R&B Christmas Concert Review: An Heartfelt Journey Back to the Nineties
The second annual R&B Xmas Ball featured a lineup of artists renowned for their Christmas albums. Instead of centering on seasonal songs, the evening acted as a sentimental reason for a trip back to the sincere and emotional style of 1990s R&B.
Starting Acts: Classic Vibes
The group Dru Hill delivered iconic R&B in matching outfits, with music videos from the 2000s displaying on screens behind them. Following this, a performance of primarily slow jams from the artist Joe set the stage for the main acts.
The Moving Performance
The opening of the song Last Last skillfully segued into He Wasn’t Man Enough, tying in Braxton's musical legacy. Initially, her performance with a live band seemed rooted in the era of her greatest success.
However, nine songs into her performance, she spoke about her battles with lupus and being told she might not sing live again. Singing Breathe Again in a solitary beam of light, she gave a deeply emotional performance. “For as long as I live, I will never forget tonight,” she declared earnestly.
Power chords then launched the crowd into Long As I Live, cementing her grip over the crowd's emotions. She encored with an flawless, though slightly abridged, rendition of her iconic hit, Un-break My Heart.
Boyz II Men: Harmony Virtuosos
Appearing on stage in strikingly coordinated white suits, Boyz II Men opened with Motownphilly. They performed classics like Water Runs Dry and On Bended Knee, showcasing breathtaking three-way harmonies that were both precise and reactive to their accompaniment.
Their set included covers of influences, including a memorable guitar piece on Purple Rain, and tracks inspired by them, like Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.
A Dash of Holiday Cheer
Towards the end, the concert embraced the Christmas mood with performances of Silent Night and Let It Snow. The show concluded with a strong closing run of anthems including One Sweet Day, I’ll Make Love To You, and End of the Road.
Overall Thoughts
While the evening's production experienced some hiccups, and the feeling at times was of stars performing a tribute to their past selves, the net effect was transportive. The audience was briefly transported to the peak era of R&B, leaving dusted with glitter rather than frost.
