(New Orleans, La.) – The rain poured into New Orleans almost as ferociously as the caravans, planes, trains and automobiles full of black folks ready to get an overdose of good times and great music thanks to the Essence Music Festival.
Not even torrential storms could stop the show that goes from morning until well after midnight thanks to concerts and the accompanying celebrity-filled music and empowerment sessions that have grown to include the biggest names in black entertainment.
Last weekend a soulful army of ponchos (purchased on the street, of course) trekked up, down and across the downtown area of New Orleans soaking in the festival and the city – and the star power that comes with the territory for the event.
The who’s who of black entertainment were centrally located for the 18th year at Essence Music festival – which boasts an audience of more than 400,000 from around the nation (and the globe) over the course of the first weekend in July.
Streets were lined with strangers sharing their own personal concert and afterparty reviews and echoes of, “Girl, is that….” and “girl, you won’t believe who I saw walking through the French Quarter!”
But undoubtedly, it’s the music that draws in the guests and the unmatched energy by the audience that attracts the artists.
Friday night in the Coca-Cola Lounge, Stephanie Mills took guests down memory lane and had tears flowing from both sides of the stage when she paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston with a jaw-dropping rendition of “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).” She called for a man from the crowd to help her with “Feel the Fire.” Kenny Lattimore emerged from the audience, and as a tag team they blew the audience even further away.
Just an hour before, blues legend-in-training Gary Clark Jr. used the same stage to have an audience – who probably walked in without a clue of who he was – eating from the palm of his hand. He offered an unforgettable combination of effortless first tenor-toned R&B vocals accompanied by the sickest guitar riffs since Hendrix.
Super Lounge shine was the recurring theme of the weekend thanks to additional performances by the likes of Leah LaBelle, Teedra Moses, Eric Roberson, Eve, Luke James, Carl Thomas and surprisingly SWV.
On the mainstage, another pleasant surprise was found in the set of R&B heartthrob Trey Songz. Usually one-dimensional and flat (both in stage performance and in vocals), Songz played the stage like his career was at stake. His high energy, controlled vocals and charisma had the crowd on its feet. Other acts who managed to impress by way of the mainstage included Kevin Hart, Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton and the always upbeat Charlie Wilson.
The lowest of notes were found in surprising places as well on the mainstage. Ledisi’s upbeat choreographed segment rested far beneath her potential. Ledisi opted for a presentation reminiscent of a failed Beyonce impersonation with respect to stage style. D’Angelo returned to the stage for the first full set in more than a decade that left fans unfulfilled thanks to an awkward, jumbled and downright confusing presentation – until a small snippet of “Untitled (How Does it Feel)” reminded them of his artistry.
Superstar conclusion –and confusion
Just as The Pointer Sisters ushered in the first musical performance of the 18th Annual Essence Music Festival, it would fall upon the female legends to close out the show on Sunday.
Aretha Franklin – who was also presented with special awards from the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and Essence – provided a labored performance that was anything but cohesive. As always, her voice was in top form. But her show was all over the place – including an alleged Whitney tribute, a duet segment with spiritual icon Bishop Paul Morton and a stomp-and-shout session that gave the impression she was stealing time.
When her show finally ended, she told the crowd to “drive home safe,” leaving the impression that Chaka Khan would not be performing. The audience took Franklin’s words as the farewell of the festival. When she left the stage, host Nephew Tommy asked the few folks that remained to stay because the show wasn’t over.
When Chaka Khan took the stage, Sunday night had given way to Monday morning and most of the people in attendance for the Essence Festival believed it was already over. But at 1:30 a.m. the 60-year-old Khan kept the remaining scattered crowd on its feet from start to finish.
She made the most of every second of the 30 minutes or so she had left before the lights came on at the Superdome. From “I For You” to the “Ain’t Nobody” finale, the crowd was rocking, and she worked the stage in a way that could inspire envy in the current generation of singers – a few of whom sat watching in the audience.
