Alicia Keys Gives the Performance of Her Life With 'Piano & I' Live at The Beacon Theatre

Posted on Jul 1st 2011 2:45PM by Contessa Gayles

Alicia Keys Diana Levine for AOL

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album, 'Songs in A Minor,' the always amazing Alicia Keys brought the house down last night (June 30) with an exclusive-to-AOL acoustic solo concert special, live from the Beacon Theatre in her native New York City.

On a candlelit stage, outfitted in a custom-made, black-sequined Givenchy suit jacket, Alicia transitioned from a piano prelude to the Beatles' 1968 hit 'Blackbird' to open her 'Piano & I' spectacular. During the welcome to her fans and viewers that followed, Alicia couldn't hide her hometown pride, revealing, "The city really wrote a lot of that first album."

Alicia performed a medley of covers, including "big inspiration" Mary J. Blige's 'Real Love' and Marvin Gaye's 1972 hit 'Trouble Man.' Alicia admitted she "stole" another of her idol's songs because she "loved it so much" -- Brian McKnight's 'Never Felt This Way,' which she then covered.

Alicia Keys Diana Levine for AOL

As Alicia recounted her endless hours spent riding the New York City subway, it became clear that her concert was a heartfelt tribute to her hometown.

The superstar informed audience members that they were required to sing along with her before launching into 'How Come You Don't Call Me,' a Prince cover she made all her own on 'Songs in A Minor,' followed by several other classics from the Grammy-winning 'Songs in A Minor.'

Alicia continued the acoustic show on the keys with classics from sophomore album, 'The Diary of Alicia Keys,' like 'Diary' and 'Karma,' followed by audience-voted 'Like You'll Never See Me Again' from third album, 'As I Am.' Her latest LP, 'The Element of Freedom,' got some love with 'Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart' and a powerful performance of 'Un-thinkable (I'm Ready).'

Alicia Keys Diana Levine for AOL

'If I Ain't Got You' was dedicated to the fans, and Billy Joel's 1967 'New York State of Mind' turned into 'Empire State of Mind.' In keeping with the 'Piano & I' concert title, Alicia performed the song brilliantly, all on her own.

She concluded the two-hour set with an inspirational rendition of 'Sure Looks Good to Me' and an emotional version of 'No One,' to a standing ovation.

Follow @AOLMusic on Twitter | Like AOL Music on Facebook

Download Alicia Keys Songs | Buy Alicia Keys Albums