Many of the dates for Kelly Rowland and The-Dream’s “Lights Out Tour” were postponed due to Rowland’s new gig as judge on “The X-Factor.” Luckily, Baltimore made the cut.
It’s May 28 and Rams Head Live is packed with fans eager to see the R&B stars grace the stage.
August Alsina
Def Jam recording artist August Alsina makes his way on stage to kick off the show. He’s dressed in a blue short sleeve shirt and khaki pants. The R&B newcomer dives right into his performance. He starts with his club banger, “Get Ya Money.” Although some audience members aren’t paying full attention, nothing bothers Alsina. He continues with his performance, singing club bangers like “Let Me Hit That,” “I Luv This” and his remix to “Bandz.” For the latter song Alsina hops off stage to engage with audience members. He serenades the lucky fans who were in front of the stage.
Alsina exits the stage and the house lights come on.
Five minutes later, a guy appears on stage and it’s not The-Dream. He introduces himself as Adrian Marcel. He’s from Oakland and he’s a singer. He quickly runs through his two songs during intermission: “Killa” and “Waiting.” One thing is noticeable (besides him forgetting to take off his All Access pass), he has some swag. The way he works the stage has many people in the crowd nodding their heads.
Moments after Marcel walks off stage, the band makes their way to the stage. The house lights dim. The band begins playing their instruments and again, the crowd begins to cheer.
The-Dream
Rocking a black varsity jacket and black leather pants, The-Dream makes his way on stage. Wasting no time, he leaps right into his first song of the night “Boss B*tch,” which features Pusha T. He is very turnt up now and the crowd is feeding from his energy. Then, he takes us back to some of his first single “Shawty Is A Ten.” Everyone goes wild when the beat drops. Seriously, it’s one big party now. Dancing and singing along, turning the entire venue into one big dance floor for all spectators. He goes into a medley of more classic songs including: “Fast Car,” “Nikki,” “Love Your Girl,” and “Fancy.” As he sings “Falsetto,” he hands out roses to lucky female fans in the front row — such a ladies man.
The-Dream congratulates the Baltimore Ravens on their Super Bowl victory, taking a break from singing, “Thanks for showing love,” says a man in the audience. Soon enough, Ravens fans start singing their victory song, “Oh oh oh oh ohhhh oh,” sings the audience. The-Dream joins us in the chant. Incredible.
Another special thing that makes The-Dream’s performance electrifying is that it’s the same day his “IV Play” album drops. It’s only right that he performs a few songs off the album. He tells us a little background information about “Too Early” before singing it. He also sings the sensual title track “IV Play.”
His set ends with an encore of “Rockin That Sh*t.”
Kelly Rowland
At about 10:20 p.m., wearing distressed shorts with a black top, Kelly Rowland is escorted on the stage. She comes out with her head down, as she has to get in her place on stage. It gets really loud in the building. The Rowland Stones are screaming in excitement as their fave is about to slay the stage.
Rowland opens her set with her buzz single “Ice,” which features Lil Wayne. Immediately following, she moves onto a medley of songs that she is featured on, such as Future’s “Neva End,” Nelly’s “Dilemma” and “Verse Simmons’ “Boo Thang.”
She takes a moment talk to her fans before veering into her newer material, then performs “Street Life,” “Gone,” “Talk A Good Game,” and “Dirty Laundry.” All songs appear on her upcoming album, “Talk A Good Game,” due in stores on June 18.
Before Rowland sings “Dirty Laundry,” she takes a seat on a stool and a deep breath. She delivers a very emotional and powerful performance of The-Dream penned ballad. There are moments during her performance where it looks like she is going to break down in tears on stage; however, she pulls through.
The energy in the building isn’t too high after Rowland sings “Dirty Laundry” but she has a remedy for that. Rowland has our spirits sauntering with a medley of Destiny’s Child hits including “Jumpin,” “Survivor,” “Soldier” and “Cater 2 U.”
Rowland then performs her sultry new single “Kisses Down Low” and hit single “Motivation.” She ends the night with an encore of “Like This.”
Overview
“The Lights Out Tour” was an enjoyable experience. The venue was perfect, creating a more intimate experience for fans. Kelly Rowland reminded us why she is still relevant in the music industry today with her very smooth and memorable performance. The-Dream brought a lot of raw energy to the stage. He was very interactive with the audience and was just fun to watch.
“The Lights Out Tour” may be coming to a city near you, dates may be limited so you should check it out.
Make sure you support Kelly Rowland and get her “Talk A Good Game” album on June 18 and be sure to cop The-Dream’s new album, “IV Play,” in stores now.
