Culture & Entertainment
The second-annual Lovers and Friends festival was the ultimate trip down memory lane for music lovers of the “'99 & the 2000”- era. Reminiscent millennials and Gen-Z packed the Las Vegas Festival Grounds for the highly anticipated A-list lineup, and although it was hard to catch all the viral moments happening all at once—it was the talk of the weekend and for great reason.
From Usher proving once again why Las Vegas is slowly becoming his city to Mariah Carey reuniting with Boyz II Men to perform their 1995 no. 1 hit “One Sweet Day,” —the top-tier acts at Lovers and Friends are making it one of the hottest festivals on the rise. The chatter happening all weekend following the alleged birthday party altercation between Chris Brown and Usher only added to the hype of the one-day revival of one of the golden eras in hip hop and R&B.
Here are some of the unforgettable moments from the second-annual Lovers and Friends festival…
Usher Shut It Down
Las Vegas is becoming Usher’s second home, and it is further solidified each time he unveils yet another epic performance in Sin City. The 2023 Lovers and Friends festival was no different. The headliner brought out Muni Long to debut an unreleased version of “Hrs & Hrs” along with Ari Lennox, whose impressive vocals nearly stole the show. Summer Walker also hit the stage with the eight-time Grammy winner before her own set, and Jermaine Dupri, the man behind some of Usher’s most iconic hits, made an appearance too.
Da Brat later joined them and didn’t miss a beat, performing for the second time in one day during her third trimester of pregnancy. Lastly, if an altercation did happen at Chris Brown’s 34th birthday party, there was not one shred of evidence in this performance. It was immaculate.
Chris Brown Put On a Performance To Remember
The controversial superstar may be the subject of many puzzling headlines, but that didn’t stop Chris Brown from putting forth a showstopping performance. He took festival-goers back in time, belting many of his career-defining classics like “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “With You.” Additionally, his special guests included longtime friends Tyga and Bow Wow —performing “Ayo” and the Y2K classic “Shawty Like Mine.” Chris kept the performance strictly about the music, pairing the stellar vocals with a positive attitude amidst rumors of the birthday altercation.
Jhené Aiko’s Return to the Stage
The 2023 Lovers & Friends Festival marked Jhené Aiko’s return to the stage after giving birth to her first child with Big Sean, their son Noah. With a late afternoon performance, the sultry songbird was the perfect calm before the storm. Her melodic tunes swept through the crowd like a trance and were the perfect midday reset within the action-packed day of A-List performances. Saweetie graced the stage to mark her fellow California native’s big occasion, and Big Sean joined Jhené for a rendition of their “Twenty88” classics. Her longtime lover ended his time on stage singing her praises and showering her with love for taking great care of their son. The impromptu gesture left the crowd in awe of their romance, and the viral moment was 10x more intimate in person.
Mariah Carey Reunites with Boyz II Men
Mariah Carey took the stage at the 2023 Lovers and Friends Festival in true diva fashion, making the crowd chant her name following a nearly 30-minute delay. Once she arrived, she looked amazing and didn’t miss a beat per usual. Not to mention, she wrapped up the night with one of the best reunions at the festival. Boyz II Men, who also had their own festival headlining set, joined her to perform their 1995 hit song “One Sweet Day.” The “Queen of Christmas” did not disappoint, further treating fans to renditions of her classics like “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together.”
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