T-Pain & More Celebrate Juneteenth at the Hollywood Bowl

Just over halfway through the Juneteenth celebration at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday night (June 19), an emotional T-Pain thanked the crowd for being there.

“We rehearsed once,” prefaced the artist, who did double duty as the concert's headliner and co-curator. “It's crazy that it's going so well, right? This is the dream of so many people and to make it come true… that is way beyond anything else. I'll be very upset if I wake up now.''

Indeed, the night went well, as a very appreciative Bowl audience — in keeping with the cultural significance of the Juneteenth holiday — was treated to the many facets of black music from both established and up-and-coming artists. Ranging from gospel to R&B, hip-hop and points in between, the two-and-a-half-hour show under the stars was filled with memorable moments, starting with Mary Mary's Tina Campbell delivering a riveting rendition of the Black national anthem, ” Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Setting the tone: Hosting something of this magnitude is not for the faint of heart. But comedian Affion Crockett proved he was up to the challenge as the crowd immediately laughed. Deftly keeping things moving throughout the evening, he set the tone early on with his opening remarks, humorously acknowledging the make-up of the audience. “We love boogies. I see the tablecloths and the champagne [on the tables in the Bowl’s front rows]. “And at the top,” referring to those sitting far behind, “you're the ones who matter. You are the ones the bosses wouldn't give you permission to do. And I didn't know I'd see so many white people in the audience. We have company — and they come in peace.'

Sisters with voices: In addition to Campbell (who blew the crowd away with her latest, “Pray for Me”), Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway also performed. Ledisi's full-bodied voice and colorful riffs on her Grammy Award-winning song 'Anything for You' captured the audience's attention. And after putting her own distinct stamp on Anita Baker's signature song “Angel,” Hathaway and her soaring vocals delve into Father Donny's classic 1973 anthem “Someday We'll Be All Be Free” — a fitting exclamation point for the celebration of the June holidays. Instrumental accompaniment throughout the evening was the Color of Noize Orchestra under conductor Derrick Hodge.

The ones you need to watch: Among the rising stars and newcomers who also made their presence felt was D Smoke, who blew the crowd away with tracks like “No Commas,” “Black Habits” and “Common Sense” (even submitting his of SIR's brother in the song ). Up-and-coming female duo Flyana Boss also made a strong impression with their spirited rendition of “You Wish,” as did energetic Bay Area rapper LaRussell, who brought the crowd to their feet after jumping off the stage and walking down several runways. fans of the big five.

Blasts from the past: Rounding out the night were performances from fan favorites from the 90s to the 2000s. David Banner, wearing shades and wearing a white goatee, rocked the venue with 'Get Like Me'. Jordin Sparks amazingly reprized her hit 'AIR' while Lloyd kicked things up a notch with 'Get It Shawty'. Tevin Campbell then fired up a singalong of his hit 'Can We Talk'.

The man of the hour: T-Pain made his first appearance on stage after Ledisi's performance. Dressed in a raspberry-colored suit, the Grammy winner launched into a passionate rendition of Sam Cooke's “A Change Is Gonna Come.” After wrapping up the song to rapturous applause, he said: “This night is special for me, for all of us and for the culture. We have to show respect for all that came before us.” And so the rest of the night unfolded: with T-Pain returning to the stage between performances by the other acts on the bill. And every time he did, he had the crowd cheering, dancing and rapping/singing along to everything from “I'm Sprung”, “Up Down” and “Freeze” to “buy U a Drank” , his cover of Cee-Lo's “Crazy” and Chris Brown's “Kiss Kiss” on which he appeared.

Becoming emotional after Banner greeted him, T-Pain said in part to even more cheers: “In 2018, I decided I didn't want a manager anymore, I didn't want a label anymore. I do everything independently. The only time I've seen this place[HollywoodBowl}ismovingdrawingsTom&JerryYou'restillanindependentartistanddoingashowlikethatisacrazydreamscapeSomy#1ruleofallisbelieveinyourselfbelieveinthiscrazythingTheonlypeoplewhoendupchangingtheworldarethepeoplewhoarecrazyenoughbelieveinthatcrazythingTheonlypeoplethatendupchangingtheworldarethepeoplecrazyenoughttothinkthattheycan”[HollywoodBowl}είναιστακινούμενασχέδιαTom&JerryΤοναείσαιλοιπόνανεξάρτητοςκαλλιτέχνηςκαινακάνειςμιατέτοιαπαράστασηείναιτοπιοτρελόόνειροΈτσιοΝο1κανόναςμουγιαόλουςείναιναπιστεύειςστονεαυτόσουπιστέψτεσεαυτότοτρελόπράγμαΟιμόνοιάνθρωποιπουκαταλήγουννααλλάζουντονκόσμοείναιοιάνθρωποιπουείναιαρκετάτρελοίώστεναπιστεύουνότιμπορούν»[HollywoodBowl}isinTom&JerrycartoonsSotobeanindependentartistandputtingonashowlikethisisthewildestdreamSomyNo1ruleforeveryoneisbelieveinyourself;believeinthatcrazythingTheonlypeoplethatendupchangingtheworldarethepeoplecrazyenoughtothinkthattheycan”