Another memorable MATI. I knew when Jon Batiste and his megawatt smile hit that second line Thursday night that the 6th Annual Music at the Intersection was going to be something spectacular. Y’all know how much I love to say I told you so…welp, I did. For some reason regular Black folks to really check for him like that, even though his music is New Orleans soul and blues. He could go shopping at the Schnucks on Union and Natural Bridge without wearing a shiesty and not have to worry about being bothered. Him and Leon Bridges are two unapologetically Black acts that have mostly white audiences. Several years ago, I told a friend I had to get off the phone to see Leon Bridges. She asked me if he went to Soldan. But anyway, Batiste brought the house down! And so did everybody else at MATI. But let me take a moment to show love to my boy Keyon Harrold, who has been holding it down for MATI from the get. Y’all remember that “Hey Mon” skit from “In Living Color” with the Jamaican family with all the jobs? That was Keyon Harrold this weekend. When I tell you he played, he sang, he played, he curated shows. He was working so hard as MATI’s artist-in-residence, that I wouldn’t have been surprised if he wasn’t frying fish in one of the food trucks or fixing drinks at the Jazz St. Louis bar. I got my life from every minute of his sets – especially that off-the-cuff freestyle moment he facilitated with Aida Ade and Sir Eddie C for the closing night concert at The Fox on Sunday. That moment perfectly summed up why MATI is so important! I have so many MATI highlights that I would need three Partylines to do it justice. You know what, I’m gonna do a part two next week to make sure everyone gets their flowers. As a sneak preview I will let y’all know that Big Freedia, Killer Mike, Zapp, Rapsody, AJ McQueen, Coultrain, Andra Day and PJ Morton were just a few of my favorites.
Breezy and Ursher served at The Dome! I could do a whole item on the outfits alone for all the looks that were pooched, perched and sat at the Dome for the R&B Tour. As a matter of fact, I will. Check for it below, but I can’t wait until my next post to ask who was the woman in the Nigerian wedding gown? Can you say straight outta Zamunda? Okay, now let’s get on with the concert. They played in our face with that 9 p.m. start time after we waited outside – and inside – all that time. DJ Fresh was keeping us engaged like the rent was due. He had y’all’s aunties out here turnt with a capital T! And I was here for every bit of it. When I tell you I got my whole entire life from that whole entire concert! They sang, they danced, they hunched. Chris Brown even pulled a Peter Pan on us by flying through the sky. Usher. Sir. Who was your personal trainer for this tour? The body was giving P90X plus CrossFit. Why did Breezy’s costume moment where he was looking like the light skinned dude who killed Cochise in “Cooley High” tickle me so? That show was so good that folks who spent half their mortgage felt satisfied despite being on the verge of moving back into their granny’s basement. If I had to pick a favorite between Usher and Breezy…the thing is, Usher was better vocally, but Breezy worked as hard as his DJ did at keeping us from being furious for having to wait. He risked his life with that aerial stunt, so I guess I’ll go with him. They were so good together. And I got double life from them giving Nelly a moment in the show. After seeing them co-headline, I almost wish they would have put out an album together and performed from it for the show. Hey, they could always do that and come back to sing and dance The Dome down all over again. I would be the first one in line to get a ticket.
R&B Tour Fashion. As I promised a few paragraphs ago, here is a rundown of who wore what – the good, the bad and the “girl, what were you going through?” I’ll start with the good. Melissa Jones. When I tell you her black bedazzled look was utterly everything. If I could find those pants in a 2X, I’d have my Education Salute 2026 look on lock. Her utterly flawless look made up for the woman in that homemade Usher/Brezzy bustier. Girl. Why? And the girls found out the hard way that wearing kitten heels to a concert is still choosing violence. And who was the woman wearing that belt that looked just like the championship belt Usher had on during the show? Sis, how did you know? And some of y’all need to do a “twerk check” before you leave the house in an outfit. Because those strippers weren’t the only ones showing all their business – and at least they were paid, and it was on purpose.