Chris Brown

Photograph: Mark Mann

Madison Square Garden; Thu 17
Prudential Center; Wed 23

Just last month, R&B heartthrob Chris Brown topped an MSG bill that also featured reggae-lite crooner Sean Kingston; YouTube dance-craze instigator Soulja Boy; Lil’ Mama, the young Brooklyn femcee who raps about lip gloss with the intensity of Big Daddy Kane dissing half-steppers; and Bow Wow, a former kiddie rapper who’s grown into a sour 20-year-old with a chip on his shoulder. If nothing else, the show’s lineup proved that, while it’s become increasingly difficult to tell Disney Channel acts and emo bands apart, the black side of the teen-music equation is currently home to an eclectic group of young talent.

Apparently that show went off well because it’s already back for a second round, minus Kingston and Lil’ Mama (Shop Boyz, the group behind last year’s ringtone-rap hit “Party Like a Rockstar,” open the show). While the other acts are surely capable of delivering their hits competently, it’s doubtful any will match the energy of Brown’s stage show. As his performance at this year’s MTV Music Awards illustrated, the 18-year-old Virginian is a slick and, dare we say, electrifying performer cut from the same cloth as Usher and Michael Jackson. His newly released sophomore LP, Exclusive, is a big arena-rock record wrapped in R&B clothing (think Off the Wall or Confessions) that feels tailor-made for lofty stages like these.

—Jesse Serwer