One look at a lineup as stacked as that for TIDAL X 1015, the concert taking place Oct. 15 at the Barclays Center, makes two facts apparent: The event is for charity (it’s being co-hosted by the Robin Hood Foundation), and, with 22 artists — everyone from Ms. Lauryn Hill to Lil Yachty — on the bill, no one is going to get a tremendous amount of time on stage.
This is not new: Radio station seasonal concerts have lived off this format for years, and some music festivals feature sets bordering on this sort of ADHD-addled scheduling. It can be frustrating for fans of an artist to see the same setlists, over and over again; the time restrictions tend to put a damper on creativity.
Part of TIDAL’s mission statement is to give fans access to “unique music and content experiences.” If that’s the case, how can some of the artists at this Saturday’s show make their contributions “unique”? Here are some ideas for set lists that may be light on hits, but much more interesting than standard three-song performances.
Robin Thicke
“Got to Give It Up,” “Sexual Healing,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)“
Whether you felt like “Blurred Lines” was a rip-off of or an homage to Marvin Gaye is irrelevant; it’s clear that Thicke’s biggest hit has the late soul singer’s fingerprints all over it. So, if everyone’s always going to bring up Gaye’s name when they mention you, lean into it — a three-song celebration of one of the most beloved performers of all time might be a solid goodwill move.
Alicia Keys
“Empire State of Mind,” “Streets of New York,” “All the Critics Love U in New York”
Even in a shortened setlist, it seems unlikely that Keys will escape her megahit of seven years back — and that goes double if Jay Z is in the building. But it can also be a theme for her set, a tribute to the city, thanks to her international-only release “Streets of New York” (and if Nas and Rakim, who both guested on “Streets…” are around, even better) and maybe a cover of one of her idols, Prince.
Nicki Minaj
“Monster,” “Bottoms Up,” “Up All Night”
There may be no rapper alive that can do more with 16 bars than Nicki Minaj. It may be easy for hip-hop fans to forgive her as she’s churned out pop hit after pop hit, but Minaj made her name with verses that would make mixtape fans hit rewind. A celebration of that particular skill, the ability to steal a song from the main artist with one verse, would have to include the three above songs and several more to reach her likely set time, but seeing Minaj change up her style that many times in one set would be fun to watch.
Beyoncé
“[The 2016 Edition of the Brooklyn Phonebook]”
Let’s test the cliche: Could Beyoncé move the crowd just by reading the phone book? Better question: Would you bet against her?
If you go: TIDAL X 1015, featuring Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj and others, takes place at Barclays Center on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m., 620 Atlantic Ave., Prospect Heights, 917-618-6100, $50-$179.50.
