R. Kelly
This past Monday night, in the heart of Music City, R&B’s most shameless lover man brought some of his most loyal fans the ‘12 Nights of Christmas Tour.’ This was the second of 13 scheduled dates for the multi-Grammy award winning legend R. Kelly. No stranger to this territory, Mr. Kelly has performed at various venues around town. This stop took place at the Bridgestone Arena.
Kelly announced that he would be going on the road a few months ago, following the release of his first holiday album, 12 Nights of Christmas, which was released in late October.
“I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas album. It’s my favorite time of the year,” the Chicago native was quoted as saying.
Instead of receiving two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree, fans received a holiday, two-stepping good time. Leave it to Kelly to switch it from day to night. He gave the audience a little taste of the new album during the show, but of course he had to bless everyone with a barrage of R. Kelly hits. ‘Contagious’ and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ were among them. He has so many, he could literally do a four-hour set.
Kelly took a few brief breaks throughout the night. He brought out his three personally crafted mascots on a couple different occasions. He made his way through the crowd on ground level a couple of times as well. Of course, the women went bonkers. He indeed had fun with it. Toward the conclusion of the show, he took to the piano with a ballad following an outfit change.
The 49-year-old’s voice remains one of the most flexible and inventive instruments in the business. He does it so effortlessly. His stage presence is priceless. The attention, interaction and inclusion with his fans is undeniable.
“I love his music,” said an enthused female fan. No doubt about it, females of all races, from all walks of life, come out for the King of R&B. Over the course of his extensive career, R. Kelly’s music has co-opted everything from contemporary R&B to Gospel. The music is better than ever.
