Blige show proves powerful

Soul singer Mary J. Blige showed the female-heavy crowd on Sunday at DTE Energy Music Theater that, despite overcoming a troubled past, it's hard to escape it.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul scatted through parts of her aggressive performance of "My Life," tossing in several asides about perseverance. Blige then chanted "let it burn" as flames exploded through the stage.
Elaborate? Yes. Intense? Indeed.
"You see me in the streets and say 'You saved my life,'" she said, in one of several classy outfits tailored for a soul singer of her caliber. "But you saved my life."
Although most of the glitz added to the two-hour show, including showy pyrotechnics and moving platforms, the hokey short films that served as backdrops to songs like "Father In You" and "I Found My Everything" distracted from the show's main event – Blige's authoritative voice.
A voice that carries an intense, emotional punch. A voice that's become elastic-like since Blige's debut. A voice that caused thousands of women to rally in support of a soul diva who defeated her demons and came out on top, musically and mentally.
"Don't think for a minute I don't know how I got here," Blige said. "It's 'cause ya'll."
Halfway through the show, Blige introduced singer Dave Young, who co-wrote songs on "The Breakthrough" album and the first artist signed to her Matriarch Records label, to perform with her.
Although Blige omitted her dramatic rendition of U2's "One" due to time constraints, she belted out hits like "Everything," "Real Love," "I'm Going Down" and the show opener "MJB Da MVP," a song off her new album that chronicles her career.
The highlight, though, came during the dynamic "No More Drama," where Blige treated the stage as if it represented past demons, crushing them with her stilettos as she pounded the ground.
"I have to make me happy first," she said.
Girl, amen to that.