Gwen Stefani brings energetic, colorful pop show to American Express golf tournament

Gwen Stefani made one thing clear on Friday night while performing at the American Express golf tournament in La Quinta: "It's my show and I can do whatever I want."

She opened with her 2006 feel-good hit "The Sweet Escape," serenading a group of diehard fans and attendees of the tournament while singing and dancing with dozen backup dancers in colorful zebra-patterned costumes. The performance was a mix of songs from her tenure in the band No Doubt and the songs that launched her as a successful pop artist.

The nostalgia of No Doubt's ska-punk songs such as "Sunday Morning," "Ex-Girlfriend" and "Don't Speak" in a setlist with the girl-pop anthems "Rich Girl," "Used to Love You" and "Wind It Up" seems paradoxical, but Stefani makes it work and celebrates her past and present.

Stefani noticed a group of six women dressed as cheerleaders early in the show, mentioning they have attended several shows. This group, spotted earlier in the day standing in line, includes Kenedi LaPorte, Ash Lazer, Lyndsey Price, Jen Portillo, Maddie Cole and Cami Ferreira, and all are from different U.S. cities. The six friends, ranging in ages from 19 to 28, met through Twitter, each have attended between 15 and 20 of Stefani's shows. They're also ambassadors for her cosmetics line GXVE.

When asked what the young fans enjoy about the 53-year-old pop singer, Ferreira said Stefani is a "relatable" person."

"She's all about love, having fun, and enjoying your life," Ferreira said. "She talks about her life and everything she's been through, and she's honest"

It's not the first time the group has seen Stefani perform in a sports setting.

In July, the girls traveled to the Iowa Speedway to see Stefani perform at the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300. The superfans are not only ambassadors for Stefani's cosmetics, but also have met her. LaPorte showed a photo on her phone with Stefani from the Iowa performance.

"We talk about it all the time like, 'How did this happen to us?' We were online one day tweeting and then we became friends, met up at a show and it became this big friendship,'" LaPorte said. "Everything you see from (Stefani) online or how she is on TV, that's exactly how she is in person. She's so down to earth."

"She inspires us so much every day," said Cami Ferreira, who is originally from Brazil. "When I arrived in this country, I had a language barrier and her music united everything and provided that road for me. I feel complete now because I have my friends. We also have a big social media presence and (Stefani) is always interacting with us — it's a special connection."

Also in line were friends Liam McEwan, Ben Fitchett and Eden Orne of Los Angeles. The trio, who are all originally from New Zealand, were enjoying golf earlier in the day and Fitchett said he was considering trying out a nearby putting exhibit but was more excited to see Stefani for the first time after growing up listening to No Doubt and Stefani's solo material.

"She knows how to make a song exciting to listen to," Fitchett said. "The production is crazy and 'Hollaback Girl' is such an iconic song."

McEwan first saw Stefani in New Zealand during The Sweet Escape Tour and described her as a "mix of a pop star and the nostalgia of the Y2K era."

Before Stefani performed "Ex-Girlfriend," she talked about coming to the La Quinta area with her family during difficult periods in recent years and how the "songs are real."

"This is not something I made up as a story and some of the songs actually suck for me to sing because it reminds me of s--tty, horrible, terrible times in my life, but because you guys are radiating so much love, I'm going to do this song for you," Stefani said.

Accusations of cultural appropriation

It was Stefani's first show of the year and followed recent controversy over an interview with Allure's Jesa Marie Calaor, who is Asian American. Stefani has faced accusations of cultural appropriation over the Japanese-inspired imagery Stefani used heavily on her 2004 album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," which birthed her No. 1 single "Hollaback Girl" along with her Harajuku Girls entourage and brands such as Harajuku Lovers fragrance.

Stefani, who has previously disagreed with criticisms of her Harajuku era, doubled down when asked about the backlash. She cited her father's job at Yamaha as her inspiration. The January interview was headlined "I Said, 'My God, I'm Japanese.'"

"I think it was a silly thing to say to a journalist and surprised a publicist wasn't on hand to be like, 'Hey, think about how that reads,'" McEwan said. "But when I read it in (Stefani's) voice, I understood what she was saying and when you read the headline, it sounds ridiculous. But then when you read it in the context, I feel like she was trying to say it was ingrained in her life and that's how she feels about it."

It's not the first accusation of cultural appropriation aimed at Stefani. She was also criticized for wearing a bindi (a South Asian religious symbol) in the 1990s and also for her 2005 "Luxurious" music video, in which she imitated Hispanic culture and seductively danced in an Our Lady of Guadalupe shirt. In 2012, Stefani donned Native American attire in No Doubt's "Looking Hot" music video, which depicted a Cowboys vs. Indians fight with teepees and feathered headdresses.

"I'm a Latina and it means a lot to me to see and have representation," Portillo said. "She's someone I admire so much and I don't take offense to it. I think it's amazing she wants to celebrate different people."

Stefani didn't mention the controversy on Friday, but did tell her story before performing "Rich Girl" about growing up in Anaheim, being the lead singer of No Doubt and rehearsing in the same house where her father grew up. She said before leaving on the "Tragic Kingdom World Tour" in 1995, she had $1,000 to her name, a makeup bag and a couple of stage costumes she made herself.

At the end of the night, the cheerleader girls were brought on stage during "Hollaback Girl."

Next up: Darius Rucker

The American Express concert series has become a major part of tournament week for the PGA Tour event in recent years, attracting thousands of fans for two nights of music on the driving range at PGA West in La Quinta.

Popular country and pop star Darius Rucker is slated to round out this year's offerings with a concert on Saturday night.

More:Coming to the Darius Rucker concert at American Express? Here's what you need to know

Previous reporting by Desert Sun golf reporter Larry Bohannan is included in this report.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Gwen Stefani brings energetic, colorful pop show to American Express golf tournament