Icy roads couldn’t stop the party train conducted by Charlie Wilson Friday night, better known as the St. Louis Music Festival. Wilson headlined Friday night’s musical festivities – which despite the inclement weather pulled a crowd of nearly 8,000 to the Chaifetz Arena. But Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds delivered the most memorable set of the evening by relying on the hits he wrote and produced for others – and with assistance from East St. Louis’ own Andre Delano on saxophone and background vocals.
The evening of music started with R&B veteran Joe. With more than 25 years under his belt, Joe has proved he has staying power – even if it has meant that he’s never quite made it under the mainstream radar. Although he enjoyed moderate success in the 1990s and early 2000s, Joe remains one of the most underrated artists in contemporary R&B. He’s been able keep fans who have followed his career since he came on the scene with his mid-tempo dance track “I’m In Love” faithful and loyal with his reputation as a reliable live performer. Friday night was no different. An R&B chameleon who can float seamlessly between dance tracks and slow jams, Joe started the show with his dance track “Stutter” and continued the party atmosphere with his “Don’t Wanna Be A Player” Fat Joe collaboration and “Ride Wit U.”
With vocals as pristine as his bright red Valentine’s Day suit, Joe and his band had the crowd grooving in their seats as he slowed things down with a cover of the Keith Sweat slow jam classic “Make it Last Forever,” including track vocals from his duet partner Mariah Carey. Her pre-recorded voice would be the only female voice heard amongst the all-male St. Louis Music Festival. Backed by a live band, Joe gave a stellar performance with his limited time. He delivered fan favorites such as “The Love Scene,” “All The Things Your Man Won’t Do” and his “I Wanna Know” finale. In order to keep the show moving along, songs like “All That I Am,” his popular soulful rendition of Adele’s smash hit “Hello” and his breakthrough hit “I’m In Luv” were left off the roster.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds kicked right into a smoothly choreographed opening of “For The Cool In You,” and gave an audience a taste of what was to come – a stylish, high energy segment that incorporated the band and background singers that kept the crowd on its feet for most of the night. He started out with some of his own selections, such as “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” “Soon As I Get Home” “Never Keeping Secrets” and “Whip Appeal.” But he would forsake plenty of his own hits – including “When Will I See You Again,” “It’s No Crime” “Where Will You Go” and plenty others – to highlight his work as a songwriter and producer.
Known mostly for using a soft first tenor crooning voice to set the mood for romance, Edmonds appeared to have a blast adding another layer to his reputation as a performer by incorporating the more upbeat tracks he created for others into his set list.
The segment started off with his first hit as a songwriter, Midnight Star’s Quiet Storm classic “Slow Jam.” He then continued with Rock Steady by “The Whispers.” The excerpts continued with songs by The Deal, After 7 (a group that features his brothers) a slew of hits from Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” album and a finale by Boyz II Men.
Edmonds never slowed down over the course of the night. And he seemed proud to announce that he was now in his 60s – which didn’t show, especially as he leapt into the crowd and popped into several sections as he closed the show with “End of the Road.”
As the headliner, Charlie Wilson was last to take the stage. The former Gap Band lead singer who defied the odds by returning to the top of the R&B music scene 20 years after battling addiction, has kept with the “If it ain’t broke, why fix it” concept to his live performance that includes a familiar format that fans continue to enjoy. He sprinkles in new music as he records it, but for the most part Wilson delivers a tried and true show that essentially takes the audience on a chronological trajectory. His voice was magnificent as always, but Wilson didn’t appear to have as much steam as usual when he powered through his hits during the show. About two-thirds of the way through his set, Wilson called out Edmonds and Joe to sing alongside him and his band. Fans mistook the moment as a cue that the show was ending and left in droves.
Wilson powered through with the remainder of his set, including his “Outstanding” finale, but didn’t return for a promised encore after the remaining fans erupted when he teased the idea of giving them one.
