Lovers & Friends Fest 2023 was nostalgia personified.
On the main stages, legendary acts from the ’90s and ’00s including Next, Da Brat, Omarion, Boyz II Men, Lil Kim, Jhené Aiko, Miguel, Nelly, Chris Brown, Usher, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott delivered performances. The two smaller stages kept attendees quite occupied with stacked sets from Lil Mo, Bobby V, Wayne Wonder, Yung Joc, Chingy, Jagged Edge, Blackstreet, Eve, Shaggy, Ginuwine, Summer Walker, and countless others.
Throughout the one day affair, a lot of chaos ensued. Ginuwine took a tumble during his performance of “In Those Jeans.” Da Brat flaunted her baby bump in a custom Chicago Bulls jersey and was scolded by her wife for not staying hydrated. 50 Cent opted for smoke as the sole person to address the rumored backstage brawl between Usher and Chris Brown. “Great job putting this together Usher. Guess he don’t like getting punched in the face,” he said. “This would’ve been a perfect event until the R&B ni**as went crazy.”
Jhené Aiko’s sound cut off during her last song after her partner, Big Sean, praised her for showing up in the midst of breastfeeding their 6-month-old son, Noah. JoJo also had sound issues that led to fans missing out on the incredible mashups of “Think About You” with Carl Thomas’ “I Wish” and “Leave (Get Out)” with Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
Despite the bad, there were some highlights from the festival that should be recognized like Usher previewing his residency, Missy Elliott pouring her heart and innovative vision into her closing set, and Lil Kim putting storytelling back into performance. See pics from the festival below.
-
702
Image Credit: VIRISA YONG -
Blackstreet
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Bobby V
Image Credit: Alan Sabido -
Ari Lennox
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Da Brat
Image Credit: Henry Hwu -
Boyz II Men
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Mario
Image Credit: MANDO HUNDREDS -
Busta Rhymes
Image Credit: Henry Hwu -
N.O.R.E.
Image Credit: @SOPHIAJULIETTE -
Mannie Fresh
Image Credit: Luther Redd -
Chris Brown And Tyga
Image Credit: Meg Blair -
Chris Brown
Image Credit: VIRISA YONG -
Jhené Aiko
Image Credit: Candice Ward/Getty Images -
Master P
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Yung Joc
Image Credit: MANDO HUNDREDS -
Mariah Carey
Image Credit: Meg Blair -
Miguel
Image Credit: @justnjames -
Muni Long And Usher
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Ginuwine
Image Credit: @justnjames -
Lil Kim
Image Credit: VIRISA YONG -
Missy Elliott
Image Credit: Luther Redd -
Missy Elliott
Image Credit: Luther Redd -
Nelly
Image Credit: Gina Joy Chong -
Usher
Image Credit: @justnjames -
Redman And Christina Aguilera
Image Credit: Candice Ward/Getty Images -
JoJo
Image Credit: Gina Joy Chong -
Remy Ma
Image Credit: @SOPHIAJULIETTE -
T.I.
Image Credit: Luther Redd -
Next
Image Credit: Kaitlyn Morris/FilmMagic -
Wayne Wonder
Image Credit: Alan Sabido -
Sean Paul
Image Credit: Alan Sabido -
Shaggy
Image Credit: Alan Sabido -
Soulja Boy
Image Credit: MANDO HUNDREDS -
The Diplomats
Image Credit: VIRISA YONG -
Pitbull
Image Credit: Alan Sabido -
Petey Pablo
Image Credit: Gina Joy Chong -
Usher
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Usher
Image Credit: Greg Noire -
Lil Mo
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -
Omarion
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -
King Combs
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -
50 Cent
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -
Lil Cease
Image Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -
Yung Joc
Image Credit: Kaitlyn Morris/FilmMagic