Written by | Ray Cornelius
#FunkFest closed out it’s three-day Atlanta engagement on Sunday afternoon with a BANG despite the inclement weather. Babyface, Joe, Brandy and Demetria McKinney all weathered the storm and gave the SOLD OUT crowd some pretty amazing performances.
The day opened with the beautiful and very talented McKinney. The singer, TV actress and former RHOA transformed into an R&B viven, complete with a wind machine and backup dancers.
R&B crooner Joe came out “suited and booted” (as Vivica A. Fox would say) and ready for the ladies! The music veteran opened with the Adele‘s “Hello” and caused a commotion. He also did a few numbers from his latest album, I Am Joe Thomas as well as all his classic jams like “Don’t Wanna Be a Player,” “I Wanna Know,” “The Love Scene” and “All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do). Joe eventually came out of that tuxedo and into the audience to greet his fans face-to-face and took a few selfies!
Grammy winning singer, actress, reality star and living Barbie Doll—Brandy—came out for a rare performance of all of her hits. The thirty-something year old music diva looked like a Japanese geisha as she glided from one part of the stage to the next. Rocking her signature “Brandy Braids,” she performed a set of such classics as “Full Moon,” “Have Your Ever,” “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” “Baby”, “Talk About Our Love,” “Almost Doesn’t Count” and my favorite “Wildest Dreams.” She also performed her popular YouTube song, “In These Streets” with many of the audience members singing along. Despite having some audio glitches with her microphone, Brandy put on a really good show and proved why she was the recipient of the coveted Lady of Soul Award during last year’s “Soul Train Awards.”
Closing out the evening was multi-Grammy winning singer-songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. The 58-year-old music veteran gave a “Las Vegas” style show and performed a medley of all his hits as a member of The Deele and as a solo artist. “Face” looked like a million bucks in his sparkling red jacket and all black apparel as he opened with my personal favorite, “For The Cool in You.” He later went into his classic slow jams like “Soon As I Get Home” “Whip Appeal” and “Everytime I Close My Eyes.” He also performed songs he’d written for artists over the last three decades including Dru Hill, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, The Whispers, After 7 and Tevin Campbell. Like Joe, he eventually came out of his bedazzled jacket and into the audience where he was mobbed by his female fans (it was really something to see).
Check out more photos below and THANK YOU #FunkFest and FORD for giving me the VIP treatment this weekend:
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY
JOE
FORD’S VIP & ALL EYEZ ON ME
BRANDY
BABYFACE
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com