Essence Fest Day II

Guest Blogger: Alison Fensterstock

Outside and a few blocks away, fireworks exploded brilliantly over the Mississippi river as fans flowed into the Dome at sunset for the second night of Essence Fest 2009. Inside, the show was also pretty dazzling.

Jazmine Sullivan opened the main stage Saturday night with her 2009 R&B hit, Bust Your Windows. There’s really no delicate way to describe the song’s message – it’s about smashing up an ex’s ride, and the resultant healing power of vengeful violence. (“I guess I’ll always have these ugly scars/ but I don’t care about that part.”) Sullivan, a protégé of Missy Elliott, is an interesting diva – her range isn’t as awesome as some, but her delivery is intense. She dropped to her knees several times during the set to deliver the song, and the audience was definitely buying it.

Up in the Superlounges, New Orleans gutbucket bluesman Little Freddie King got country, playing raw, rough-edged guitar tunes like Hot Fingers and Chicken Dance, off of his 2005 Fat Possum Records release You Don’t Know What I Know. The Louisiana-to-Los Angeles transplants the Knux stirred it up with a blend of old-school hip-hop and winking hipsterism, making sure to give props to their hometown – they even gave a shout-out to 2-Cent, a student-run music video collective from the University of New Orleans, who were early supporters.

Back on the mainstage, former Gap Band frontman Charlie Wilson proved he was still a pro with a show, rocking through costume changes and syncopated dance moves. His set pulled the crowd out of their seats with New Jack swing classics from the Gap Band as well as tracks from his February album, Uncle Charlie, which had included guest spots from Snoop Dogg and T-Pain. Old school and new school blended seamlessly, and fans from both factions clamored when Wilson tossed his glitter-speckled fedora into the crowd.

By 1 a.m., headliner Maxwell had still not graced the stage for his midnight set, and the crowd was restless, leaving in droves. Though they’d waited patiently for almost a decade while the neo-soul man was on career hiatus, the extra hour – after the evening’s marathon of music – proved a little too much.