Alicia Keys performs during the Citi AAdvantage “Love The Journey” concert at Avery Fisher Hall, on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012 in New York.

Let me just be honest and say that I don’t like Alicia Keys’ new song “Girl on Fire.” So when Citi Group invited me to attend the  Citi® / AAdvantage® Love The Journey Concert Series featuring Alicia Keys; though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her music for years, I was a little hesitant, figuring that with a new album she’d be performing new songs. And if they were anything like “Girl on Fire,” the experience probably wouldn’t be one that I would enjoy.

But I was wrong. So wrong in fact that by the end of the night, I was feeling guilty for having doubted Alicia’s talent, passion and catalog.

Last night, in the Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, she shut it all the way down.

First, she came out looking fabulously in body-hugging pants and a cut-out wrap top. Then she performed fan favorites, including a reggae version of “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Woman’s Worth” “Fallin’,” and “Unbreakable.”

And she addressed my concerns by performing a couple of tracks from the new album, like “Girl on Fire,” which I’m still not too fond of and a song which I really liked called “Brand New Me.” 

The highlight of the night for me came when Keys performed my all-time favorite song of her’s “I Need You.” (She even mentioned that it’s one of her favorite songs too.)

With the energy in the concert hall at an all time high for the night, Alicia concluded her set with an encore, singing “If I Ain’t Got You,” and making me a believer once again.