Show: Fridayz Live ( Lumidee / Dru Hill / Jay Sean / Shaggy / Jeremih / Ashanti / Akon / TLC / Macklemore)
Date: November 11th 2022
Venue: RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
Reviewer: Hayley Treadwell
Photographer: Andrew Treadwell Photography

It’s been a long 3 years since our RnB loving Brisbane community all got together and danced the day night away, and at 30,000 people strong, we certainly welcomed Fridayz Live back with a bang and so, so much love.

The crowd slowly built through the afternoon and we danced and sang along with Lumidee, Dru Hill and Jay Sean. Their sets were highly energetic and really got the crowd in that groovin’ mood. It was great to hear some of the songs we grew up with!
By the time Shaggy hit the stage the crowd was pumping! From the top of the hill there was a sea of people in front of the stage all cheering as we heard some of our Shaggy favourites, ‘In the Summertime’, It Wasn’t Me’, ‘Oh Carolina’ and Mr Boombastic!

The only thing I will say is I wish they wouldn’t cut the song short! You get right into the groove of a song and then bam they stopped it and moved onto another one! I don’t know if it has something to do with timing and production, but shortening every song is the pits! And it was the biggest complaint I heard in the crowd all night.

Sadly it was the same during Jeremih, Ashanti and Akon’s sets! Mind you as these 3 played the crowd grew and grew and we were all dancing with each other! Jeremih with his smooth sexy songs as he swaggered across the stage was making ladies week at the knees everywhere! Ashanti and her back-up dancers gave a very entertaining performance and Ashanti hasn’t lost anything in her voice! Still as beautiful as ever. Akon was the first of the 3 bigger acts of the night, and the anticipation in the crowd was
huge. As we waited for him the DJ played Gangsta’s Paradise and in what was a beautiful moment, I think the entire crowd was singing to Coolio!

Akon took the stage the the loudest scream of the night so far and by the time he was done he had left everything on the stage, with the most well received songs being ‘Lonely’, I Wanna Love you’ and his 2006 hit with Eminem ‘Smack That’. Next up the crowd was eagerly awaiting our 90’s RnB diva’s TLC! Singing hit after hit with ‘Diggin’ on You’, ‘Baby, Baby, Baby’, ‘Red Light Special’ and ‘Creep’ we were absolutely in awe of these icons!. But with their last 3 songs, TLC really reminded us why we still love them! T-Boz gave us a beautiful version of ‘Unpretty’, Chilli reminded us about what kind of guy we don’t want as every woman in the crowd proclaimed we don’t want ‘No Scrubs’, and the ladies finished off the night with their most famous song ‘Waterfalls’ and we were treated to Left Eye Lisa Lopez during her rap on up the screen! R.I.P Lisa x It was so amazing to see TLC live after being a fan for as long as I can remember! T-Boz and Chilli still give everything to the audience and I am thrilled they have not replaced Left Eye and still have her rap front and centre where it should be!

Special guest DJ Havana Brown took the stage as we waited for Macklemore and kept the energy in the crowd pumpin’, so when Macklemore’s dancers and band took the stage we were well and truly ready to party with the last performer of the festival! Macklemore ran onto stage and grabbed the microphone with passion and delivered CHANT and as he got to the chorus the crowd erupted as Tones and I took the stage and belted it out!! Man that woman can sing!!! Her cameo was brief but powerful!

Just like Maklemore’s presence on stage, he was electrifying! Straight into ‘Thrift Shop’ and the crowd was going off. Macklemore gave us hits ‘Same Love’, ‘White Walls’, ‘Dance Off’ another duet with Tones and I on ‘Good Old Days’ and finished the set out with ‘Can’t Hold Us’, and wow what a way to finish! The crowd was buzzing! What an epic afternoon and night of performances! My RnB loving heart couldn’t be happier!

Whilst Fridayz Live had it’s ups and downs, short songs, long toilet lines, the ups – the performances from all the artists, was next level and shows why year after year this festival keeps drawing in 30,000+ crowds!

I can’t wait to do it all again for Fridayz Live 2023!
Until the next gig
Hayley