THEN! gwen came on! it was AMAIZING! but the girls next to us were smoking pot and my head started to hurt really really bad and i was about to throw up! my dad said i was stoned haha but for the rest of the show i had my shirt over my mouth and nose =/ but during TSE i held up my sign really quick when she was right in front of me and she pointed at me and smiled really big =D then a little later in the show she said "so i wanna know who my biggest fan is!" so she pulled this girl on stage and said "WHY DO YOU HAVE MY FACE LIKE 9 TIMES ON YOUR LEG?!?!?!" but after that she signed the girls foot for her to get a tatoo of it then a few minutes later the kid from the forum held up the picture he got with her at the irvine show and she said "do i have time to sign stuff right now?" so she took it and signed it for him.........then...continue on the forum
Here are just two of the great pictures taken by Jordan go to the forum to see rest

(Jordan)NoDoubtisawsome37-santa barbara pictures!

(Jordan)NoDoubtisawsome37- I GOT A VIDEO OF GWEN SIGNING MY SHIRT!
AND DEDICATEING THE SONG TO ME! OH MY GOD!!!!!! =D

its when she walks to the other side of the stage and says "whats that?" then the rest of the time she talking to ME! and says "this songs for you, you! right there!" and points to me! =DDD im so happy i got the video!...continue




videos thanks toNANCYV602
WYWF


HollaBack Girl




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memo90061-santa barbara show was GOOD!! (pics now!!)
ahhhhhhhhhhhh it was my first time seeing gwen on this tour!!! soooo good! i think i got some good pics but im not sure!!! lol........
memo has also taken some amazing pics- again posted are just two-check out the others on theFORUM)

Gwen Stefani leaving Los Angeles to perform in Santa Barbara carrying her son Kingston

source

TOM AND TONY POST ON THE FORUM

Tom Dumont - Hey everyone


Joined on 09-01-2005
12345
Posts 7


I just wanted to say hello to everyone here and let you all know that our little surprise this weekend was very, very fun.
You folks rule.
Later skaters
Tom

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Tony Kanal - Surprise!




Joined on 09-01-2005
12345
Posts 4


That was incredible. As always, thanks for your support and love. We had an amazing time on stage together again. For those of you that weren't there, we'll try to get some cool footage (including backstage stuff) up here soon. See you soon. Tony

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Tom's wife Mieke and Friend of the band Eric Keyes were also on the forum earlier and posted in this thread.
McNasty-Hi Mieke hows the baby?

No Doubt steals the show

Review: Gwen Stefani's second solo outing improves upon her first - but in Irvine it was eclipsed by her band's surprise return.
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register
Gwen Stefani gave an unexpectedly solid, consistently entertaining performance Friday night in her first of two shows at Irvine's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater this past weekend. Presenting a better-packaged bonanza than the outline of one she offered on her previous solo tour – and infusing it with stronger singing than her mega-popular dance albums suggest she's capable of – a spirited Stefani was at the top of her game, clearly fired up by the roaring home county response yet never letting such enthusiasm send her over the top.

What, you expected me to hate on her just because I had to buy a terrace seat?

Disgruntled as I (and others) may be about the shallowness of her recent success, I never said she couldn't be any fun. And in Irvine, flouncing about the stage in a half-dozen self-styled outfits (some glitzy-sexy, others utterly ridiculous) while flanked by her ever-present Harajuku Girls, she was at her most appealing.

Her voice has undeniably limited range, but her tone this night was warmer, fuller, less shrill. Her oh-my-gosh reaction to the outpouring of support – "What do you think it feels like to be me, walking out in Orange County seeing this right now? I don't have words" – may have been familiar, but it was a lot more sincere than her "shock" at headlining the Hollywood Bowl in 2005.

And now that she has two discs of material to draw from – the irresistible "Love.Angel.Music.Baby" and its much lesser sequel "The Sweet Escape" – she's able to stage a swift, glossy pop parade, one that never relies too heavily on video artifice or gimmicks, like the trampolines and treadmills her dancers only occasionally utilized.

Now her set comprises only her best bits (the Prince-ly slow jam "Luxurious," the '80s throwback "4 in the Morning"), her guiltiest pleasures ("Hollaback Girl," "Cool") and gratefully little that was completely inane, like the skeletal marching thump and incongruous yodeling of "Wind It Up." And all those hits continue to be deftly reproduced by a robust band, including No Doubt regulars Gabriel McNair and Stephen Bradley, along with Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and Bowie's supreme bassist-vocalist Gail Ann Dorsey.

True, she's hardly a wonder. But to appreciate her talent, place her show into context – here that would mean just after meagerly satisfying, highly repetitive turns from semi-charming Senegalese bad boy Akon and British upstart Lady Sovereign. The former has a silken voice and more than a few maddeningly catchy tunes – but his self-aggrandizement and sex obsession grows tiresome quickly. Lady Sov is cheeky and skilled enough to recolor the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" with a Pink-ish hue. But sharp as her album "Public Announcement" is, she's still a novelty.

Compared to those performances – and anything else any act on KIIS-FM's current playlist might spit up – Stefani's bash is a near-knockout. Gaudily materialistic though it can be, it nonetheless proves again and again why 37-year-old Mrs. Rossdale has become one of the most popular mainstream stars of this decade. She's hardly as visionary or daring or empowering as Madonna – but among her peers and progeny she's as close as we've got to the real thing.

None of which is surely what's still being excitedly discussed right now. Not considering Stefani's big surprise: For her encore Friday, and presumably again Saturday, No Doubt surfaced for three songs – "Just a Girl," the group's cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" and a rousing "Spiderwebs." After which the quartet embraced and bowed, Stefani briefly leaping onto (as always) nearly naked drummer Adrian Young like a koala bear and almost accidentally yanking his shorts off.

To say the crowd's reaction was insane is an understatement; the unannounced riff of "Girl" alone was probably enough to give most people goose bumps. Under the shrieking circumstances, ND could have sloppily sauntered through its selections and no one would have cared.

Yet the precision and vigor with which the band blasted through its hits suggested not only that it instinctively knows them backward and forward, it also illustrated that the intervening years while Stefani has been doing her own thing haven't weakened any chemistry. If anything, this heartening show of faith for longtime fans suggests the group is eager to re-energize and re-launch – though word is we shouldn't expect to hear anything new until late 2008 at the earliest.

Regardless, from the elated looks on their four beaming faces, it would seem they are chomping at the bit to get back to being No Doubt. Here's hoping for a speedy and progressive return. They've been missed.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2248 or bwener@ocregister.com

Gwen Stefan The Sweet Escape Tour June 23 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

comiczone-NO DOUBT IS PLAYING HELLA GOOD! AND SUNDAY MORNING! AND SPIDERWEBS!!


nd_princess-Irvine 6-23 concert
ND rocked!!!! How cute was Gwen too, between the songs?? I hope someone recorded that because she was completely being cute.

She talked about how she really wanted to work at dland and get a job but her parents didn't want her to because she'd be getting home late and having to work on holidays. I believe Gwen mentioned how she wanted to be Alice or (I don't remember the other character) or she could have worked at knotts and been a saloon girl ... all in all I think Gwen was in her element being in orange county

I was sooo happy, well way more than happy, elated that ND performed!! I think I did die, I can't even describe my reaction because words can't really describe it, but it was cool to see basically the whole venue turn into a ND crowd (for the most part) it brought back many memories listening to the songs and being able to follow along (in just a way that can be followed during a concert) I got goose bumps during the second song because it seemed so surreal! it still does now I can't believe I actually saw ND!.............continue

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lunagirl71-Again

No Doubt played together again last night...it was freakin awesome!!!!

Had the best time and then during cool gwen runs into the audience!!!!

so she is like on one side we see her running towards our side and we are like nooo way so my daughter runs down and is literally one person away from gwen and my sister as well. I was trying to act like a mom of a teenager and stay composed but I couldnt so I had to run down there too! LOL. I got close enough to say that she is f ing more gorgeous in person than I could have even thought she could be!

That made our whole evening I mean we may have not been in the pit but we felt just as good !!!!!



PS Thanks Peter in wonderland :) for taking a picture with my daughter after the show! You looked hot!
FORUM

TickTockTiff -I met Stephen, Warren and Legacy =)that was on the 22nd Tiff also went on the 23rd and managed to get some more pics

Tiff with Gail

Tiff with Sho Tyme

Tiff met up with Peter(Alice in Wonderland on the forum)and Emily

TickTockTiff-NO DOUBT VIDEOS FROM LAST NIGHT JAG, IML AND SPIDERWEBS!



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Alyssa Jones posted some great ND pics on the forum here are just two

Gabe and Stephen

Gwen smiling at happy Adrian....HE'S BACK:)!!!!
please do not copy them from here go to the forum to check out the rest and ask Alyssa
Alyssa Jones-ND Forumer Watchfest 2007

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(Bo)NoDoubtfanatic28 -IRVINE pics.i know another irvine post

more on the forum and Bo's myspacewww.myspace.com/hellagoodnewsletter

NoDoubtfanatic28-I met ND and Gwen's solo band(pics now!!)
well it was at the irvine show second nite so i knew no doubt would prob be there again..we got there early and saw him arrive..we kinda waved..and held our cameras out..erin rolls down the window nad tells us to go over there, tony was driving as you can see and told us to come around to the other side to take a pic. he was really nice..kinda rushed he was running late for soundcheck it was very nice for nina, erin, and mieke to roll down the window and letus say hello. thank you guys, it meant the world to us.......(below is a pic of Bo and Tony check out Bo's other pics on the forum)


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Sunday Morning(Gwen giving Tony the headlock)



Vid thanks to LittleMexiGwen

check out (Dana's)Eric Stefani Swoon's great pictures on the forum..here is just one.Gwen giving Tony the headlock!

(Dana)Eric Stefani Swoon-When it comes to making music...

(Dana)Eric Stefani Swoon-more Gwen pictures: June 22 and 23
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(Sara)sundaypist -Sundaypist, back from California
It's almost 3am here in FL. I just got home from CA. Crazy crazy weekend. Not much happend, saw Gwen and ND, eh, it's was cool

Anyhoo, I have some amazing stories and pictures and videos from the ND Anaheim Landmark tour and the Chola BBQ and the Gwen/ND show. I met just about EVERYBODY except Gwen :-( But the best people I met were the fans and the forumers from here! You people are the best! It was so cool meeting sooooooo many people!!!

But, like I said it's 3am and I have to get up in 3 1/2 hours to go to work. After I tag the photos I'll put them up. I think the rest of the Chola clan are pretty much hungover and beat to death, so don't expect much from them yet either.

Ok.... *passes out*..........Forum for more and pic


(Sara)sundaypist -PICS of ME meeting famous people
Here are just two of Sara with "famous people" check out the forum for the rest




(Sara)sundaypist -I especially like being lied to
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Thank you to Sara (sundaypist)for letting me post a couple of pics here.
go to the forum to read about the amazing time she and the others had! there are many more great pics as well.
(Sara) sundaypist -Lean Like a Chola y Cholo BBQ at irvine PICS!

The Chola clan!
(i love the Chola clan:) thank you so much for sharing your exciting times with us on the forum :)x )
(Sara) sundaypist -ND LANDMARK/ TOUR De ANAHEIM PICTURES (Pt I.)

(Sara) sundaypist -PART 2 OF TOUR De ANAHEIM (it's getting goooooood here)

(Sara) sundaypist -Part 3 Of TOUR De ANAHEIM/ ND LANDMARKS! (EDITED!)

sundaypist -PICS of ND stuff at Slidebar in Fullerton!

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(Michelle)Sublime0429-Finally uploaded my Irvine 6/23 pictures!!!
below are just two of Michelle's great pics!!
follow the link to the forum for more-there are also some nice video clips,one is of Gwen doing push ups


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Great flickr pictures

Below is a great picture taken by mieng

Curtis holds Gwen as she sings Cool

"That was a BADASS concert! She came right up to our section (Loge 8 row DD Baby!) and was standing less than 5 ft away from us. Needless to say we lost our minds..

And then No Doubt came out to do the encore!!!"
...........
thanks for the picture mieng :)x

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below are just three of the amazing pics taken by Erwin Villanueva - go to his flickr page free2beesmees to see the rest from this great photographer

Erwin's video to go with the pics

video thanks to (Erwin) photoblogger

No Doubt turns up during Gwen Stefani's encore in Irvine

We already knew they were all in town and hanging out; Adrian Young had already told Rolling Stone the entire band was going to see the Police at Staples Center Wednesday night. By early evening Friday, after savvy insiders who apparently overheard some familiar tunes during Gwen Stefani's soundcheck had posted hopeful news on a key message board or two, the rumor of a surprise No Doubt reunion was out.

And a little before 11:30 p.m., as Gwen began her encore to the screaming delight of a capacity crowd, it had become a reality: No Doubt had returned to the stage.

The group - including smiling, clearly thrilled Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young - performed just three songs ("Just a Girl," "It's My Life" and "Spiderwebs") to conclude Stefani's first of two shows at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater this weekend. But it was enough to suggest the intervening years while Gwen has risen to international solo-superstar status have not had any crippling effects on her home base. The band played as confidently as ever, with Gwen, back in fighting form and donning a blinged-up version of old-school No Doubt garb, leaping about the stage and resurrecting her tough-girl strut.

It was a great treat - one that people who split around 11ish, thinking Stefani was wrapping up, sadly missed. What's more, the insane reaction to No Doubt's sudden appearance suggests the band will be eagerly embraced whenever it properly returns, whether that's late 2008 (as some have speculated) or beyond.

The only downside to this ND spotlight? It was such a special moment, it somewhat overshadowed what was otherwise an unexpectedly solid and entertaining Stefani show. But I'll have more to say about that in my full review, which should be online by Sunday afternoon.

... Ben

source

Gwen Stefan The Sweet Escape Tour June 22- Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

NO DOUBT REUNION

CHECK OUT SOME GREAT PICTURES ON NODOUBTWEB!! KEEP CHECKING THAT SITE FOR VIDEOS ALONG WITH THE LATEST NEWS!
nodoubtweb
(thank you Carly,Julio and Mari)


GO TO NODOUBTWEB TO WATCH MORE VIDEOS

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FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM
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I*skank*toNoDoubt-NO DOUBT IS DOING A SOUNDCHECK RIGHT NOW IN IRVINE!!!

cornfieldsofpopcorn1- OH MY GOSH! ND PLAYED 3 SONGS!
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(Mari)NoDoubtfulLamb-Re: OH MY GOSH! ND PLAYED 3 SONGS!
got the whole ND performance on video I'm uploading it now and it will be on nodoubtweb, it's 3am just got home. It was Freakin' AMAZING!!!!

Tony, Tom, Adrian & Gwen all on stage again, BEST NIGHT BY FAR :D

When we got to the venue at 3pm we heard the sound check so we pretty much knew by then that ND was making a Surprise apperance. During the sound check they did Sunday Morning, It's My Life, Spiderwebs, New and Hella Good... I have footage of that aswell.

Hey Forumers nice meeting you guys :)

Here is a nice picture of Mari=(NoDoubtfulLamb) and Stephen
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PinkeeKeen-tonight. was amazing.:D(small review)
Ok so I won't be too lazy. There were rumors flying about from the beginning of the show that No Doubt might be playing the encore because Julio and Mari had heard a soundcheck(I actually didn't know they had heard the soundcheck until now, I just knew SOMEONE had heard it...lol nerd) Another tipoff was a change in the setlist. The encore said TBA which had everyone buzzing as well....as for myself, I kind of waited for the encore just to see if it would happen, I really wanted it to. So in the end after playing her changed up setlist, I waited patiently and searched around to see if any changes were being made to the band. The first thing I saw that made me iinstantly know NxD were playing was Adrian's naked as.s(well not his as.s, but ya know...) I hopped over my seat, called my boyfriend in a panic and told him to wait and listen because I just saw Adrian. Suddenly the opening chords of Just a Girl started and everyone went nuts. I screamed my *** off. Completely ecstatic.
....................continue

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LambBoi84-To the Fan who got on stage at the Irvine show on the 22nd

(Mark)NxDCrashNxd-I got on stage tonight in irvine!

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TickTockTiff -I met Stephen, Warren and Legacy =)
here are the three pics Tiff mentions..go to the forum for more



(thanks for the pics Tiff) you look amazing!!

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Four nice pics thanks to NoDoubterChris




Here is a great picture of Chris with Gwen's parents Dennis and Patti

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gwenabee831-Our Experience w/the Charity Auction On 6/22 (Not So Good)

Ok so myself, Danika (NoDoubtDaniNxD), Mike (cornfieldsofpopcorn1), and perla (sexkittengwen) all won the 6/22 Irvine charity auction. we spent a lot of money but we were really excited. well, unlike the cholas or the mountain view auction winners who got a lot of alone time with gwen (plus multiple autographs and the option to take a PERSONAL, not group photo with her, as was promised on the ebay auction), we got none of that. we got about a minute of talking to gwen and then were just stuck in the regular meet 'n greet with 30 other people who won from the radio or who knew people (basically who got it for FREE). we didnt get individual pictures, were only allowed one autograph, and didnt even get to say anytihng to gwen because it went by so quick (plus the autographs on 3 of the 4 the signed CD's they gave us were smudged). plus i already had 3rd row center seats from the tour club so being first row wasnt that big of a difference to me (even though the show was amazing). anyway, i wrote about what happened in more detail on my livejournal if you guys wanna read (there are lots of pics too from the meet 'n greet and from the first row of the concert which y'all will probably like): http://iluvshania831.livejournal.com/138485.html

NoDoubtDaniNxD -read mine too!
http://nxdjustagirlnxd.livejournal.com/249603.html
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comiczone- NEW! IRVINE! Gwen Pics... HIGH-DEFINITION!

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here are two nice pictures taken by Eric M of Curtis holding Gwen up while she sings cool


Thanks Eric :)x

IvegotNoDoubt -videos from last night (6/22)

ND1

ND2

ND3

Adrian Young with Street Drum Corps in Los Angeles

Adrian Young and Frank Zummo of Street Drum Corps at Lethal Dose Recordings in Los Angeles working together on the latter band's 2nd CD "We Are Machines"

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Gwen Stefani It is hard to believe it has been more than a decade since Gwen Stefani first entered public consciousness. But from practically the moment she entered, she was a household name. Exuding charisma, energy and a presence unmatched by almost any frontwoman since Debbie Harry, Stefani led her backing band — otherwise known as No Doubt — to a few million album sales before departing on a solo career that has seen her become an even bigger star, a fashion trendsetter and barrier-crossing celebrity on par with Madonna, except that there’s more to her than hype. Her sound — an eclectic mix of 80s new wave, modern hip-hop, dance, pop, rock, reggae and the kitchen sink — is as unclassifiable as her dressing style. She stops in at the Santa Barbara Bowl for a consecutive two night stay beginning June 26.

source

First photos and video clip of No Doubt reuniting

First photos of No Doubt reuniting as they record and write songs for their 6th CD! The group got together at a home in Los Angeles for the top secret jam session, in between Gwen's gigs on her solo tour, June 21st. This CD is reportedly due to come out at the end of 2008, and No Doubt hasn't recorded together since their 2001 effort called Rock Steady.
source and more pics at justnodoubt

source and more pics and video at celebritybabylon
video HERE

Thanks to Stephen you can download the video at Everything In Time



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NEWS ON NO DOUBTS OFFICIAL SITE FROM TONY- Posted: 8/18/2007
Here we go...some cool behind-the-scenes footage of our surprise performance at Gwen’s show in Irvine, California back in June. Our good friend Todd Stefani put these three episodes together. Here's number one...episodes two and three to follow soon.
Tony

Watch Episode #1

TMZ catch Tony Kanal and Erin Lokitz at Police Show

TMZ's cameras caught several celebrities filing into the Staples Center on Wednesday to catch the Police show. Among them was No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal, who confirms a question about the band getting back together. Watch the video

FRIDAY, JUNE 22-Gwen Stefani at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

The most overtly charming front person of her generation, Anaheim’s Gwen Stefani channels of-the-moment pop culture like prime-time Madonna while wisely entrusting her fragile vocals to robust co-writers and producers (including the Neptunes and her No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal on last year’s The Sweet Escape). Stefani’s live shows are as consistent as her ringtone-pop solo albums are patchy: Her oddly sweat-free energy and parade of moves and fashion statements are amplified by cartoonish Harajuku girls and hip-again breakdancers into something clearly choreographed yet oddly absorbing. Stefani’s mass appeal lies in her being at once otherworldly (even the pore-close big screens reveal nothing but a living doll) and almost nerdy (fantasizing about “selling makeup at the mall” and “making out to Purple Rain”). Shame she seems to be in a song-share scheme with the similarly ubiquitous Fergie.
source

Gwen Stefani is a fashion success, but not all celebrities can report similar results.

Celebrity Fashion Reaches Critical Mass

By Elisabeth Eaves and Lacey Rose Forbes.com

Madonna has topped the singles charts 12 times since 1982.
But can she sell capri pants?

This month the Material Girl joined a growing roster of celebrities peddling their own fashion lines. Her new collection, featured at cheap-chic Swedish retailer H&M, includes the works--from dresses and pants to belts and handbags.

But for all of Madonna's fame on stage, success in fashion is hardly guaranteed. Her first attempt--modestly priced track suits and other sporty wear, also sold at H&M--met with lukewarm reaction.

In Pictures: Celebrity Fashion Lines

Indeed, with all the competition from other celebrity entrepreneurs, the days of relying solely on star power are all but gone.

“We got away with that three years ago, when the celebrity craze just started,” says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group. “The pendulum is starting to swing backward.”

Some stars got into the fashion game early and reaped the rewards. Jaclyn Smith, of Charlie's Angels fame, teamed with Kmart two decades ago and her clothes are still flying off the shelves.

But times have changed. While rocker Gwen Stefani's two clothing lines-- Harajuku Lovers and L.A.M.B.--have been hits, Nicky Hilton's Chick line languished at Macy's and the trend-setting Los Angeles boutique Kitson.

David Wolfe, creative director for fashion consultancy the Doneger Group, says his retail clients were rushing to check out new celebrity clothing lines as recently as a year ago. Now, he says: "The consumer is getting jaded and very wary that the star has nothing to do with the merchandise."

In other words, the goods have to actually be good. "It doesn't matter who it is--if the product isn't what the customer wants to wear, it will sit on the shelves," says Jaclyne Brander, owner of Santa Monica’s Fred Segal Fun, which carries a slew of celebrity brands, including Justin Timberlake's William Rast line and Elle Macpherson's Intimates lingerie.

What brands do succeed? "The ones that are modeled on the celebrity’s own unique style," says Danielle De Marne, fashion director of Scoop, a growing upscale clothing chain. One example is Sweetface, the second and more glamorous of two clothing lines launched by Jennifer Lopez. Her first, called JLo (no longer her celebrity moniker), didn't fare as well.

No matter how compelling the product, celebrities also have to stump relentlessly to survive in such a crowded marketplace. The best endorsement they can give: actually wearing their own lines. "If you're going to [put out] an album, you have to do a dog and pony show to sell it," says Fraser Ross, owner of Kitson. "You have to do the same with the clothing brand."

Kitson gives former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham kudos for coming to the store and promoting her line of jeans for Rock & Republic. And he's optimistic about her upcoming line, dVb, which he says he already spent $100,000 to stock.

Flagging sales aren't the only risks of celebrity entrepreneurship. There's also the bad press. Take Jessica Simpson, who is currently involved in a legal battle with Tarrant Apparel Group (nasdaq: TAGS - news - people ), manufacturer of her JS and Princy brands. Like most matters in the pop star’s life, this one too plays out in the papers.

If you're already a celebrity, why take the risk? Simple: The cash is too nice to pass up. "If the $20 million dollar movie offers aren't coming in, [celebrity] management teams look for other ways to make money," says Ross. And turning heads in fashion is just another way to turn up the star power, says Catherine Sadler, president of the Catherine Sadler Group, a marketing consultancy.

Take Madonna, says Sadler: "She is a consummate marketer who realizes the value of keeping herself current through fashion as well as music."

Ah, but will she don those capris?

Gwen Stefani: pop star

Her lines: Harajuku Lovers, L.A.M.B.
Where to buy: Kitson in Los Angeles, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales
With two lines, Stefani is the gold standard of celebrity branding. The stylish singer is frequently seen wearing both her lines, though L.A.M.B.--combining rockabilly, punk and rasta influences--is the higher-end brand. Harajuku Lovers' Asian inspired tops and bags retail for less than $100, while a pair of L.A.M.B. high-heeled, lace-up ankle boots go for $375.

Gwen's on the L.A.M.B. Again

Stefani confirms Bryant Park for September

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

(NEW YORK) After taking a three-season sabbatical from the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Gwen Stefani is poised to come back with a vengeance. Her L.A.M.B. line has confirmed that it will stage a full-scale runway show at Bryant Park on the first day of New York’s Fashion Week, September 5, at 8:00 p.m. in the largest venue available, The Tent, sliding right into the fashion calendar ahead of Tommy Hilfiger’s show. Stefani will be in good company, with the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Michael Kors all showing their collections in the same locale later that week. This will be Stefani’s second runway show, her ninth L.A.M.B. collection, and despite all the success (with a fragrance from Coty to boot), she’s not content to rest on her laurels. Once she’s taken her runway bow, the Grammy Award winner is jetting to Hamburg, Germany for her “Sweet Escape” European tour, performing at the Color Line Arena.

source

REVIEW:Shoreline goes ga-ga over Gwen

By Marian Liu
Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 at 3:51
am in Celebrities, Music, Marian Liu, General, live music.

For a good time, go to Gwen Stefani.

Her concert was a playful performance for a packed audience. Many of her fans, out Tuesday night at Shoreline Amphitheatre, were mothers and daughters out for a bonding experience. The 37-year-old appealed to both generations. She is also a mother and tours with her 1-year-old son Kingston. Plus, Stefani has this dorky charm - a goofy, gawky, tomboy appeal that secures her stage presence without the diva demands. People are drawn to her - girls want to be her and guys want to hang out with her.

And she had fun at her own concert – a simple feat a lot of artists fail at. A lot of times these big arena shows feel routine, a robotic tribute to cash out on the album. But, Stefani was out there - grabbing a fan’s purse to sign, running through the crowd singing and gabbing with the fans about how she spent her day.

“When is it going to hit me that this is real?” she asked the audience about her popularity.

(Click below for more on her concert, the Harajuku Girls and Akon…)

For close to two hours, Stefani pulled from her two albums: “Love.Angel.Music.Baby.” and “The Sweet Escape.” The set list alone displayed her pop prowess: “Rich Girl,” “Hollaback Girl,” “Cool” and “Wind It Up,” then encoring with “What You Waiting For.” I only wish she sang her oldie but goodies from “Tragic Kingdom” from the No Doubt days, like “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs” or “Don’t Speak.”

Stefani also whizzed through several outfits – all cut with a sense of humor like a wife beater worn with a kimono hacked down to only its midsection or the tiny chef hat that sat askew on her head.

She has a love for the wacky – adapting musical staples “If I Were A Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof to “Rich Girl” and “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music to “Wind It Up.” I got used to these conversions, however sacrilegious they might be, but I still cringe at the Harajuku Girls. During Stefani’s song “Luxurious,” these four were in kimono robes mirroring geisha girls, dancing with fans and umbrellas, around the male dancers in suits. Is this a homage or an appropriation?

Another possibly politically incorrect point was opener Akon, but he behaved. He has been in the news lately for humping one fan and throwing another. The most hurtful thing didn’t come from him, but a fan at the food lines, saying she would rather wait out his set than be thrown.

Akon does parallel Stefani’s knack for hits though, singing his chart toppers like “Soul Survivor,” “Spank That” and “Lonely.” His personality, however, was not as likeable as Stefani’s. His songs might bang in the clubs but he is neither the R&B loverboy nor the gangsta rapper – neither soft nor hard enough, just somewhere in the middle. And Akon’s best line was asking the audience over and over where they are from.

Both Akon and Stefani have songs that creep themselves into your consciousness with their nonsensical sayings. Their hits don’t exactly inspire you to compose, and can be initially annoying, but by the third time on the radio, you’ll catch yourself screaming “B-A-N-A-N-A-S” or “SMACK THAT” on your commute.

It’s simply fun.

source

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 19 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre

promotional vid

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM
sabrina182 -THe Official Mountain View, CA. Shoreline amphitheatre June 19th 2007 Thread!

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NoDoubterChris
-THe Official Mountain View, CA.Shoreline amphitheatre June 19th 2007 Thread!

THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING!!! It was definitely better than the Sacramento show. The crowd and stage energy was off the wall!!! I didn't take that many pics cuz it wasn't worth it since i was kind of far.Chris has some great pics!here are just three check the others out on the forum

Flea and Chris

Chris and Stephen

Chris and Lady Sovereign
(thanks for the pics Chris)
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NoDoubtDaniNxD -Mtn View Post-Show Party Thread
That was awesome!!! Baby (I think) grabbed my poster and was holding it up on stage during the end of OCG...and all the Harajuku Girls looked at it and were hella laughing...I'll post the picture in a minute
And when everyone was walking off stage, Gwen looked at me and said "You're cute!" coz of my poster
Ok, let me get my pictures online(continue)



Exotique -I just got back from the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California show!
I went with my fiance and it was *amazing!* Gwen loves the San Francisco Bay Area; she called San Francisco her 2nd home! She mentioned she had taken Kingston to South Park to play (South Park is a small neighborhood, South of Market Street, in S.F. It centers on the small, oval-shaped park of the same name, and South Park Street, which encircles the park) and how he loved it and she always loves coming here. She talked about how she always visits San Francisco and how it's one of her favorite places and how she had swallowed a lot of bugs in Sacramento. Haha. During the show, she signed one chick's L.A.M.B. purse and started looking through it. When she noticed the concert t-shirt in her purse, she said, "I should probably sign this, too!" Then, she found her phone and said, "Oh, look! I should call someone!" She started pressing buttons, and said the phone was too complicated, but her purse "rocked." She also walked through the crowd, during the show, and brought a kid up on stage. She dedicated "Early Winter" to all of her hard core fans who couldn't get seats up front, which I was ecstatic about, 'cause I was on the freaking lawn! I was on my fiance's shoulders the entire show!more on the forun and set list


youresoblue- my shoreline pictures

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sabrina182 - Warning: More Shoreline Pictures...
here are just a couple of Sabrina's amazing pictures(thanks Sabrina:)x..check out more on the forum


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McNasty -Mountain View show kick a$$


purse girl
ariel704 -gwen signing my purse




2stilettoheels

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(Lia)
nodoubtrox2-Ok! my mountain view post.AMAZING!!*pics*
OMGOSH!
That was amazing!!!!!
GWEN MADE EYE CONTACT WITH ME LIKE 5 TIMES!
SHIT.
I was at the left end, if row B.
I can't believe how close I was!!!!
SHIT.
she RAN next to me. and I smelled her perfume, and felt her breeze rofl
so did harajuku girls!
and the cool akon DJ
Gwen was so energetic, and so beautiful! I didn't think she'd be as pretty in real life-but she is!!
I saw you Mclame! and I saw you sabrina, and the chick who dressed like gwen and I think I saw nodoubter chris for a split second.
I was too shy to say Hi, but I was waiting in line, and I was like 4 people behind you jerry!
I took pictures, not too many turned out good.
Akon was good! except he sounds like a midget. his DJ was awsome.
and lady sov looked like a midget haha. she was rude and lame. haha. she kept knocking things down but it didn't work out.
Highlights:
whenever gwen made eye contact with me! jiodhfsiahfsda
when she was introducing the peeps onstage, and I got a sense of her personalitity-like in real life!
and when she sang danger zone and what you waiting for was the best!
and pretty much the beggining of Gwen's concert cause I was almost in tears by the excitement.
it was funny when she looked through the chicks purse

the bad thing is I made a sign, but the stupid dumbutt took it away-the like manager of the concert
and then the security guard was really nice, and said that if she brings people up on stage, me and my friend could go up. but sadly she didn't...and I was sooo close even gwen could have probably seen a peice of printer paper.

BY FAR the best concert I have ever been to in my whole entire life. and I had too much fun the have intense concert withdrawl, because everytime I think about it, I get happy. the audiance was great too! so much better then the concert in oakland in 2005..........
Here are just two of the great pics Lia took to see the rest check out the forum

Gwen Stefani Loves Sacramento

-MORE GREAT PICS by Tyler Mussetter-HERE

Gwen Stefani by Sacvibe.com: June 18, 2007
An anomoly best describes Gwen Stefani's career. Bad boys, good girls, bad girls and good boys like her. Just check out who she's recorded with: Dr. Dre, Akon, Eve, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Key, Moby, Parrell and Sublime. We're not even talking about who she's toured with like the Black Eyed Peas who weren't as hot as they got after they finished their 2005 tour with Stefani.

With arena and amphitheaters cancelling recent concerts due to poor ticket sales (Guns 'n' Roses, Kelly Clarkson, Kaiser Chiefs...) Gwen Stefani proved that she can single-handedly pack 'em in and turn 'em out. Her fan base, mostly young girls, are probably too young to remember her punk/ska roots from No Doubt days. But no matter, she filled the Sleeptrain Amphitheater in Marysville to about 95% capacity.

Stefani has single handedly redeemed pop music from the clutches of teenie-bopper bubble gum junk. Armed with smart and stylish lyrics, blending super contagious melodies with original hooks, she's proved, once again, that she knows exactly what she's doing.

Going above and beyond the call of duty with one of the most elaborate stage shows we've seen, team Stefani pulled out two jumbo-trons and a gigantic high-def style plasma between the two. She flipped thorugh nearly a dozen exquisite costumes helping tie her music video vibe into the live show itself.

In an industry riddled with bad attitudes and mishaps, Stefani, the consumate professional, avoids bad publicity, even when it came knocking on her front door last April.

Akon's debauchery in Trinidad last April caused her tour's main sponsor, Verizon, to drop out. She stood by her selection and Akon returned the favor with a track released 6 days ago on Myspace titled, "Sorry Blame Me." The song may have set a record racking up more than 500,000 plays in a week.

On her third set, Gwen brought Akon on stage for her title track, The Sweet Escape. Fans let them both know that all is forgiven, and Gwen let them know that she loved them and Sacramento as she has been doing throughout this tour with her run out into the audience to sing "Cool," near the end of her show.

The last time the queen diva performed in Marsyville, she was on tour with the now defunct Blink 182 sharing the limelight by going first. And even though Akon is on her tour now, make no doubt about it, last night was all about the queen of pop

Music Review: Gwen Stefani commands the stage at Sleep Train Amphitheatre

By SPENCER K. ROUSE - The Buzz

MARYSVILLE -- It's a wonderful thing to have a Shoreline Amphitheater junior in the North Valley. It allows us to see incredible shows without the 3-hour drive. This was particularly the case Monday night when the nuevo couture and L.A. street style that is the Gwen Stefani Sweet Escape tour came to Sleep Train Amphitheatre.
Just before show time, one of Stefani's famed Harujuku Girls scampered along the runway that separates the lawn area from the seats, followed by a bright spotlight, indicating an inclusiveness that ran through the concert.

This show included several outfit and set changes. There were also large video projections, tastefully done without being overbearing.

Stefani's performance began with an upper stage, which suspended her band, splitting in two and separating, revealing a mock jail with Stefani inside. Emerging in a striped outfit, Stefani and her kicking band broke into "The Sweet Escape," with rapper and tour-mate Akon joining in among a stage full of dancers.

The opening number brought the crowd quick to its feet as girls of all ages, dressed like their idol, began to sing out the lyrics. Even though the evening was muggy, Stefani and the crowd would not be deterred.

Stefani could do no wrong as she alternated between big productions numbers and '80's new-wave-inspired tracks in which she would take a front-stage solo. As she roamed and bounced from side to side of the stage, Stefani embraced the audience, thanking them and commenting

how wonderful and bizarre it all was to see so many fans. It may seem hard to imagine but there was a genuine sense of humility and sincerity as this sweet "Orange County" girl adopted the Nor-Cal feeling.
After the first number, the band dropped the tempo and went straight into her hit, "Rich Girl," as the Harujuku Girls threw down some great steps. The first part of the show came off like a huge Broadway opening, complete with a large lit "G" suspended over the stage.

Later in the set, the band's talents were put on point. Stefani brought the much-hyped opening into a show-stopping performance of the somber "Early Winter." The stage lights dropped, the band was highlighted in blue and a projection of falling lights gently cascaded like snow as Stefani commanded the stage.

When she left the stage for another change of outfit, the band carried on, including a stellar vocal performance by bass player and former David Bowie touring bassist/vocalist, Gail Ann Dorsey.

Stefani then went back to the big numbers, including "Wind it Up," "Danger Zone" and "Hollaback Girl," with the crowd yelling the lyric, "B-A-N-A-N-A-S."

As the show neared conclusion, Stefani ran up the left side of the amphitheater, through the seats, accompanied by former No Doubt-ers Gabe McNair and Stephen Bradley. They proceeded up to the railing of the lawn. Stefani had minimal pretenses as she stood on the railing, hugged by preteens and announcing to the crowd she wanted everyone to sing the next song, "Cool." as loud as possible. The crowd obliged.

Stefani's band continually hit the mark with great instrumentation, including the horns, keys, percussion -- the drummer was phenomenal -- and keyboardist who added to the '80s vibe with a skinny tie and shoulder-strapped red keyboard.

After several periods of pounding on the seats and chants of "Gwen, Gwen, Gwen," Stefani and band returned to the stage for a two-song encore. First was an intimate version of "The Real Thing," followed by the finalé, "What You Waiting For?" in which Stefani pulled a young man out of the crowd to share the stage and final bow.

Akon preceded Stefani with a short set, with drummer, bassist and turntablist performing in the heat a well-received set that included his hits "Mr. Lonely" and "Mama Afrika."

Quick-paced British rapper Lady Sovereign opened the show.

source

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 18 - Marysville, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

JUST1NKRED1BLE-Gwen to Sacramento: No bottlecaps and maybe more solo after ND
Here's my experience at the Sacramento show. It was hot....LITERALLY. Alot of people that were waiting in line to get in were irritable because of that. It was over 100 degrees and the event staff was really rude at times. And to top that off, my digital camera broke after i took ONE picture. It kept saying lens error. My sister brought her HL cam, but it's really slow so alot of pics turned out blurry, but because we were in the 4th row, the ones that were clear turned out REALLY good. They were constantly on the look out telling everyone in the first few rows that per Gwen that bottle caps on any bottles weren't allowed. Lady Sovereign went on at around 7:45. I actually enjoyed her set alot more than i thought i would. She complained about the heat and didn't know what city she was in until she looked at a piece of paper. Akon was pretty good too. Gwen took the stage at around 9. She forgot what city she was in a couple times. She said, "what's up sab-------to!!" and quickly started to say indiana but stopped herself. She mentioned that a new No Doubt project was next, but!! Before she performed Cool, she said there was a "big possibility" she would do "another.........continue


NoDoubterChris-Just got back from the Sacramento show....
It was amazing. Same show. Gwen was soooo cute. She complained about all the bugs. She picked a person to go on stage. I got a pic with Rino!!!! :)

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NDolphin-Sacramento show pics
NDolphin took lots of amazing pic...follow the links on the forum to see the rest!



(thanks NDolphin)

Gwen Stefani inspires devotion

By Joanna Horowitz

Special to The Seattle Times

I have a confession. I am a hollaback girl. At least for Gwen Stefani.

As enthusiastic thousands at White River Amphitheater Saturday night hollered back at Stefani's declaration that she "ain't no hollaback girl," it seemed apparent that Stefani's fans would do just about anything for her.

She's so likeable you can't help but want to please her. Yes, her lyric writing and sassy punk vibrato were better showcased as frontwoman of new wave ska band No Doubt. But her three years as a dance/pop solo act have cemented her headliner status.

She has the swagger and fashion sense to be on the Madonna track, but the platinum-blonde dynamo seems more sister than star--even while pulling out enough sparkly costumes, hip-hop choreography and multimedia effects to make the crowd scream like high school girls.

Admittedly, many of Stefani's fans are high school girls. And in her midriff-baring track pants and halter (one of eight costumes) the 37-year-old singer could almost pass for one of them. She even introduced "Wonderful Life" with, "this is about a boy I used to make out with in, um, high school."

But as Julie Andrews sings in Stefani's favorite musical (and inspiration for her latest hit "Wind It Up"), "The Sound of Music": "Let's start at the very beginning," which happened to be the second most exciting part of the evening.

Black out. Search lights throughout the audience. Giant screens framing the stage play video as an enormous "G" glows brightly. A prison cell rises from beneath the six-piece band's platform, and Stefani strikes a pose inside to start the title track from her new album "The Sweet Escape." The applause was deafening.

But the most thrilling part of the night involved very little fanfare. Near the end of the hour and a half set (which included only songs from her two solo releases), Stefani leapt into the crowd. She scaled fences and sprinted up stairs to get to the upper tier of audience where she sang "Cool" perched on a railing. The excitement and adoration in the venue was palpable, and when she told us we had to sing along, of course we did. How could you say no to Gwen?

Stefani's talent, clean lifestyle, put other pop divas to shame

By SHAWN TELFORD
GWEN STEFANI, LADY SOVEREIGN, AKON
WHEN: Saturday night
WHERE: White River Amphitheatre


SPECIAL TO THE P-I

"I was going to do one dance record," Gwen Stefani confessed to the crowd standing at the White River Amphitheatre. "But then you guys inspired me to make two dance records."

At a time when stadium acts are growing older, and fewer acts have the box office draw to fill their place, Gwen Stefani has bucked the trend, rising to the top of pop stardom. Compared with contemporaries Britney Spears, J-Lo and Jessica Simpson, Stefani is a much better idol. For one, she's sane. For two, she's a happily married mother with a successful clothing line and no time in rehab. In short, she's a normal -- perhaps überwealthy -- everyday person.

More importantly, she can sing. Sure, those other voices are technically pretty, but Stefani has a rawness as well as a learned and earned legitimacy from the years -- two decades actually -- spent fronting the band No Doubt. When Stefani sings, there's no doubt that she's really singing.

Yet Stefani doesn't rest in the security of simply us-and-them concert experiences that rely on the performer performing and fans in the audience fanning. She would rather break this so-called fourth wall and turn the concert experience on its head by running through the crowded amphitheater -- stopping in the middle to sing the midtempo love song "Cool."

Not to burst any bubbles, but it's not a spontaneous move. It's as choreographed as all of the big dance numbers that populated the performance. And it happens every night at every venue. Is it still as cool?

Yes, it is.

Her best moments, however, were not the down or even the midtempo tunes but her all-out, aerobic anthems, "Wind It Up," which fuses cheerleader chants with yodeling and a galloping beat, as well as "Hollaback Girl," the song that spells bananas. Truly, Stefani's gifts lie in her ability to turn rhythmic rumpuses -- some with clapping beats, some with clattering beats -- into catchy sing-alongs that are inherently, if not commandingly, danceable. Two exceptions were "Wonderful Life" and "What Are You Waiting For," the latter borrowing heavily from '80s New Wave, a trick Stefani used repeatedly on both solo albums.

The Senegalese American hip-hop singer Akon, whose act has been tamed since that fateful night in Trinidad where he bumped, grinded and spanked a woman who turned out to be a minor, opened the evening with a sexy, shirtless show. For a man as buff and beautiful as Akon, there's just no believing that he could be the titular character in "Mr. Lonely" who moans, "I have nobody for my own/ I'm so lonely."

Shawn Telford is a Seattle freelance music writer. He can be reached at eyeheartmusic@yahoo.com.
Go to Webtowns, your guide to Seattle

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 16 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

TotalND - Seattle show pictures:
Heya,

Just got back from a wonderful concert! Gwen was great, and I was always appreciative to see Gabe and Stephen. On a side note, I got to meet Gabe again
..............(more with pics on the forum)


NoDoubtfanatic28- Seattle show pictures:


bathwaternxd - I posted mine too on Beacon-Street.net

Beacon-Street.net

Stefani's 'Sweet Escape' show promises a glitzy getaway

GENE STOUT
P-I POP MUSIC CRITIC

The G girl is back in town with another eye-popping, glamour-packed show.

Gwen Stefani, who rose to fame in the early '90s as lead singer of Orange County, Calif., ska-rock band No Doubt, brings her "Sweet Escape" tour to the White River Amphitheatre for a high-stepping, lavishly costumed concert extravaganza Saturday night.

She'll share the stage with British hip-hop star Lady Sovereign and Atlanta-based rapper Akon, the West African native who stirred controversy earlier this year when he danced dirty with a 14-year-old girl in Trinidad.

The tour is Stefani's biggest to date, with 40 stops in North America. Married to Gavin Rossdale of rock band Bush (they have a young son, Kingston), the platinum-blond bombshell is enjoying a good run this year, despite a less-than-thrilling new album. "The Sweet Escape."

The 37-year-old star is as much about image as she is about music. Her L.A.M.B. fashion line rakes in millions in sales each year (Stefani's latest venture is Wallhogs, a line of inexpensive, adhesive-backed art, much of it featuring her). In concert, Stefani changes outfits about every three songs. For "Yummy," she wears a chef's hat and apron. "Luxurious" features a checkered skirt. And for "Rich Girl," she wears a sparkling cape.

The Stefani spectacle includes tightly choreographed song-and-dance routines featuring the Harajuku Girls (who star in the video of "Wind It Up") and a bevy of B-boys, as well as high-flying acrobatics and a cannon that shoots phony greenbacks. And just in case you can't remember who's performing, a giant illuminated "G" hangs above the stage.

Stefani, who blends bouncy pop with ska and hip-hop, has stocked her set with 16 songs. Most of them are from her current album; among them are "Wind It Up," "Yummy" and "Now That You Got It." But past favorites include "Wonderful Life," "Don't Get Twisted," "The Real Thing" and her three "girl" songs: "Rich Girl," "Orange County Girl" and "Hollaback Girl."

The show begins when Stefani, dressed in a striped slammer suit, is pushed onto the stage in a prison cell. During "Orange County Girl," photos of her childhood and her early years with No Doubt appear on a video screen, providing adoring fans with a link to her past.

Stefani, who has talked about doing another album with No Doubt, provides the kind of pageantry that mainstream audiences that love "American Idol," "The American Music Awards" and other glitzy shows have come to expect.

Lady Sovereign, who performed at Bumbershoot last year, landed at No. 1 on the Billboard "dance play" chart in April with "Love Me or Hate Me" from her current album, "Public Warning."

The self-dubbed "Biggest Midget in the Game" is a tireless self-promoter who launched her career on the Internet after paying her dues on the rough-and-tumble North London music scene, was featured at the MTV Goes Gold New Year's Eve show at New York's Madison Square Garden and made the rounds of all the late-night variety shows: David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson.

Akon, acting tough and looking buff, performs the songs "Smack That," "Lonely" and "Don't Matter," as well as a crowd-participation version of "I Want To Love You" that substitutes another four-letter word for "love."



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Review: Pop siren sizzles at GM Place

Stefani gets up-close and personal with her fans

By AMY O’BRIAN, VANCOUVER SUN
Published: Saturday, June 16, 2007
In a world filled with untouchable pop stars who prefer to stay a tour-bus length from the reach of their fans, Gwen Stefani is a refreshing anomaly.

The Orange County ska punk-girl-turned-megastar proved Friday night at GM Place that while she may be one of the hottest commodities in the pop world, she isn't taking her success for granted.

The 37-year-old jumped off the stage and into the audience midway through the show, making her way to the back of the stadium and then up into the stands to get more closely acquainted with some of the 13,000 or so screaming fans who came to see her on this stop of her Sweet Escape tour.

It was a rare and endearing move for a superstar who could have easily satisfied the crowd by performing a few favourites and donning a few different costumes before calling it a night.

But Stefani isn't one to coast. Her entire show -- more than 90 minutes long -- was executed with extreme energy, extremely loud sound, extreme dancing and carefully-plotted costume changes.

It gave the impression that she's something of a perfectionist -- yet a likable one who toiled for several years on the California club circuit before becoming a household name.

With her highly-styled platinum blonde locks, fire-engine red lips, and a flawless figure, she's part contemporary Barbie and part adorable anime character. And with songs that sample tunes from the Sound of Music and have infectiously happy dance beats, she's almost impossible to dislike.

She laid on the city-specific compliments a little thick -- claiming repeatedly that Vancouver had the best audience on her 40-city tour so far -- and there were some awkwardly long breaks between songs while she and her Harajuku girls changed outfits. But for what it was -- a blockbuster pop show from a performer who's been performing longer than many of her fans have been alive -- it was close to flawless.

It wasn't the kind of show that begs for technical musical analysis, but her six-piece band was strong and her voice sounded well-oiled as it bounced from hit to hit.

She opened her show at about 9:50 p.m. from inside a stage-prop jail cell with the unmistakable first notes of the top-40 title track from her latest album, Sweet Escape. Akon, who along with British MC Lady Sovereign had been one of two solid opening acts for the night, joined Stefani on stage for the opening number.

Her eight dancers -- four of whom are known as the famed Harajuku girls -- were spectacular, performing mind-blowing head-spins and other break-dancing moves.

But Stefani boldly took the stage unaccompanied for several songs, running and bouncing across the stage, commanding the undivided attention of the adoring, screaming audience.

After a few slower songs earlier in the show, Stefani ramped up the crowd with Luxurious, a high-energy number that got nearly everyone to their feet.

"Basically, this is what I live for, right here, tonight," she yelled.

The profanities and the crowd compliments increased as the show moved on. It seemed as though the entire stadium was singing along to Hollaback Girl, even if they weren't sure what all the hollering about B-A-N-A-N-A-S was about.

And the thick heavy scent of watermelon and strawberry body sprays wafted through the mostly young female crowd, which was dotted with drunk girls teetering on ridiculously high heels in the fashion of their on-stage idol.

After 13 songs, Stefani bade a routinely false "good night" and then re-emerged for a two-song encore that ended with What You Waiting For, a hit from her previous album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby.

It was the kind of night that left ears ringing and heads throbbing from over-stimulation, but it also likely left most people delightfully satisfied.

aobrian@png.canwest.com
© VANCOUVER SUN 2007

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 15 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place

FAN POST ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

Nd-rocks -Vancouver, BC, show (PIC'S)


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Thanks to Jeanne for the amazing pics:)x





for more great pics go to jelee_unleashed's photos

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jjbrewis-My Pic / Story For Gwen/"My Life With ND" (Scroll Down For Pic)

Gwens Choreographer-Sho- Tyme and the dancers

Sho Tyme-myspace

Harajuku Girls (Maya aka Love, Jenny aka Angel,Rino aka Music and Mayuko aka Baby)-The boys are Steelo, Remedy, Flea Rock and Legacy.

The Seattle Times-Sweet. Silly. Sexy. Stefani.

By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic

Gwen Stefani's solo career is hot (her first album, 2004's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," sold more than 7 million copies), but she's still a member of No Doubt.


Gwen Stefani is silly. And fun. And sweet. And sexy. And original.

What's not to like?

She's a 37-year-old mom (son Kingston celebrated his first birthday last month) with the attitude and style of a woman half her age. A fashion maven with a hugely successful clothing line called L.A.M.B., she's currently in thrall of Michelle Pfeiffer's coke-whore/bombshell look in "Scarface" — platinum hair, big sunglasses, tight white dress, stiletto heels.

But her favorite movie of all time is "The Sound of Music." Which is why practically the first thing you hear on her latest album, "The Sweet Escape," is Stefani singing and yodeling "The Lonely Goatherd," sounding just like her hero, Julie Andrews.

The "Goatherd" snippet is part of the busy soundscape of "Wind Up," a clever dance-floor-oriented song about the many reasons boys like girls. It's the first hit from the new disc.

Stefani plays White River Saturday night, one of the last dates of a 40-city tour that has been marked by controversy. Tour sponsor Verizon backed out after opening act Akon, a rapper with whom Stefani collaborates on her new album, caused controversy (stirred by a YouTube video clip) by dirty dancing onstage with an underage girl in one of his own shows prior to the tour.

While the incident made for good tabloid TV, it seems to have enhanced rather than hindered both Akon's and Stefani's careers. It gave Akon name recognition, and Stefani got points for sticking by him and keeping him on the tour, while presumably losing Verizon's tour-support money. When the two of them do a duet at White River, the place is sure to go nuts.

Stefani's solo career is hot (her first album, 2004's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," sold more than 7 million copies), but she's still a member of No Doubt, the ska-punk band that's been around more than 20 years. That band, which has sold some 27 million recordings, made her famous via such hits as "Spiderwebs," "Don't Speak" and "Hey Baby."

No Doubt released its last album of new material in 2001 and hasn't toured since 2004. Whether Stefani's next move is to reunite with her bandmates or do another solo album (or have more babies — she jokes about making her own von Trapp family) remains to be seen.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com

New Gavin Rossdale site coming soon

Gavin Rossdale official site

Gwen Hits ‘Em Up Rodeo Style

Gwen Stefani takes her son Kingston, who just turned one last month, for some straight-up rodeo on Wednesday in the southeast fringe of downtown Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

The Sweet Escape singer changed into three different outfits while strolling around the grounds of The Calgary Stampede (”The Greatest Outdoor show on Earth”), which is a rodeo festival held for 10 days in the second week of every July.

Gwen, of course, wore her own fashions including the Harajuku Lovers Squiggy Backseat Thermal Bottom Pants in Sunny, which reads “Uh-O in the Backseat” on the backside. Cute!

More pictures at justjared
source-justjared

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Gwen makes 'sweet escape' to Calgary with Kingston

While Gwen Stefani's evenings are devoted to thrilling fans on stage as part of her Sweet Escape tour, daytimes are clearly reserved for spending quality time with her biggest fan of all - son Kingston James. While gearing up for her sell-out concert at Calgary's Saddledome on Wednesday, the singer took her one-year-old boy, whose dad is Gwen's rocker husband Gavin Rossdale, for a mother and son stroll in the sunshine through the grounds of the Calgary Stampede.

Gwen, 37, has spoken in the past of how hard it was to tour when she was pregnant, so this time she can enjoy the experience with her little man by her side. "He gives me real balance," she said earlier this year. "You can go 100 miles an hour, but you still have to stop to hang out with him," she says.

True to form, she later wowed the Calgary audience with an adrenalin-filled performance helped by her Harujuku girls and choreographed dance numbers not to mention the glitzy set and numerous costume changes. She kicked off the extravaganza with her track The Sweet Escape - appropriately appearing in a black and white striped outfit locked in a gold jail cell, before breaking free as dollar bill confetti poured from the roof.

She followed up the Calgary gig with a concert in Vancouver on Thursday night before jetting off to Auburn, Washington for her Friday set. And though her British love Gavin wasn't with his family on this trip, perhaps Kingston's daddy will get to spend some time with him on his second Father's Day on Sunday - when Gwen has some downtime before hitting the stage again in Marysville, California on Monday.

source

Nina and Tom post an answer to fan question on the forum

sundaypist
-Do you think any bandmembers are going to the Irvine show? I'm gonna have my hawkeye on!

AKON APOLOGISES TO STEFANI IN SONG

R+B star AKON has apologised in song to GWEN STEFANI for his raunchy dance with an underage girl at a Trinidad concert in April (07). The Smack That singer hit controversy when he dirty danced with a 14-year-old Danah Alleyne at the gig, prompting the Caribbean country's Prime Minister to order a formal investigation into the incident. Akon and Stefani were touring together at the time, and the dance cost the tour the sponsorship of communications firm Verizon. In a new song, which has leaked online although its title is unknown, Akon asks for "the blame to be put on me" and says about Stefani, "Sorry for the hand she was dealt/For the embarrassment she felt". In the track, Akon also says about Alleyne, "Daddy should have never let her out that young/How was I supposed to know she was underage in a 21-and-over club?".
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Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 13 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome

Here are some amazing pictures taken by Doug from theblablab.com

you can check out some more of Doug Springer's great photoshere

From just a girl to music superstar

Stefani tackled eclectic mix of styles during her rise to the top


Gwen Stefani is working on a No Doubt reunion album.
Photograph by : Handout

Heather Adler, Dose.ca
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

IN CONCERT

Gwen Stefani, with Akon and Lady Sovereign

Where: GM Place

When: Friday night at 8

She's not just a girl any more.

Gwen Stefani might have humble roots as the daughter of a stewardess from Fullerton, Calif., but the platinum blond songstress is now one of the most successful female artists of all time -- and one of the most diverse. From ska-pop to reggae to dancehall to rap, the spunky Harajuku lover has tackled an eclectic mix of musical styles and gone to No. 1 nearly every time, both with her band, No Doubt, and now as a celebrated solo artist.

We're taking a look at the many faces of Gwen and her evolution into one of the most powerful women in music.

TRAGIC KINGDOM GWEN

Tragic Kingdom (1995) was the definitive ska-pop album that put Stefani on the map after selling more than 16 million copies, but it was actually No Doubt's third record (Stefani wasn't even the original lead vocalist) and they'd already been in the business for nine years before getting their break. The band almost broke up before the album was even released because Stefani's relationship with bandmate Tony Kanal had come to a messy end.

Luckily, the record's infectious mix of reggae, pop, punk and ska did make it to market, and tracks such as "Just a Girl," "Don't Speak," "Sunday Morning" and "Spiderwebs" propelled Stefani into the mainstream, despite the domination of grunge at the time.

Stefani also became an instant style icon with her self-sewn uniform of crop tops, baggy belted pants, Indian-inspired bindi, platinum blond hair and dark lipstick. While opening for grunge kings Bush during this era, Stefani also met her future husband -- singer Gavin Rossdale.

RETURN TO SATURN GWEN

Taking a turn toward the new-wave hints of Tragic Kingdom, Return to Saturn (2000) showed off a slicker, dancier, more experimental Stefani, complete with a new fashion trademark: bright pink hair and punk duds. Lyrically, the album was much darker with a focus on Stefani's troubled relationship with Rossdale and her insecurities.

The record's smart, updated-retro sound was lauded by critics and garnered a best rock album nomination at the Grammys. But the record failed to live up to Tragic Kingdom's success. Still, Stefani continued to crop up on the covers of magazines and maintained her it-girl status.

COLLABORATOR GWEN

In 1999, Stefani started to branch out, collaborating with atmospheric pop king Moby on "South Side," a track that saw her exploring more of her psychedelic-funk side.

Stefani's next high-profile guest spot came on 2001 track "Let Me Blow Your Mind" with rapper Eve.

The Grammy Award-winning song showed off Stefani's urban side, again expanding her boundaries as an artist and showing off her potential as a solo artist who could thrive outside of No Doubt. A chameleon of style, she also flipped easily from B-girl garb to Hollywood glam in a heartbeat, which brought up frequent Madonna comparisons in the media.

ROCK STEADY GWEN

Rock Steady (2001) launched No Doubt back up the charts, selling seven million copies with its reggae-inspired beats and Jamaican dancehall feel, which they recorded on the island with the help of such guests as Prince and The Neptunes. Funky pop track "Hey Baby" marked a clear comeback for the band and showcased Stefani's first foray into more of a speak-singing/ hip-hop-inspired style.

SOLO GWEN

In 2004, Stefani re-introduced herself to the world as a solo artist with Love. Angel. Music. Baby. An eclectic blend of new-wave, electro and, well, high school cheers, the album went multi-platinum, garnered her six Grammy nominations and boasted the first digital download to sell more than one million legal copies, "Hollaback Girl."

The same year, she started fashion line L.A.M.B., which began as a limited collection of accessories and high-end bags, but soon expanded into a full line inspired by her personal style and teenage Japanese fashionistas known as Harajuku girls.

Stefani's sophomore solo effort, the urban-inspired yet completely danceable The Sweet Escape (2006), came after Stefani took a short break to have son Kingston.

WHAT'S NEXT?

By all accounts, Stefani is now a brand of her own -- and business is booming.

But the veteran singer still has plenty she's hoping to achieve, including working as an actress. She auditioned for Mr. & Mrs. Smith and appeared in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator playing Jean Harlow.

Recently, Stefani has said she will return to No Doubt for a reunion album and that the band already has 10 songs ready to go. One thing you can count on, however, Gwen Stefani will never be just a girl again. No doubt.

© The Vancouver Province 2007
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A sexy girls night out-Gwen Stefani oozes sexuality last night on stage at Rexall Place

Stefani's glitzy stage presence helps candy-coat a disappointing set
By MIKE ROSS, SPECIAL TO THE EDMONTON SUN
Gwen Stefani is never far from what appear to be four sexy Japanese schoolgirls. They enhanceand also reflect her radiant sexuality.

The former No Doubt frontwoman sings, sexily, if sexily is even a word, about sexy things in sexy songs whilst attired in a wide variety of sexy clothes. A lot of money and good lighting is employed to emphasize these assets.

She is in fact a very sexually attractive specimen of womanhood - a real "catch" for any man, as they used to say but not anymore since she got married and became a mom.

I mention all this only in passing to wonder if all this high-impact, big-production sexuality is wasted on its obvious target - men - when the bulk of Gwen Stefani's audience is young women - young, attractive women who in varying degrees emulate their favourite sex goddess up on stage.

And where were the boyfriends? A few in tow last night at Rexall Place, but this gig was a freakin' hen party, 12,500 strong.

The old saying may be true: Women buy sexy underwear not to turn on their husbands/boyfriends/significant others - but to show it off to their girlfriends.

More study, and careful study, on this unusual conundrum is needed.

DIVA SPECTACLE

Anyway, back to the show. On her second solo tour to support her second solo album, The Sweet Escape, Stefani once again delivered the biggest diva spectacle she could afford - pretty big. Like divas and their diva spectacles before her - Mariah Carey, Madonna, Cher and Stefani herself here in 2005 - it's not "listen to my song!" It's not even about "listen to me sing!" It's "look at me!" While it's true this show was less overtly sexual than the last one, the costumes generally less revealing, its set list larded with inferior ballads, in fact overall a bit disappointing, there is simply no mistaking the message in a line from her new album: "I'm feeling yummy head to toe. I got no patience, so let's go." Especially while accompanied by sexy dancing chefs.

Things took a while to warm up.

The show opened with a total dud in the title track from The Sweet Escape, a corny, schmaltzy number that sounds like a Honeydrippers outtake (if you are too young to remember the Honeydrippers, a particularly malignant band from the '80s, consider yourself lucky).

Much better was Rich Girl, a big hit from her first solo album, and accompanied last night by a shower of green confetti, a vague crime/prisoner theme and amazing feats of break dancing. From there, it was a hit and miss affair. At times, frankly, it was a bit too mushy, older tunes from Love Angel Music Baby often towering over the newer material. But the production numbers were slick, a bit predictable, but a fun way to show off Stefani's, ahem, maturing sexuality. Plus there were Japanese schoolgirls.

Maybe this is all about young girls and their pop star role models. Stefani is a 37-year-old mother, after all - and still looking hot. Like I say, more study is needed.

The buff and rippled opening act Akon - the West African Shaggy, by the sounds of it - had a captive audience to warm up in more ways than one.

Put it this way: It is wholly redundant to say that he's sending out "one for the ladies.." It's all for the ladies.

After a short opening set from the interesting if strident Lady Sovereign - who dominated that tiny musical nexus between DJ-driven house music and old-school punk rock - Akon went into full macho-rapper-pro-wrestler-sex-god mode and didn't let up for at least half an hour, displaying almost as many costume changes as the headliner - as long as you count doffing layers of ever tighter shirts as costume changes. The women loved it.

NO FEMALE IMMUNE

No female of any age was immune from his spell. At one point in a reggae-ified, speeded-up take on R&B that often sounded like a wall of goo, the rapper gave his shirt to a breathless girl-child in the front row.

He followed that with an account of how he once fell in love with a stripper and then, on cue, off came his final, sweat-soaked shirt - and into the crowd it went. Oy, you should've heard the screaming.

At least he didn't hurl any teenagers into the crowd - not that I want to encourage such reckless behaviour, but that kid will think twice about heckling a second time, hmm? - but later came up to help out the headliner and throw himself into Stefani's arms.

Hard to know what to make of that.

Sweet Escape for Stefani fans

Stefani's stage theatrics make evening memorable

Tom Murray, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Edmonton
With Gwen Stefani's dancers running through the audience to the strains of Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives, fake cops in pursuit, you knew that you weren't going to be getting a standard coliseum show.
It wasn't - from the moment that the naughty girls were led onstage for punishment, to the point at which Stefani popped out of a three-metre jail cell that slowly came directly out of the centre of the stage, wearing stylized jail clothing, it was evident that Tuesday night was going to be memorable.
Backed by a crack lineup of musicians - drummer, trumpet player, trombonist, guitarist and bassist, two keytars (no kidding, actual keytars, most of which were thought to be buried with A Flock of Seagulls' career back in '87) - Stefani kept the near-sellout crowd happy with a selection of songs from her back catalogue of hits.
They made good use of this varied lineup - trumpet blasts on the title tune from her latest album, The Sweet Escape, a nod to Dick Dale arising in the midst of another, and, yes, the unmistakable synth blasts of keytars. The cheese quotient could have been very high, but somehow Stefani escaped it by virtue of her knack for melody and hook. And influences; Stefani has excellent influences - her own songs reveal this, light summery pop colliding with English two tone, reggae with hip-hop, perfect AM radio tuneage.
As good as the musicians were, as instantly likable as the tunes were, it was Stefani's stage show that made the evening. It can only be described as Madonna on acid - or, Madonna on acid in Vegas - frenetic, quick costume changes, a team of dancers play-acting some kind of Spy vs. Spy, cops n' robbers scenario, doing backflips, breakdancing in the middle of Rich Girl. It was pure entertainment - with great songs, to boot.
Opening act Akon was on his very best behaviour Tuesday night. While he was quick to take off his shirt ("Is it ... is it hot in here?") no underage girls were accidentally molested in the process - as happened earlier this month. The rapper and his crew kept the girls happy with songs from his latest, Konvict - Lonely Boy, I Wanna Love You - as well as a sensitive number detailing his tormented love for a stripper. While his family and friends never approved, the audience certainly did, as well as this reviewer - follow your bliss, Akon!
Show opener Lady Sovereign was only able to crank out four or five songs in her short set, but she impressed. While Akon was a one-man cliche machine hollering "Edmonton" when stumped for stage banter, the London rapper was funny, fast and incredibly talented - an imaginative cover of the Sex Pistols' Pretty Vacant likely left much of the audience puzzled, but in Lady Sov's broad, working-class accent, shades of John Lydon, it made perfect sense.

© Edmonton Journal 2007

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Vote for Gwen at the MuchMusic Video Awards

News » Posted: 6/12/2007 #

Gwen has been nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards: Favorite International Artist and Best International Video for “The Sweet Escape.” Favorite International Artist is a people’s choice category so the fans decide the winner. To vote for Gwen as your Favorite International Artist click here. The MuchMusic Video Awards will be held Sunday June 17th at 9pm EST in Toronto at the MuchMusic headquarters.

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 12 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place

GWEN IS DOUBTFUL

SWEET ENOUGH ALREADY

According to reports, No Doubt are back in the recording studio - without their lead singer, Gwen Stefani.
What’s the point of the band without the peroxide pixie?
No point, that’s what, which is probably why Tony Kanal, Adrian Young and Tom Dumont are only getting the musical arrangement down until Gwen finishes her solo tour.
‘We have a lot of instrumentals looking for words,’ Dumont told MTV.
Once Gwen completes her worldwide tour, she’ll be straight back in the studio to put her yodelling talents to good use.
The as-yet-untitled album will be No Doubt’s first in six long years, since Rock Steady came out in 2001.
Since then, Gwen has launched a successful solo career, a clothing range and had a baby boy with rocker hubby, Gavin Rossdale.
Now that’s what you call multitasking.
By: Daisy Kay, 12.06.07

L by Gwen Stefani Spray

Her debut fragrance—Gwen Stefani's iconic style goes beyond music, beyond fashion and beyond boundaries. Her signature fragrance is a fusion of masculine and feminine with a luscious floral scent that bursts with sparkling freshness and then wraps you in the warmth of sensual musks. By Gwen Stefani.
Order from Nordstrom

Glitzy Stefani thrills-Pop star knows her audience

Winnipeg SUN

By DAVID SCHMEICHEL

Pop queen Gwen Stefani serves up glitz and glam at the MTS Centre.
Turns out there's always room for a second helping of Gwen Stefani.
The platinum-tressed pop princess, who last played Winnipeg in November 2005, made the most of her return to the MTS Centre stage last night, outfitting her second solo tour with all the glitz and spectacle we've come to expect from such a trend-setting fashionista.
As with Stefani's albums, both the breakout debut Love.Angel.Music.Baby and last year's less enthusiastically received The Sweet Escape, style still threatened to outweigh substance at times, making the show's visual elements far more of a treat than the tunes. But for the most part, Stefani gave her fans exactly what they wanted, ensuring she'll be welcomed warmly the next time she decides to come back.
Even her entrance was a perfectly staged little bit of theatre. With spotlights cutting a swath through the darkness to the strains of Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives, bogus police officers chased two of Gwen's Harajuku girls through the crowd and onto the stage.
Once there, they were joined by Stefani, who busted out of a gold-plated jail cell just in time to sing the title track from The Sweet Escape, as well a bevy of backup dancers and Akon, the controversy-plagued rapper who cameos on the song.
Looking impossibly leggy in a spangly short-suit with black and white jailhouse stripes, Stefani quickly made herself at home with her entourage, cavorting with cops and criminals alike as the song gave way to the Fiddler on the Roof-inspired Rich Girl.
The outfit was one of several Stefani modelled over the course of the night. For Yummy and 4 in the Morning, she changed into a minidress cinched with a massive Japanese sash, for the Sound of Music-sampling Wind It Up, she threw on a sharp-looking hounds-tooth blazer, and on Hollaback Girl, she surfaced wearing a pair of bright red short-shorts.
The costume changes helped distract from the fact that, even with two albums under her belt, Stefani still has a bit of trouble keeping the momentum going, as evidence by a few lulls early on.
Not that the show didn't have its moments. On Early Winter, for instance, Stefani hit some sweeping high notes while flanked by video images of snow falling on her recent coke-whore incarnation, then turned the reins over to bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, (best known for her work with David Bowie).
On Wind It Up, she recreated some of the von Trapp family's best dance routines, and on Danger Zone and Hollaback Girl, she trotted out her cheerleader shtick while the Harajuku girls busted out dance moves in formation behind her.

Gwen Stefani – The coolest Queen of Pop sorts out your style

Gwen Stefani preferred make-up to toys as a child

BANG Showbiz
Jun. 11, 2007 08:10 AM
Gwen Stefani preferred make-up to toys as a child.

The 'Rich Girl' singer used to raid her friends' mother's make-up boxes at every opportunity and loved experimenting with cosmetics.

Gwen told TV Hits magazine, "I was always the girl who, after school every day, would say, 'Ask your mom if we can play with her make-up! And then we'd do that for about four hours!

"I would burn everybody with the curling iron, I'd do make-overs on everyone.

"I was a make-up artist in a mall when I was 17 so it's always something I've been into."

Mother-of-one Gwen insists she rarely goes out without make-up and doesn't care what people think about her obsession.

The 37-year-old star - who is married to British rocker Gavin Rossdale - said, "Everyone has criticised me for wearing too much make-up but I've also made a career out of it!

"My make-up must have is my lipstick. It's what my husband likes me in and I definitely try to please him!"

Concert review-Gwen Stefani brings 'Sweet Escape' to Tinley Park

Daily Southtown
June 10, 2007
By Eloise Marie Valadez Staff Writer

The large glitzy letter "G" that graced centerstage at First Midwest Band Amphitheatre Friday night meant only one thing: Gwen Stefani was rocking the house.

Stefani, former frontwoman of the California ska/pop band No Doubt, brought her solo "The Sweet Escape Tour" to town, performing a 90-minute show filled with high energy music, a mix of mod/whimsical fashions and over-the-top theatrics.

The concert, which was only the second show of the season at the amphitheater, looked to be nearly sold-out. Fans occupied all seats in the pavilion as well as a large portion of the lawn.

"Is this what 20,000 people looks like? If you could see what it looks like from up here, it looks insane," Stefani said, gazing at her admirers.

In concert, the 37-year-old pop singer, fashion designer, new mom and wife to British rocker Gavin Rossdale, proved to be just as bubbly and charming onstage as she is in her music videos.

Fans cheered as Stefani opened her show with the title track to her latest album "The Sweet Escape," emerging from behind the bars of a makeshift jail cell dressed in a black and white striped outfit.

She immediately proceeded with the upbeat "Rich Girl," featuring powerful dancing by the singer and her backup dancers, including the highly energetic Harajuku Girls.

Watching Stefani move swiftly across the stage, sporting a mix of costumes, including short-shorts and midriffs, it's hard to believe this is a woman who bore a child only a year ago.

With muscular abs and well-toned legs, she shows no signs of lingering baby fat.

Stefani's set list predominately included tunes from "The Sweet Escape" with some songs from her first solo effort "Love. Angel. Music. Baby" thrown in for good measure.

Fans of No Doubt's big hits were out of luck at this show as Stefani refrained from indulging the crowd with selections from the popular band's catalog.

A spitfire to watch, Stefani delivered her non-stop theatrics throughout the entire concert. Her energy never waned, and she proved to be enjoying performing for her audience.

Stefani addressed the crowd throughout and even went out onto the lawn to "get a little closer" to her fans.

Among concert highlights were the catchy "4 In the Morning," "Yummy," in which Stefani appeared in a cartoonish chef's hat and apron, "Early Winter," which she said was one of her favorites from the new album and the rousing "Wind It Up."

Opening for Stefani was R&B singer/rapper Akon, who recently got into trouble for a dirty dancing concert segment with a minor. Akon's short set included "I Wanna Love You," and "Smack That."

Also on the bill was British rapper Lady Soverign.

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 10 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre

FAN POST ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM


Corey -Winnipeg Last Night! =)
Last night i went to Winnipeg and saw Gwen's The Sweet Escape Tour. IT WAS AMAZING!


miss1030 -Winnipeg Last Night! =)
awesome! i was second row on the floor last night and it was awesome. I have some really great pics that im uploading right now..................check out the forum for link to pics


SWEET ESCAPE

video thanks to-backin72

Daily Herald review-Stefani still unpredictable, charismatic

By Mark Guarino
Daily Herald Music Critic
Posted Saturday, June 09, 2007

Ordinarily, news that a very famous pop singer will return to the band she once fronted starting 12 years ago, is good news. The public generally likes familiar music franchises more than misguided solo careers — just ask Steve Perry.

For Gwen Stefani, who is reportedly returning to the Orange County ska-pop band No Doubt after a highly successful two-album solo break, it appears like a step backward.

The evidence was her headlining set at the First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre in Tinley Park Friday. Before a crowd of about 20,000 fans, Stefani demonstrated that although she is not the greatest singer, she is one of today’s most unpredictable, charismatic and entertaining pop stars.

The show was a rarity for what it wasn’t: cynical, trashy and lewd. Stefani sidestepped songs from No Doubt’s lengthy band career and instead stuck to 16 songs from her two solo albums particularly “The Sweet Escape” (Interscope), released late last year. Backed by a six-member band positioned high on a riser and a legion of dancers, Stefani re-imagined her weird, schizophrenic pop tendencies as minature Broadway musical moments, complete with storylines (Stefani as prison inmate, Stefani as high school cheerleader, Stefani as bakery chef). In this show, each song was presented like an animated cartoon — except without the animation.

A child of the 1980’s MTV era (she is 37), Stefani is intent on making pop music that retains a contemporary edge but also brings back bubblegum melodies, glossy synthesizers and irreverent musical references, like melodies built around Broadway chestnuts like “Fiddler on the Roof.”

She is also a creature of the power ballad, and in this environment, she returns such respectability to that passionate and sentimental subgenre, Bonnie Tyler would be proud. “Early Winter” was a highlight of the night, but as Stefani dashed off for a costume change, her bass player continued the lead vocal — not a smart choice as the singer’s ending flourish into the upper octaves trumped Stefani’s flat, often nasal delivery.

The show also managed to bring to life her songs that rely less on melody than fast, interchangeable rhythms — and, in the case of “Wind It Up,” a dose of yodeling. These songs became furious dance exercises that involved frantic storytelling. It was mostly — as Stefani would say, “B-A-N-A-N-A-S” — but so is the circus and that was all right.

Stefani surprised the crowd near the end by running to the back of the pavilion to play directly to the masses stuck on the lawn. It proved that although she appears larger than life, she is an artist who can earn that reputation even on a small scale.
source

The London Free Press Review-No doubt, Gwen great

Gwen Stefani brings some von Trapp family flavour and plenty of glitz to her Sweet Escape tour.

By JAMES REANEY, FREE PRESS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST

The summer concert season is just beginning, but here's a prediction. Last night's Gwen Stefani show won't be topped.
The blond, blond, blond U.S. superstar brought her tour supporting The Sweet Escape to the John Labatt Centre for a show of hits, spectacle and wildly happy fans.
Stefani hit the stage to screams from a crowd of 9,200 fans -- a crowd dominated by young females -- with the title track from the tour's album.
An hour later, she and some of her band were up in the crowd at the back of the arena.
In a gorgeous, midriff baring outfit and surrounded by members of the Stefani nation who probably never expected to be this close to their goddess, the dance pop queen hit a pinnacle.
Actually, with the encores still to come, everything was pretty Gwen-mazing last night.
"All the best shows are the Canadian shows," she said of the pandemonium provoked by her runabout. It might be true.
She had started with a hot outfit and a huge hit. Stefani emerged from a faux gold jail cell to sing The Sweet Escape with U.S. singer Akon whose set had finished 30 minutes earlier.
During the duet, Stefani put her arm around his shoulders briefly, a statement of solidarity maybe for Akon, who has plenty of off-tour troubles.
Then, it was down to the Stefani business with dazzling production numbers built around Stefani and her dance team, including the Harajuku Girls.
Keeping it all moving was a fine band driving hot tunes from The Sweet Escape (Universal) album including 4 in the Morning, Wind it Up, Don't Get it Twisted and Now That You Got It. For an earlier helping of solo Stefani, there was Hollaback Girl with the singer and her H-Girls pumping it out for fans who never sat down.
There were startling costume changes, worthy of a fashionista with her own clothing line. The black-and-white stripes -- jail time, get it? -- and long black gloves for The Sweet Escape were soon replaced by an apron and chef's hat outfit for Yummy. Oh, now I get that, too.
Later there were sequined red shorts, a preppy jacket with lots of Stefani's "G" Greek-key styled logo for trim.
This critic's favourite Stefani fashion was the mini-dress worn with a huge bow in the back, which didn't keep Stefani's legs from showing off on the well-used video screens.
Matching the high-fashion look and ultra-catchy hits was Stefani's fresh way with stage talk. "I've always wondered about this place," the star said early in her set. "I was Curious George about you."
Stefani also has a mild fixation with The Sound of Music -- the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical about the von Trapp family who successfully sing their way out of Nazi-run Austria in the late 1930s.
Sampled on The Sweet Escape and in concert is Music's The Lonely Goatheard, a sound Stefani knew long before her 1990s days fronting SoCal ska-pop punkers No Doubt and her solo stardom. Her mother once dressed her like Maria von Trapp -- the tweedy von Trapp -- back in the day.
Now, she has fans who adore her and admire the way she juggles her job as a musician with fashion and movie work and most significantly as a cool and devoted new mom. She and her husband, Brit rocker Gavin Rossdale, had a son in 2006.
Stefani brought up two of her youngest fans and their big sign at the end for a final bow.
Earlier her older fans had been screaming for Akon, who was second on the bill. Akon didn't keep his past a secret. With the shackled-forearms logo for his hit album Konvicted (Universal) everywhere on and above the stage, Akon and his crew didn't back away from his troubles. "Everybody knows Akon has a . . . criminal record," said the Senegal-born, Atlanta-based performer's DJ.
True. He was in the big house some time ago. More likely to make one question Akon's convictions are his recent problems about misconduct -- miskonduct in Akon-speak? -- on stages off the tour.
During an April concert in Trinidad, Akon was videotaped simulating sex with a 14- or 15-year-old girl invited onstage as part of his act. That incident prompted Verizon to withdraw its sponsorship of Akon's tour with Stefani. (The star has kept him on the tour and in her opening number.) Akon said in a statement at the time he was sorry for the incident, but added he did not know the girl was underage.
The best question of the night came from Akon's sidekick DJ, who seemed startled to find fans wedged in at the side of the stage. They seemed happy to hear from him. Why are you back in there, he wondered out loud, having just noticed them.
Good question. That must be how promoters fit the last fans in when there are 9,200 in the house.
Opening the show was British MC Lady Sovereign, who included a great cover the Sex Pistols' Pretty Vacant.
The Sovereign ruler is truly a mighty mouth, working up to the mic to burp, swearing when she can't and offering to put the Gwen-fans out of their misery because she only has one more number to do.
Now we know where Johnny Rotten has been all these years.

Gwen Stefani at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre June 8, 2007

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 8 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM


ndimh-Chicago Show: What an amazing time...
"Everything went dark and music started playing. The lights came on and Gwen was in a jail cell coming out onto the stage. I could have died right then and there and been happy".........Go to the forumHEREto read the full review from Eric(ndimh)


jbuz7546-ok so i was at chicago last night...
and can i just say wow. i was expecting the show to be amazing but seriously she surpassed that by far. *****


(Darin)BigD'sPirateShop- Gwen gets windy in Chi-Town + PICS!! Edit: Videos added
After attending a bunch of shows on her current tour, I was nervous how my home town would support Gwen in relation to all the other cities we have been to. Let me say that I was not disappointed and this was obvious in Gwen’s joyful demeanor. She still had the extra bounce in her step that we saw in Indiana............go here for more of this great review

there are more of Darin's amazing pics and links to videos on the forum




(Tom)Skanking Fetus- Another Chicago Show post (With some pics and vids) Updated x 2
Like everyone else at the Chicago show I must say it was absolutely AMAZING. Gwen was so full of energy and the crowd was having a lot of fun. But, starting from the beginning I have to say...............continueto read the rest of Tom's review,

Tom has also put links on the forum of his videos for us to download (thanks Tom:)x)





ndimh-Chicago Show: Gwen's new favorite!!!

Tom Dumont says band hopes to work on new material during Stefani's tour breaks.

No Doubt are going into the studio next month to work on their first new album in six years – no matter that Gwen Stefani is on tour through the fall. “The three of us are going to lay down some songs with music only,” drummer Adrian Young says. “When she gets done with the tour we’ll all be there to do it. We’ve probably got four albums worth of ideas demoed.” Young describes the new songs as “unlike anything else we ever made – they’re all over the place stylistically.”According to Young, Stefani just got the first batch of first songs and he’s waiting to hear her input. The group has been inactive since a 2004 co-headlining tour with Blink-182. “We’ve been together since 1987 and we never took a break until three summers ago,” Young says. “Now the break’s been pretty long, so I think we’re not burning anymore. It’s kind of nice to be hungry again.” Stefani has had a very active break – releasing two monster solo albums and touring the world twice – but Young says she’s ready to fall back into No Doubt as soon as the tour is done. “Gwen’s a workaholic,” he says. “She likes to constantly be working.” Young suspects the new record will come out sometime in 2008. -- Andy Greene

source

New No Doubt Songs Ready To Roll — Once Stefani Is

Tom Dumont says band hopes to work on new material during Stefani's tour breaks.No Doubt have plenty of songs ready for their next album, they're just missing one thing: Gwen Stefani. When their frontwoman hit the snooze button on the band's would-be sixth LP last year to prolong her solo career, the rest of No Doubt continued to amass music for their long-awaited follow-up to 2001's Rock Steady. Guitarist Tom Dumont said plans are in motion for the project, though he warns that fans shouldn't expect to see the finished work until at least the Fall of 2008. "Tony, Adrian and I have been busy preparing material for the album since this time last year," he wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. "So we have a lot of instrumentals looking for words." Dumont wouldn't reveal many details about their stylistic approach thus far, saying only, "We've written so much stuff that covers so much ground that it's hard to say what sounds will win out in the end." The guitarist denied recent gossip that bassist Tony Kanal had joined Stefani on tour to work on new material but said he and Kanal may meet up with her on the road later. Stefani's tour in support of The Sweet Escape has dates scheduled through October 20 in the Czech Republic."Gwen has a busy world tour all year, so obviously most of our writing this year would happen either separately or during a few off days here and there," Dumont said. Stefani's original plan was to do one side project that she initially hesitated to term a solo album. That turned out to be 2004's massively successful Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Following a tour and the birth of her first child, Kingston, with Gavin Rossdale, Stefani released The Sweet Escape in December. "This break has been good for everyone," Dumont said. "We had been together as a band nonstop for so long that it was healthy for us to all stand on our own two feet, so to speak. In the past four years, I bought a house, got married and made a baby, so [I] pretty much grew up and returned to normal life outside of the rock stardom which dominated my 20s." Dumont, Kanal and drummer Adrian Young also kept busy with various musical endeavors. Dumont collaborated with his friend Ted Matson on an instrumental project called Invincible Overlord and produced two albums for singer Matt Costa, the second of which is due this fall."Matt is pretty unique in that he grew up in Huntington Beach in the skateboarding scene there, but is primarily consumed with music from the '60s and before," Dumont said. "He gets excited by British artists like the Kinks and Donovan, but has an equal love for early American folk and blues, from the Carter Family to Buddy Holly." Kanal lent Stefani a hand on both of her solo albums and produced songs for Hawaiian rockers Pepper and reggae singer Elan. Meanwhile, Young played drums on Bow Wow Wow's 2004 tour and appeared on albums by Costa and Unwritten Law.

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 7 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

ndbuddy- GWEN: LONDON, ON SHOW LAST NIGHT: KEEPS AMAZING ME EVERYTIME!!!!
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My love just keeps growing for this woman..she was the most awesome ever last night to me and I am forever thankful for everything she keeps saying to me and all the recognition...it's outta this world to me and so magical.... I am forever thankful and greatful for all she says/does for me!! I have to finally get a chance to sit down and fully blog my tour experience but this one's for the books....absolutely amazing!Read the rest of this post-HERE

Gwen Stefani Talks With Minneapolis' 101.3 KDWB

No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani was backstage with Kassie of 101.3 KDWB in Minneapolis on Wednesday (June 6). Gwen talked about the tour, how Kingston is cared for while on the road, her marriage advice, and her reaction to young pop stars getting themselves in trouble. Download and listen here

Gwen Stefani's supersized show brings the fun

BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pop Music Critic

The last time Gwen Stefani visited town back in November 2005, she was in the middle of a solo tour she said she'd never undertake, promoting a solo album she said she'd never make.

As we've since learned, the 37-year-old Stefani was pregnant at the time, which explains her lackluster, disconnected performance. (She told Entertainment Weekly she was in so much pain she'd cry before each show.) The absence of her longtime band, No Doubt, and its deep catalog of hits didn't help matters, either.

So even though Stefani returned to the Xcel Energy Center Tuesday night in support of a second solo album she said she'd never make, the spirited, energetic night felt like the show she should've given us the first time around. Consider it her version of a do-over.

Thanks in part to her underwhelming, padded sophomore disc "The Sweet Escape," Stefani lost a few fans in the interim - Tuesday night's attendance of 11,692 was about 3,000 bodies shy of her last gig. Too bad for them, as Stefani offered up an eye-popping and glossy sugar-rush of a show that was light in substance but heavy on fun.

The bottle-blond Stefani repeated many of the themes from her first tour, from her backup dancers the Harajuku Girls and multiple costume changes to her beat-heavy takes on her monster hits ("Hollaback Girl," "Rich Girl"). And two of the then-unreleased tracks she played in 2005 - "Wind It Up" and "Orange County Girl" - returned in supersized versions, the latter acting as the main set's finale.
Yet it was the fresh stuff that made the night work. The high-tech stage and carefully choreographed dance numbers rarely felt canned, and just when they started to get overwhelming, Stefani sprinted to the back of the auditorium and up into the seats to perform a stripped-down "Cool," surrounded by awestruck fans. And at least one of her newer tracks, the epic ballad "Early Winter," thrived in the live setting.

Stefani's pal Akon ably assisted her on "The Sweet Escape"

Gwen Stefani's entrance at the beginning of Tuesday night's show was via a "prison cage" , fitting because her tour is named the "Sweet Escape Tour" , Tuesday night, June 5, 2007 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Stefani's first three songs were "Sweet Escape", "Rich Girl" and "Yummy". (Scott Takushi, Pioneer Press) (Scott Takushi)and turned in his own lively, astoundingly well-received opening set. (The Senegalese-American rapper/crooner performed 35 minutes devoted largely to songs such as "Smack That," in which he explains in detail just how he enjoys partaking in sexual intercourse with women.)
With any luck, Stefani's sharp enough to realize she got it right this time and now needs to put this solo thing on ice for a while, especially if her songwriting continues to follow the downward spiral of her second album. The next time we see her, she'll be best served fronting No Doubt and reminding us all why we fell in love with her in the first place.





Gwen Stefani's entrance at the beginning of Tuesday night's show was via a "prison cage" , fitting because her tour is named the "Sweet Escape Tour" , Tuesday night, June 5, 2007 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Stefani's first three songs were "Sweet Escape", "Rich Girl" and "Yummy".












Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553 or rraihala@pioneerpress.com. Read more about the local music scene on his blog, "The Ross Who Knew Too Much," at blogs.twincities.com/ross


source

Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape Tour June 5 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

rocksteadygirl-St. Paul, MN show review

Tonights show here in MN was AMAZING! First of all, Gwen mentioned this: "My sister married a man from Minnesota, so I have hundreds of relatives here. I'm from here now basically." She also mentioned how we were one of the loudest shows, and said that Omaha was the loudest so far but we might be louder. She dedicated "the Real Thing" to her relatives here, her in-laws, she said. She also said that this show was was really fun, that she was grumpy earlier, but we got her all revved up. She said that they would all be sitting backstage after the show talking about how much fun they had. "We're seriously having a good time, we're not faking it. Gail called it, she said it was a gonna be a good show." When she was introducing Stephen Bradley, she said .....CONTINUE


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Review: Gwen Stefani serves up eye-popping performance

Gwen Stefani took fans on a sweet escape Monday at Qwest Center Omaha.



Touring in support of her latest CD, "The Sweet Escape," the pop superstar served up a treat for a boisterous crowd of 9,000 fans.

The mainly teen and 20-something audience included country singer Faith Hill and her daughters, who sat and watched the show flanked by bodyguards. Hill and her husband, Tim McGraw, kick off their North American tour today at the arena.

But Stefani was the star Monday night.

The No Doubt frontwoman filled her hour-and-40-minute show with music from "The Sweet Escape" and her debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."

Dressed in a black-and-white-striped jumper, the sassy Stefani emerged from a gold jail cell, opening the show with the title track of her latest album. Opening act Akon joined her for the duet, which he co-wrote.

Performing in front of a wall of video screens, Stefani was accompanied by a six-piece band and eight dancers, including her four Japanese dancers/sidekicks, the Harajuku Girls. A huge letter "G" (presumably for "Gwen," not "gaudy") twinkled above the stage.

Stefani, who has her own clothing line, showcased her wild fashion sense with about a half-dozen costumes. Instead of leaving the stage for minutes at a time, it took only seconds for her to peel away the layers to reveal a new outfit. Is she resourceful or what?

Unlike many other pop stars, the 37-year-old recent mom wore outfits that were more whimsical than slutty.

For "Yummy," she wore a sparkly silver apron and chef's hat. She donned a sequined black cape for "Rich Girl" and showed off her miles of legs in red shorts during "Danger Zone."

Whatever she sang, the crowd gave her a lot of love. At one point, Stefani called the audience the loudest she's had on tour.

She worked the crowd into a frenzy as she raced through the audience and up into the lower bowl to sing "Cool" while surrounded by fans.

The crowd, which danced and sang along to hit singles "Wind It Up" and "Hollaback Girl," cheered when she announced that her next record would be with No Doubt.

After closing her main set with the autobiographical "Orange County Girl," Stefani returned for a two-song encore of "The Real Thing" and "What You Waiting For."

Earlier in the night, Akon and his female dancers, who were dressed as police officers, had the crowd grooving with a lively 30-minute set of likable smash singles, including "Smack That" and "Don't Matter." Unlike his Trinidad club show a couple months ago, he kept things strictly PG-13.



Contact the Omaha World-Herald newsroom

Gwen Stefani-The Sweet Escape Tour June 4 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

mandilambi85-Omaha Show Highlights!

Oh. My. Lord. Last night was just absolutely mind-blowing...it really was!!! My boyfriend, Chris, and I arrived at the Qwest Center at about 4:30pm. We didn't actually get in line until about 5:30pm and we stood in the will call line for an hour until they opened the doors. We got to meet another forumer, iamhere, which was a lot of fun and it really made the time pass quicker! (iamhere, it was great meeting you and Billy Jo. I'm glad we were able to chat a bit before the show. :-) Also I am going to have Chris get the pictures all ready to send asap!) Anyway, we found our seats on the front row. We looked like a bunch of blubbering idiots and I think it was completely obvious that we had never been on the front row before LOL...
We were all smiles. :-)..............CONTINUE
This is the pic of the gift mandilambi85 made for Gwen,

I had made Gwen a gift and had been planning this whole time on giving it to her in the encore....well, I SO TOTALLY GAVE THE GIFT TO HER!!!!!!!!! LOL Here's how it went....CONTINUE

Gwen Stefani concert is a treat-Big crowd treated to a feast for eyes and ears.

By David Lindquist -indiestar.com
Gwen Stefani, one of pop culture's queens of cool, didn't play down her gratitude when more than 23,000 people showed up for her concert Saturday at Verizon Wireless Music Center.
The No Doubt-singer-turned-pop-diva said she planned to write home about the packed house -- which was a surprise regardless of Stefani's solo hits and a promotional price of $9.31 for lawn tickets.
Perhaps Indiana is starved for entertainment, or maybe people want to visit Verizon in advance of its possible sale and demise as a concert venue.
There's also the appeal of Stefani, who combines grit and style to route 1980s pop sensibilities through a 21st-century hip-hop world.
She's not an overpowering or far-reaching vocalist, but her artistic vision and willingness to take risks demand attention.
The show opened with two production numbers worthy of the videos Stefani makes for MTV. "The Sweet Escape" and "Rich Girl" offered a prison-break/safe-cracker plot line that added a gold veneer to Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" and echoed the madcap visuals of TV's "Batman" of the 1960s.
Lollipops and cupcakes appeared on video screens during "Yummy," framing Stefani as a rudimentary rapper in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
Serious relationship woes dominated "Early Winter," a winning new-wave-influenced ballad based on keyboards and a haunting bass line. There's not a lot of difference between the 2006 song and Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right" from the same year.
Within the lyrics of "Wind It Up," Stefani protests: "They're trying to bite our style." Although it's unfortunate her work often lands in a logjam of Furtado and Fergie, it's only logical to agree that Stefani sets the pace.
Supporting act Akon kept his program moving by performing abbreviated versions of songs built upon depth-charge bass tones seemingly boomed from his home country of Senegal.
Akon's ability to make world-tinged hits is reminiscent of Wyclef Jean, but Akon boasts more melodies, and he doesn't overthink things.
Lack of thought may be his downfall on the R-rated version of "I Wanna Love You" (the audience sang to fill the naughty blank of the chorus Saturday) and his bonehead lyric of "kick it like tae bo" from "Smack That."
Akon lowered himself to lip-synch during "Smack That," but redemption arrived during "Don't Matter," the likable smash that features a reggae lilt and an R. Kelly vocal cadence.

Stefani undoubtedly is improving as solo performer

FLINT JOURNAL REVIEW AUBURN HILLSTHE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, June 03, 2007By Doug Pullendpullen@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6140
QUICK TAKE
Review

AUBURN HILLS - It's not surprising that Gwen Stefani's 2004 solo debut, "Love.Angel.Music.Baby," was such a smash hit, not after a long and fruitful run fronting No Doubt.

What was surprising was how forced and mechanical the first stage show of her solo career was in 2005.

So her return to The Palace on Friday was a nice surprise on a few counts. For one thing, the 37-year-old O.C. girl obviously was much more comfortable fronting a big show without her old bandmates. For another, she assured the crowd of 13,000 that "we're gonna be doing a No Doubt record next, which is amazing."

Never mind that many of the young girls scattered around the arena have no clue who No Doubt is. Stefani has garnered a whole new audience with her two dance-oriented solo albums, including last year's "The Sweet Escape," for which this tour is named.

She's gotten as much if not more exposure on radio, TV and the Web for her teen-friendly songs, many of which deal with very adult emotions. "What You Waiting For?" - with which she closed Friday's often dazzling, sometimes plodding 90-minute set on an emphatic note - was written about her desire to have a baby.

She did: Son Kingston just celebrated his first birthday. But the metronomic beat is so irresistible and the refrain so catchy that you can hear the song 1,000 times and not glean its meaning.

"Danger Zone," a song heavily influenced by synth-heavy '80s rock, is about a serious conflict with hubby Gavin Rossdale. The teenage girls who made up the bulk of Friday's crowd may not get that, but they can relate to feeling betrayed, an anger Stefani - in red lamé hot pants and black-and-white striped blouse - tapped with fiery intensity as she bounded across the large stage without benefit of her eight rubbery dancers.

She turned "Cool," a song about getting over former lover and No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal, into an appreciation of her new fans, venturing to the mixing board and into the seats on each side of the lower bowl with her guitarist and keyboardist in tow.

That sense of thankfulness was all over Friday's show, which opened with saucy British rapper Lady Sovereign (whose set I missed) and sweet-voiced sex bomb Akon (whose pure hustle of a set I wish I'd missed).

Stefani spoke appreciatively of her fans and often thanked the crowd, which included members of her family (her dad, Dennis Stefani, originally is from Detroit) and keyboardist Chris Cooley.

The problem with drawing the show's 16 songs exclusively from her two solo albums is that some are better on disc than on stage. Even with all the dressing, songs like "Now That You Got It," a medley of "Don't Get It Twisted" and "Breakin' Up" and the dreadful "Wind It Up" fell flat Friday. And that dressing includes a half-dozen costume changes, inventive use of video screens, Stefani's ever-present Harajuku Girls (and boys) dancers and a crack six-piece band that includes David Bowie's rhythm section of bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (who sang beautifully on a wonderful "The Real Thing") and drummer Zach Alford.

Even so, Stefani seldom fell flat. Makes you wonder what she could do with a third solo album and tour.

source

Gwen Stefani-The Sweet Escape Tour June 2 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center

FAN POSTS ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

amynxdx1982 -my indy review - with pics :o)
So I'm finally on a computer LOL ... It took me awhile! Anyways, the Indy show was AMAZING! Like everyone else said there were 23,000 people there!!! It was insane to look back and just see tons of heads everywhere! Kingston took his first steps that day too :o) Gwen's so cute, you could tell she was hella excited. That girl Stephanie got pulled up on stage because of her ENORMOUS ND tattoo... It's a bada** tattoo!
finish reading on the FORUMand check out the amazing pictures Amy took on the night!

Amy along with Daiana,Philippe,and Fabio run a great No Doubt/Gwen websiteEIT (Everything in Time) go there to download some great quality videos along with the recent videos from Amy

Here are two great pics of Amy....(thanks for letting me post them Amy:)x )

Amy and shotyme:

Amy and Stephen

amynxdx1982-videos of Gwen concert in Noblesville (Indy) on EIT

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Catnip2day -Gwen Encounter At INDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG What a night... I don't know where to begin... pictures will be up tomorrow to tired tonight to do it had to drive back to cleveland.... Anyways.. so like halfway through the concert (i had row 2 seats) I went up and gave gwen a rose!! She took it from me and I had my lamb hoodie on and she goes "oh she has lamb on.. you look good in it." So i am freaking out obviously.. last song in the show when she came on for the encore and was bowing and such i stick out my tour book I bought and a sharpie and she takes it and signs the book with my sharpie!!! I almost had a heart attack!! I have this on video and pictures as well.. look for them tomorrow.. I bought the doll, necklace and tour book.. too much money but the night was incredible!!!!!

schnitzel with noodles-"This is the BIG show!"
So, the Noblesville, IN show was nothing short of phenomonal. I was in Section F Row X Seat 24 dead center and saw everything. It was my first Gwen show and I was not expecting it to be half as amazing as it was. She was everything I dreamed she would be from her voice to the cute limpy walk/strut she does. When the lights went out I started screaming crying like a baby. It was embarassing-but deffinately worth it.

So this is how the night went for me...........CLICK

CLUK87 took some great pics here are just a couple


follow the link to see more
CLUK87-Disgustingly Delicious...My Indy Pics


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JDPorter

Gwen dazzles, No Doubt about it

Singer's set thrills crowd of 13,000
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC CRITIC

In her decade-plus stint in the spotlight, Gwen Stefani has donned a variety of musical guises: new-wave rock revivalist, hip-hop crossover singer, brassy pop diva.

All made an appearance Friday evening at the sold-out Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Southern California star brought her Sweet Escape world tour to a young, amped-up crowd of 13,000-plus.

On a primed-to-party night at the Palace, Stefani dealt from a pack of crowd-pleasing solo hits (“Hollaback Girl,” “Wind It Up”) while eschewing the songs that had brought fame in the 1990s to her band No Doubt.

It was pop production 2007-style, for better or worse: a lively, carefully calibrated set with supersized dance numbers, mega staging and fashion mix-and-match as the charismatic blondie arrayed herself in modified ’50s skirts and sequined track suits. A big letter “G” glimmered above the stage, which was flanked by high-definition video screens that often lured fans’ eyes from the real-life action.

For all the polish, though, there was something friendly and approachable about Stefani’s performance, a 100-minute show that took her into the aisles during a vigorous rendition of “Cool.” And despite the scripted trimmings that come with these sorts of affairs, the 37-year-old seemed intent to keep her songs front and center, appearing truly engaged even with the duds (a flavorless “Yummy,” a sloppy encore misfire of “The Real Thing”).

Launching with the high-energy title track from last year’s “The Sweet Escape,” Stefani was backed by an athletic eight-member dance troupe and rapper Akon, who had opened the evening with an impressively solid set of sing-songy hip-hop. A six-piece band provided versatile accompaniment as Stefani lent her distinctive, punchy alto to an early set list that featured the ’80s-inspired “4 in the Morning” and the warm “Luxurious.”

The set was smartly paced, building to a crescendo as Stefani swung into the closing stretch of her regular set, which rounded out with her new musical manifesto, “Orange County Girl.”

With a mostly female crowd that included gaggles of teens gearing up for summer break, the Palace was the latest stop on Stefani’s tour, which launched last month and will take her through Europe, Japan and Australia by the time she wraps up in October.

Next up, as she reminded the crowd late Friday night, will be a regrouping of No Doubt. It could prove a tough test as Stefani integrates herself back into a band context by stepping off her solo platform -- a milieu where she’s clearly drawing satisfaction.

Stefani seemed to genuinely enjoy herself onstage at the Palace, connecting to her audience with an emotional investment missing from the recent Detroit performances of pop peers such as Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. Strong, intuitive and even earthy amid the pizzazz, this was girl-power pop that didn’t feel compelled to belabor the point.

Stefani makes a 'Sweet' return to The Palace

Steve Perez / The Detroit News
Gwen Stefani is greeted by her opening act, Akon, during the Detroit stop of her "Sweet Escape 2007" tour Friday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. A sellout crowd of more than 13,000 saw them perform.




Stefani makes a 'Sweet' return to The Palace
Adam Graham / The Detroit News

Gwen Stefani
Friday night, The Palace of Auburn Hills
Grade: B
Early look

This report was filed before the show finished. For an updated review, visit detnews.com/entertainment.

You can always count on Gwen Stefani for style. But she came with a fair amount of substance, too, when she brought her "Sweet Escape 2007" tour to a sold-out crowd of 13,000-plus at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday night.

When it comes to the once and future No Doubt singer, substance is, of course, a relative term; it's not like she's aiming to solve world hunger. But in terms of giving fans value for their dollar, Stefani showed a marked improvement over the last time she visited The Palace with a solo show, in fall 2005.

It helps that she now has another album to pull from -- December's "The Sweet Escape" -- but everything about Friday's show was refined, from the staging to the costumes to Stefani herself, who seemed to be enjoying herself on stage much more than before. It probably helps that this time she wasn't pregnant.

Stefani took the stage at 9:50 p.m., emerging from a gold-plated jail cell and dressed like the most stylish convict since at least Paris Hilton. She was joined by true ex-con (and show opener) Akon on the new album's title track, while a golden "G" flashed and flickered high above the stage.

Stefani was intermittently joined by eight dancers and a six-piece backing band and was flanked by a wall of video screens. She was all theatrics, acting out her songs by aping the moves of silent film stars and vaudeville performers, playing up her Betty Boop-meets-Minnie Mouse persona.

She was more Marilyn Monroe than Madonna, merrily playing dress-up on stage -- she donned an apron and a chef's hat on "Yummy," an apparent ode to cupcakes -- while performing songs from what she self-deprecatingly called her "dance records." (The No Doubt songbook, alas, went untouched.)

Stefani's time with No Doubt proved she can work a crowd, and she was able to call on that experience Friday, rushing into the audience to perform "Cool" in a sea of fans.

And she let her material breathe, as "Early Winter" was given an extended outro, and "Now That You Got It" -- one of the most pulsating, hip-hop-leaning tracks on her new album -- was turned into a reggae jam at its close.

But the problem with Stefani's new material is it doesn't have the same punch as her early solo hits. Her debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," helped usher in the era of Fergie and Nelly Furtado, but some of her newer songs -- like "The Sweet Escape" -- sound like they're following current trends instead of setting them.

Stefani gave much love to The Palace crowd, saying her roots are in Michigan and her father grew up in the area. But some of her aw-shucks speeches felt strange; you're a giant star, Gwen, so own it. You don't have to thank the fans for buying your albums, though it is a nice sentiment.

The show was opened by hitmaker Akon, who had the mostly female, heavily teenage audience crowing as he took his shirt and undershirt off and threw them to the audience. But he disappointed by handing over too much of his already brief 30-minute set to his female proteges Brick & Lace, who proved a useless diversion.

Gwen Stefani-The Sweet Escape Tour June 1 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills

FAN POST ON THE NO DOUBT FORUM

b2theobby7 -DETROIT SHOW!
Was amazing! I took tons of pics and they'll be up as soon as I unpack my cord. I just moved back to Michigan last week so I'm still getting organized. But I of course had time to go see Gwen! They had TONS of key necklaces so I bought 2, a date shirt, and a program. Lady Sovereign was ok I guess. I don't really like her music and I didn't think the whole beer thing was funny. But oh well thank god she only sang a few songs. Akon was ok too, but I hated that girl group he introduced. He sang shortened versions of most of his hits. FINALLY Gwen started at around ten, and was of course amazing. I was peeing myself as she pointed and waved at me. I was in the fourth row which was soo close. I swear I could smell her. By the way, she sang Wonderful Life, so no U Started It. I'll have my pics and a more in depth review soon.
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GwenStefaniFan -DETROIT SHOW!
I was there too. I loved the show, but the audience sucked - at least near me. We were 16th row. Nearly everyone around us seemed to have a meet & greet pass and not one of them was even a fan of Gwen. I looked around and everyone looked bored and nobody knew the words - not even to big songs like Wind It Up and 4ITM. The only ones people seemed excited about were Sweet Escape and Hollaback Girl. A lot of people near us left before Gwen was even done, some as early as halfway through the show. I think there were way more people there for Akon. Too many little kids standing on their chairs too, so we couldn't really see. My friend got hit in the head with Lady Sovereign's drumstick and had to go to first aid and didn't even get it, some other girl grabbed it.

I'm second row in Chicago, so hopefully that will be better. With all that said, Gwen rocked it and put on a great show as always.
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katk37835 -DETROIT SHOW!
i was there and got to meet gwen that night!!!!!!! my friends in reel big fish got me hooked up with meet and greet passes, since they know i'm such a huge fan!! i also got to hang out with her dancers the night before and that night after the show. i met them previously in Dallas and Houston just a few weeks ago!

she was amazing as usual! i 've met her a few times and she's nothing but nice. she knew right as she walked up to me how big of a fan i was, cause i was all decked out in LAMB. i had the stripped red and white pants from her 1st collection and sleevless top from the 2nd and then a LAMB studded belt. she walked up to me and was like "hi...omg your wearing pants from my 1st collection! wow.... " and she was just admiring them. and she was just chit chatting away with us since she knew how big of a fan i was. Super Sweet and she told us to hang out after so we could get pics with her on our own, instead of groups of 4 like the radio winners we were in the room with!! BEST. she also signed EVERYTHING for me!

i will be at the chicago show, front row center! i can't wait. this tour is sooo amazing!! better than the last

i took some AMAZING videos at all the shows i've been at. not all the detroit videos r up yet, since i've been working this weekend. but i do have full videos of The Sweet Escape (houston) Early Winter (dallas) and Yummy (Detroit)

here's my pics from meeting gwen. i will have a blog up soon on my myspace (www.myspace.com/katk) of both detroit and the dallas and houston shows in a few days.


here is the pic of Kat and Gwen go to the forum to see more pics
katk37835 -DETROIT SHOW!
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