Janet Jackson dances through a hit-packed performance at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City

Only an artist as firmly ensconced in their diva status as Janet Jackson could open a concert with a video montage titled “50 Years … of Me,” as the singer did at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on Saturday night. It was a night of a nearly 40-song set packed with hits, precision dance moves, and several costume changes.

When DJ Infamous asked how many in the crowd were high schoolers in the 1990s, as he spun a selection of classic R&B and hip-hop tracks to kick off the evening, not everyone at the Hard Rock responded. Those that remained silent were more likely to have graduated well before that date, with their Janet fandom dating back to when she was a child star in Good Times or Diff’rent Strokes in the late ‘70s, or as she became a defining presence on MTV in the ‘80s.

Another multimedia celebrity opened the show. Ludacris’ rapid-fire 30-minute set included his own hits and verses he’d contributed to songs by the likes of Usher and DJ Khaled. The oversized sneakers and biceps from his music videos even made brief appearances. On Friday, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As the curtain opened on the headliner Saturday night, it revealed Jackson as almost a museum piece, standing center stage shrouded in a purple cloak and hood as she sang “Damita Jo,” the title track from her lesser-heralded 2004 album. Once she emerged from that velvet cocoon, Jackson — who celebrated her 57th birthday at the Divine Lorraine Hotel on Monday at a party hosted by Questlove — remained in nearly constant motion throughout the next two hours.

Jackson’s “Together Again” tour, which kicked off last month in Florida, is meticulously choreographed throughout — undeniably impressive in its nonstop dance moves, though a bit airless when it came to the connection between Janet and her adoring fans.

Aside from saying “I love you” a few times, Jackson didn’t speak much; the most affecting moment of the show came in silence, as she aimed her microphone at the crowd and let them handle the vocals for much of her ballad “Again,” seeming moved almost to tears in the process.

Even when Jackson did sing, her voice remained largely buried in the mix, nearly drowned out by her five-piece band (hidden in the shadows at the sides of the stage) and bolstered by a vocal track that carried the weight when the dancing took precedence. The singer promised a few songs never performed before in concert, then remained mostly close-lipped through a medley of obscure cuts like “Throb” and “Do It 2 Me.”

Jackson was never known for a powerhouse voice even in her prime, so it’s safe to say that her fans were thrilled just to watch her move. She did that impressively, along with a retinue of three skilled male dancers whose color-coded outfits turned them into Jackson’s muscular accessories. The show was broken into four acts, each with its own outfit and color scheme and jam-packed with songs performed in whole or, more often, in part.

After shedding the purple cloak, Jackson reemerged in a sparkling gold bodysuit accented by a purple bow, the dancers roaming the two-tiered stage in matching purple suits.

The second act, during which Jackson marathoned through classics like “Nasty,” “Control,” and “I Get Lonely,” was in stark black and white.

Part Three featured a bright-orange jumpsuit with deep cuts, while the final act took its cue from the monotone black palette of Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 and featured the impressive run of favorites from that album: “Miss You Much,” “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” “Escapade,” and “Rhythm Nation.” Michael Jackson even made a posthumous appearance on video for the siblings’ duo “Scream.”

The encore opened with live footage of Jackson backstage at her makeup table, following her onstage as she launched into the evening’s third version of tour theme song “Together Again.” It proved an apt thread to weave the night together — not only as a celebration of post-pandemic togetherness, but as an acknowledgment that Jackson’s fans were simply thrilled to bask in her presence once more.