Night two of the much-anticipated Essence Fest concert series at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans saw soulful performances by leading ladies of R&B: Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker, Patti LaBelle and more.
Janet Jackson headlined the night’s entertainment with epic song-and-dance showings of some of her most iconic hits, including “If” and “I Get So Lonely.”
Straight out of the gate, the multi-talented singer, 56, proved to be just as energetic and flexible as early ’90s Jackson, sporting a fierce sparkly Black jumpsuit and leading the pack of backup dancers through just about every hit.
Thousands of excited attendees packed the house, returning the love Jackson dished throughout her hour-and-fifteen-minute-long performance and sang along to fan favorites like “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “State of the World” and “Let’s Wait Awhile.”
Before Jackson came the “Godmother of Soul” Patti LaBelle, who in all of her iconic glory, hit the C-Walk dance, belted out notes high and low and commanded the stage as she’s known to do. With songs like “Love, Need and Want You” and “If Only You Knew,” LaBelle seemed to have left the crowd more than pleased.
When Grammy-winning singer Jazmine Sullivan graced the stage, the room went wild with applause. With great ease, Sullivan delivered memorable performances of “Bodies (Intro)” and “On It” from her smash album Heaux Tales.
Adorning her newly announced growing baby bump, Summer Walker kicked off Ladies Night using her calm but appreciated energy to perform hits such as “Girls Need Love” and “No Love.”
The 2022 Essence Fest concert series continues Sunday with City Girls, Lil Kim, Wizkid, New Edition and more, streaming live on Hulu starting at 7 p.m. CT.
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