EDMONTON - Gwen Stefani is never far from what appear to be four sexy Japanese schoolgirls. They enhance, and also reflect her radiant sexuality.

The former No Doubt frontwoman sings, sexily, if sexily is even a word, about sexy things in sexy songs whilst attired in a wide variety of sexy clothes. A lot of money and good lighting is employed to emphasize these assets. She is in fact a very sexually attractive specimen of womanhood - a real "catch" for any man, as they used to say but not anymore since she got married and became a mom.

I mention all this only in passing to wonder if all this high-impact, big-production sexuality is wasted on its obvious target - men - when the bulk of Gwen Stefani's audience is young women - young, attractive women who in varying degrees emulate their favourite sex goddess up on stage.

And where were the boyfriends? A few in tow last night at Rexall Place, but this gig was a freakin' hen party, 12,500 strong.

The old saying may be true: Women buy sexy underwear not to turn on their husbands/boyfriends/significant others - but to show it off to their girlfriends.

More study, and careful study, on this unusual conundrum is needed.

Anyway, back to the show. On her second solo tour to support her second solo album, The Sweet Escape, Stefani once again delivered the biggest diva spectacle she could afford - pretty big. Like divas and their diva spectacles before her - Mariah Carey, Madonna, Cher and Stefani herself here in 2005 - it's not "listen to my song!" It's not even about "listen to me sing!" It's "look at me!" While it's true this show was less overtly sexual than the last one, the costumes generally less revealing, its set list larded with inferior ballads, in fact overall a bit disappointing, there is simply no mistaking the message in a line from her new album: "I'm feeling yummy head to toe. I got no patience, so let's go." Especially while accompanied by sexy dancing chefs.

Things took a while to warm up.

The show opened with a total dud in the title track from The Sweet Escape, a corny, schmaltzy number that sounds like a Honeydrippers outtake (if you are too young to remember the Honeydrippers, a particularly malignant band from the '80s, consider yourself lucky).

Much better was Rich Girl, a big hit from her first solo album, and accompanied last night by a shower of green confetti, a vague crime/prisoner theme and amazing feats of break dancing. From there, it was a hit and miss affair. At times, frankly, it was a bit too mushy, older tunes from Love Angel Music Baby often towering over the newer material. But the production numbers were slick, a bit predictable, but a fun way to show off Stefani's, ahem, maturing sexuality. Plus there were Japanese schoolgirls.

Maybe this is all about young girls and their pop star role models. Stefani is a 37-year-old mother, after all - and still looking hot. Like I say, more study is needed.

The buff and rippled opening act Akon - the West African Shaggy, by the sounds of it - had a captive audience to warm up in more ways than one.

Put it this way: It is wholly redundant to say that he's sending out "one for the ladies.." It's all for the ladies.

After a short opening set from the interesting if strident Lady Sovereign - who dominated that tiny musical nexus between DJ-driven house music and old-school punk rock - Akon went into full macho-rapper-pro-wrestler-sex-god mode and didn't let up for at least half an hour, displaying almost as many costume changes as the headliner - as long as you count doffing layers of ever tighter shirts as costume changes. The women loved it.

No female of any age was immune from his spell. At one point in a reggae-ified, speeded-up take on R&B that often sounded like a wall of goo, the rapper gave his shirt to a breathless girl-child in the front row.

He followed that with an account of how he once fell in love with a stripper and then, on cue, off came his final, sweat-soaked shirt - and into the crowd it went. Oy, you should've heard the screaming.

At least he didn't hurl any teenagers into the crowd - not that I want to encourage such reckless behaviour, but that kid will think twice about heckling a second time, hmm? - but later came up to help out the headliner and throw himself into Stefani's arms.

Hard to know what to make of that.