Saturday night at the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture brought together several generations of R&B for the second installment of the Evening Concert Series. From rising stars to seasoned veterans, the Caesars Superdome welcomed another amazing lineup that one definitely did not want to miss.

Josh Levi opened the show before Leon Thomas took the stage for the second performance of the evening. Both artists represented a newer generation of R&B talent before the program turned to one of ESSENCE Festival’s most familiar performers. Patti LaBelle returned to the Superdome more than three decades after appearing at the inaugural Festival in 1995. The Grammy Award-winning singer delivered a 40-minute set backed by a live band. Her performance included “On My Own,” “Somebody Loves You Baby,” and the classic “Lady Marmalade,” bringing the song back to the city where Labelle recorded the classic more than 50 years ago.

Babyface followed with another showcase of his extensive songwriting and production career. Accompanied by a live band, the iconic singer, songwriter, and producer revisited records he created for some of R&B’s biggest names. Songs associated with Boyz II Men, Bobby Brown, Tevin Campbell, After 7, Toni Braxton, and others appeared throughout the set. One of the evening’s most memorable segments came during “A Song for Mama.” Babyface played guitar while images honoring well-known mothers—Phylicia Rashad and Michelle Obama, specifically—appeared on the screens inside the Superdome.

Brandy & Monica closed Saturday night with a joint performance celebrating two careers forever connected by R&B history. Appearing in contrasting white and black looks, the singers alternated between their respective catalogs while supporting each other from opposite sides of the stage.

Brandy performed “Top of the World” and “I Wanna Be Down,” welcoming MC Lyte and Yo-Yo as surprise guests for the latter. She later honored Whitney Houston with “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” while Monica paid tribute to Mary J. Blige. The singers also revisited two of their biggest ballads, with Brandy performing “Have You Ever?” before Monica delivered “For You I Will.” Near the end of the show, they returned to the stage and placed crowns on each other’s heads, closing the second night with a public display of respect between two queens.

ESSENCE Festival of Culture concludes Sunday, July 5, in New Orleans.

Author: Okla Jones

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