Photo credit: Monica & Brandy
Saturday night at the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture was a masterclass in the depth and range of R&B music across generations. The second installment of the Evening Concert Series at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans brought together rising stars, legendary songwriters and two of the genre’s most iconic voices for a night that celebrated both the past and the present of Black music. From the opening performances to the final crowning moment, July 4 delivered exactly what ESSENCE Festival promises every year.
The new generation sets the tone
Josh Levi opened Saturday’s Evening Concert Series before Leon Thomas took the stage for the second performance of the evening. Both artists represented a newer wave of R&B talent, giving the crowd an early indication that the night would honor the full spectrum of the genre. Their sets established an energy that the evening’s more seasoned performers would build upon.
Patti LaBelle returns home
One of the night’s most emotionally resonant moments came when Patti LaBelle stepped onto the Superdome stage. The Grammy Award-winning singer has a history with ESSENCE Festival that stretches back to the very beginning. She appeared at the inaugural Festival in 1995 and returned on Saturday more than three decades later with the same presence and power that made her a legend.
LaBelle delivered a 40-minute set backed by a live band, performing On My Own, Somebody Loves You Baby and the timeless Lady Marmalade. That final song carried particular significance. Labelle recorded Lady Marmalade in New Orleans with producer Allen Toussaint more than 50 years ago. Bringing it back to the city of its creation, in front of a packed Superdome crowd, was a full-circle moment that no other artist on the bill could have replicated.
Babyface takes the crowd on a journey through R&B history
Babyface followed with a performance that served as a living catalog of some of the most beloved R&B recordings of the past four decades. 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 and Toni Braxton wove through the set, each one triggering waves of recognition and emotion from the crowd.
The evening’s most memorable segment came during A Song for Mama, when Babyface played guitar as images of beloved mother figures appeared on the Superdome screens. Phylicia Rashad and Michelle Obama were among the figures honored in that moment, giving the performance a warmth and cultural resonance that extended well beyond the music itself.
Brandy and Monica close the night as royalty
Saturday’s Evening Concert Series closed with Brandy and Monica, two artists whose careers have been intertwined since the late 1990s and whose 1998 Grammy-winning duet The Boy Is Mine remains one of R&B’s most iconic recordings. They arrived on the Superdome stage in contrasting looks, Brandy in white and Monica in black, and 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 rappers MC Lyte and Yo-Yo as surprise guests for the latter. She also honored Whitney Houston with performances of How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance with Somebody, a tribute that drew an emotional response from the crowd. Monica, meanwhile, paid tribute to Mary J. Blige, another artist whose connection to ESSENCE Festival runs deep.
The two singers also revisited some of their biggest ballads individually. Brandy delivered Have You Ever? while Monica followed with For You I Will. Notably, both songs were written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, a detail that underscored just how closely aligned their artistic peaks were during the 1990s.
Near the end of the show, Brandy and Monica returned to the stage together and placed crowns on each other’s heads. The gesture closed Saturday night with a public and powerful display of mutual respect between two women who have spent decades navigating the same industry, the same era and even some of the same comparisons. As closing moments go, it was exactly right.
ESSENCE Festival of Culture concludes Sunday, July 5, in New Orleans.
Source: Essence
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