R&B Xmas Ball Review: A Heartfelt Trip Back to the Nineties
This yearly R&B Xmas Ball featured a roster of performers renowned for their holiday albums. Rather than centering on seasonal songs, the evening served as a sentimental excuse for a voyage back to the earnest and heart-rending sound of 1990s R&B.
Opening Acts: Classic Vibes
Dru Hill delivered iconic R&B in matching outfits, with videos from the 2000s era playing on screens behind them. Following this, a performance of mostly ballads from the artist Joe set the stage for the main acts.
Toni Braxton's Powerful Performance
The beginning of the song Last Last skillfully transitioned into He Wasn’t Man Enough, tying in Braxton's artistic heritage. At first, her show with a backing band seemed rooted in the time period of her greatest success.
However, nine songs into her performance, she spoke about her battles with lupus and being told she might not sing on stage again. Singing Breathe Again in a single spotlight, she gave a deeply emotional moment. “As long as I live, I will never forget tonight,” she stated sincerely.
Driving guitar chords then catapulted the crowd into Long As I Live, cementing her command over the audience's emotions. She finished with an flawless, though somewhat shortened, rendition of her signature hit, Un-break My Heart.
The Group Boyz II Men: Vocal Virtuosos
Taking the stage in strikingly matching all-white suits, Boyz II Men opened with Motownphilly. They moved through classics like Water Runs Dry and On Bended Knee, showcasing breathtaking three-part harmonies that were both precise and responsive to their accompaniment.
Their performance featured interpretations of inspirations, such as a memorable guitar piece on Purple Rain, and tracks inspired by them, like Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.
A Dash of Holiday Spirit
Finally, the evening embraced the Christmas mood with performances of Silent Night and Let It Snow. The performance concluded with a powerful closing run of anthems including One Sweet Day, I’ll Make Love To You, and End of the Road.
Overall Thoughts
While the night's production experienced some glitches, and the feeling at points was of artists performing a tribute to their past selves, the overall result was transportive. The crowd was briefly taken back to the peak era of R&B, leaving sprinkled with glitter rather than snow.
