🔗 Share this article

This yearly Rhythm and Blues Christmas Concert featured a roster of performers known for their Christmas records. Rather than focusing on carols, the evening served as a nostalgic excuse for a trip back to the sincere and heart-rending sound of 1990s R&B.

Opening Performances: Timeless Feelings

The group Dru Hill presented classic R&B in coordinated outfits, with videos from the 2000s displaying on screens behind them. Next, a set of primarily slow jams from Joe prepared the audience for the headlining artists.

Toni Braxton's Moving Performance

The opening of Burna Boy’s Last Last cleverly transitioned into He Wasn’t Man Enough, connecting Braxton's musical legacy. Initially, her show with a backing band seemed rooted in the time period of her greatest success.

Then, nine songs into her performance, she opened up about her struggle with lupus and being told she might not sing on stage again. Performing Breathe Again in a solitary beam of light, she delivered a deeply emotional performance. “For as long as I live, I will never forget tonight,” she declared earnestly.

Driving guitar chords then catapulted the audience into Long As I Live, cementing her command over the audience's emotions. She finished with an flawless, though slightly shortened, rendition of her signature hit, Un-break My Heart.

The Group Boyz II Men: Harmony Masters

Appearing on stage in strikingly matching white outfits, Boyz II Men opened with Motownphilly. They performed hits like Water Runs Dry and On Bended Knee, demonstrating awe-inspiring three-part vocals that were both precise and responsive to their live band.

Their set included covers of inspirations, including a standout solo on Purple Rain, and songs inspired by them, like Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.

A Dash of Christmas Cheer

Finally, the evening embraced the holiday mood with renditions of Silent Night and Let It Snow. The show ended with a powerful finale of anthems including One Sweet Day, I’ll Make Love To You, and End of the Road.

Overall Impressions

Although the night's production had some hiccups, and the feeling at points was of artists paying homage to their younger selves, the net effect was transformative. The audience was temporarily transported to the golden age of R&B, leaving sprinkled with glitter rather than frost.