Selena Gomez has upped her diva game.
The pop singer, who broke into the business as a child star on the TV show “Barney and Friends” in the early 2000s, is now firmly competing in the big leagues.
Correction: She’s not just competing — she’s winning.
Her show on Wednesday night at the SAP Center in San Jose was a pop music tour de force, easily topping what we’ve seen from the majority of other big pop stars who’ve played the Bay Area over the last 12 months. It was also light years better than Gomez’s last visit to the Shark Tank, which came during 2013’s Stars Dance Tour.
The 23-year-old Texan has dubbed this outing her Revival Tour, which makes sense since it’s supporting her sophomore release of the same name. Yet, a more appropriate moniker for the trek might be the Arrival Tour.
For, after seeing this tour, there’s little doubt that Gomez has arrived. And she appears ready to take her place among the best in the business.
There were no Orlando Bloom sightings, Justin Bieber signs torn or other tabloid-worthy moments, like there had been at recent Gomez shows. And we didn’t need them. She was able to thrill the 10,000-plus fans just by diving into her two chart-topping albums, 2013’s “Stars Dance” and last year’s “Revival,” bolstered by some great choreographed danced routines and a steady succession of cool outfits.
Opening with the arresting electro-pop nugget “Same Old Love,” Gomez delivered a well-paced 80-minute set that sparkled with personality and sailed along with a sense of purpose. It was the kind of bold, mature and ambitious outing that we’ve seen from Beyonce, Katy Perry and, occasionally, Lady Gaga over the years.
Sure, Gomez doesn’t have nearly the songbook of those other stars. Too many of her songs still come across like the musical equivalent of cotton candy. Yet, a good sugar rush can be fun now and again. Plus, with the release of “Revival,” her catalog is definitely trending up.
With help from a live band and backup singers, Gomez delivered a near-shocking level of pure star power as she worked the stage, while her hair was being blown back in just the right fashion by a wind machine. She must spend a lot of time practicing in front of a mirror, because every pose she hit felt like it came straight off a classic-rock poster on some dorm-room wall. It was in this area — arguably the most important for any pop show — that Gomez has grown the most since her last tour.
The multimedia star covered a lot of ground in a relatively short time on this night, playing up the sex appeal on a sultry, slow “Good for You,” charming with the wide-eyed innocence of “Love You like a Love Song” and pumping up the crowd with the party anthem “Slow Down.” She’s the type of performer who can go from singing a touching Christian tune (a cover of Hillsong Worship’s “Transfiguration”) to a video showing her frolicking about semi-naked — and be equally believable in each setting.
Gomez stayed strong throughout the night, delivering some of her best work as she neared the finish line with a cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and her own recent single “Kill Em With Kindness.”
DNCE, Joe Jonas’ new outfit, was one of the evening’s opening acts. The pop group definitely connected with the fans, even though most of its tunes were, at best, mediocre. Indeed, songs like “Toothbrush” — with its refrain “Baby you don’t have to rush/You can leave a toothbrush at my place” — make one long for the lyrical depth of a bubble gum commercial jingle.
Follow Jim Harrington at twitter.com/jimthecritic.
