Usher’s Lovers and Friends festival brought the heat back to Las Vegas for their second annual festival on May 7th. The lineup was full of over 45 Hip-Hop and R&B artists from the 90s/early 2000s. Artists on the lineup also included today’s Hip-Hop and R&B artists.
The jam-packed, star-studded lineup alone is the moment. However, there were some outstanding highlights from the show, and Remixd Mag was there to capture it all.
Mariah Carey reunites with Boyz II Men on stage
The iconic, Mariah Carey, blew Vegas out with her powerful and soulful vocals. Appearing in a black fitting dress with gold fringes, Mariah looked ready to own the stage, and that she did.
Carey was radiating on stage as she sang hits like”Heartbreaker”, “Obsessed”, and “We Belong Together”. However, the highlight of her performance was when she delivered an impromptu performance to introduce Boyz II Men.
The legendary artists performed their 1995 hit single, “One Sweet Day”. The song has broken records since its release with spending 16 weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The song was the longest running number one for 23 years.
Usher Delivers Epic Performance
The performer, who hosted this years festival, gave the crowd nothing less than an epic performance! Usher has been doing his thing for his My Way Las Vegas residency since 2021, and he brought the same energy to the festival stage.
Dressed in all leather, Usher took us on a fun and reminiscent journey through his expansive catalog from “My Way”, to “Confessions”, and “Love in this Club”.
The highlight of his performance was when Usher brought out today’s R&B songstress, Muni Long for an unreleased rendition of “Hrs & Hrs”. He also brought out Summer Walker right before her scheduled set, and their chemistry was enticing.
Chris Brown lights up the stage
Chris Brown, despite the allegations over the weekend, gave an outstanding performance. Known for his stage presence and performances, Chris did a great job mesmerizing the crowd.
Like many of the other sets, people gathered around as fast and as close as they could to the stage. However, at Chris’ set, you felt how anxious the crowd felt to get a good glimpse at the “Loyal” artist.
He opened up his set with “Under The Influence”, and the crowd went insane. Chris kept his his energy up throughout his whole set! The highlight of Chris’ set (and what makes him special as an artist) is that he is one of the few artists that has a discography of nostalgic throwback hits along with current hits. Chris journeyed us through his catalog from when he was young and fresh in 2005 with “Poppin”, to his more grown and mature music like, “Back to Sleep”. He also performed his 2007 hit, “With You” which felt like the ultimate nostalgic feel-good song.
As he shouted a “Free Thug”, Chris closed out his set with “Go Crazy” off from his and Young Thug’s 2019 joint album, Slime & B.
Jhene Brings Out Big Sean and Saweetie
The angelic LA-native and songstress had the crowd swaying and singing their hearts out at the Friends stage. She opened up her set with “Stay Ready” from her 2013 debut EP Sail Out. Throughout her performance, Jhene Aiko serenaded the crowd with hits like “The Worst”, “Sativa”, and “From Time” ft. Drake off of his 2013 Nothing Was The Same album. Aiko has a special way of creating an intimate and peaceful atmosphere with her enchanting vocals and captivating stage presence. She even handed out flowers to some of her fans in the audience.
The highlight from Jhene Aiko’s performance was when she brought out the pretty girl herself, Saweetie, to perform their collaborated single, “Back To The Streets”. She also performed “My Type”.
Shortly after, Aiko brought out boyfriend and rapper, Big Sean, to perform their collaborated single, “I Know”. The Detroit rapper then took a moment to give his girlfriend, and mother of their son, her flowers. He shared how Jhene has been so nurturing and hands-on with their son, Noah. Sean shares to the crowd, “It took a lot for her to get up on stage today, so I appreciate all of the love you guys have shown. And shoutout to all the mommas out there doing their thing too.” he tells Jhene he loves her, and gives her love tap to her behind before exiting the stage.
Lovers and Friends was Jhene’s first performance on a stage since giving birth to her and Big Sean’s son back in November 2022.
Missy Elliot closes the show
Missy Elliot was definitely one of the most anticipated sets at the festival, and the legendary artist did not disappoint. She was the highlight of the festival overall. She closed out the festival performing some of her greatest hits such as “Gossip Folks”, “Work It”, and “Hot Boyz”. She also previewed an upcoming single, “The Greatest”, which is fitting for the recently inducted Hall of Famer.
Missy Elliot’s set was unlike any other of the other sets. Missy is true to her eccentric and futuristic style as her set resembled outer space. The stage visuals were full of kaleidoscopes and alien abduction backdrops.
The fans who stuck around til the end really had a time as Missy Elliot had everyone in the crowd dancing as she performed her party pleasers like “Get Ur Freak On”, “Let It Go”, and “Pass That Dutch”. She turned the crowd up another notch with a surprise appearance from Monica to perform “So Gone”, which Elliot produced. She closed out her set with “Lose Control” before getting “abducted” by aliens.
