Black Eyed Peas bring that boom boom pow to NYC's Madison Square Garden

The Black Eyed Peas are ridiculous It’s the whole point of their post-2003 career: will.i.am, in particular, is a first-class musical genius whose greatest talent happens to be making deeply silly songs about partying and fun and world peace and stuff.

	Yet the spirit of ecstatic excess that’s so crucial to the Peas’ recorded work can backfire in concert. In between the barrage of hits, we got sideshow after sideshow, all seemingly with the goal of putting as many crazy things as possible on stage. will.i.am freestyled while fans’ text messages — “Will you ask Fergie if I can have her outfit after the show?” — appeared on a pair of huge screens. Fergie and apl.de.ap had a serious conversation about the merits of New York pizza. And each Pea got a solo showcase to him- or herself midway through the evening.

Fergie’s was fantastic, since she is a confident live singer with actual solo hits like “Fergalicious,” “Glamorous,” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” apl.de.ap and Taboo’s respective sets were fine but superfluous, unless you consider the sight of Taboo flying overhead on a suspended motorcycle to be a necessary one. will.i.am’s solo turn, however, was something close to a disaster