Gwen Stefani
October 15, 2016
The Forum- Inglewood, CA
According to Gwen Stefani, “It has been a good seven years since I’ve been on tour.”
The former No Doubt front woman confessed she’s been bottling up these emotions and claims this year has been an emotional rollercoaster for her, which has led to the birth of her new album This is What the Truth Feels Like. After an on again/ off again relationship with No Doubt, who has recently released statements of continuing with Davey Havok, the frontman for AFI, she has found herself completely engulfed into a solo project.
The This is What the Truth Feels Like tour kicked off July 12th, and finally made its way back to The Forum in Inglewood with Eve as her opening act Saturday and Sunday. It was a sold-out show with more than two hours of playing time, reaching nearly 30 songs. Tracks ranged from every album, including Love Angel Music Baby, The Sweet Escape, and a good majority consisting of those from her newest released album.
The set opened with Red Flag which briefly describes some issues that she and Gavin Rossdale faced, leading to the split of their 13 years of marriage. It seems as though this type of emotion could be comparable to the amount of inspiration that compelled her to write Tragic Kingdom, which was released after the split of her and former boyfriend Tony Kanal. Many of the lyrics open 
up to her and Rossdale’s relationship issues, giving the audience a scope into her personal life.
Stefani came running onto stage in a classic Gwen- esque outfit complete with plaid red pants, knee-high combat boots, and a flag draped from her suspenders. Many customized costume changes followed, complete with sequins and crazy patterns while her iconic red lips and platinum blonde hair remained. She spoke personally about her life as of recently, but it appeared that Gwen Stefani has moved on to a more pop- inspired lifestyle.
Besides her costume changes, her performance of No Doubt songs with only two original members (Gabriel McNair and Stephen Bradley) seemed somewhat lackluster compared to the usual full-band performance. The energy did not feel the same, and she was not her usual “girl that hangs with the guys” self. Compared to all of her other performances with No Doubt, there were no climbing of towers, push-ups, or intimate dances during band- mate’s solos that all made for No Doubt’s known stage presence. Some of the original tracks that were performed were: Underneath it All, Hella Good, It’s My Life, and Don’t Speak.
Stefani seemed to be over the top with her actions, trying to engage the younger audience and to continue her ride to fame on her new solo ventures. Blake Shelton, her current boyfriend and country music singer, even made his way on stage as a guest appearance where the couple sang a country duet that was very different for the ska-alternative rock queen.
The appearance of Eve during her set took the audience by surprise with the performance of the 2001 hit, Let Me Blow Your Mind. The two seemed to still have the original chemistry which made for one of their top hits Rich Girl, which was also performed later in the evening.
The night continued with songs that the crowd was able to sing along to, with an encore of three songs: Truth, Just a Girl, and Sweet Escape.
By: Kirstyn Chambers
