The Queen of Hip-Hop and R&B is showing her gratitude with the immaculate For My Fans Tour
Mary J Blige entered CFG Bank Arena from the bottom of a b-stage next to the plush sofa-laden VIP section to give two opening numbers while as close as possible to her fans. After all, the Baltimore show on Friday night (Apr 4th) is part of her For My Fans Tour.
She flew in a gold carriage to the main stage after “A Dream” looking every bit the royalty she is: a fuzzy red coat accenting her sparkly outfit. She wore signature MJB Collection knee-high boots. A video showing her decades of accomplishments played before the set began in earnest.
The black curtain dropped, revealing a massive crown beaming a light on MJB as she broke out into “Love No Limit.” The massive crown was held floating between two inflatable hands. Blige’s band played on either side of the stage.
“Mary Jane (All Night Long)” elicited spontaneous, unified chants of “Go Mary, Go Mary!” In fact, many times throughout the night, the crowd downed out the crew on stage as they relieved their high school years through the music. There was definitely a cathartic energy in the room, and it uplifted everyone.
During wardrobe changes, Blige’s talented dancers kept the crowd pumped. And more videos showing her resilience as both an artist and a human being played on the screen. It really drove home that the Queen of R&B is truly a glass-ceiling shattering, first-of-her-kind artist.
“Be Without You” is a seminal R&B power ballad that Blige delivered with vocal perfection. She followed that up with the slow burn “Mary’s Joint,” with a growing baseline that carried artist and audience through.
Blige’s use of a live band mixed well with the loop samples and blended the two types of musical elements very well. This is not a hip-hop track show. MJB has real musical chops and takes pride in showing them off.
Blige also has the pull to bring in major artists for support. On this tour, The Masked Singer season 12 runner up and R&B icon Wasp—err, I mean Mario—showcased his killer vocals. And hip-hop mogul Ne-Yo ran through the breadth of his prolific catalogue in a breathless 50-minute set.
Blige’s reputation is one of perfection. And it is on display in this tour: the immaculate stage design, slickly produced show, and top-notch musicality. But that’s because she’s worked for it, and earned it as a path maker in music. The response to that effort does not go unnoticed.
“I appreciate you more than you know,” she said during a rare break in the music. “More than you’ll ever know. And from the sound of 14,000 ultra-loud MJB fans, it’s bound to be a ‘Family Affair’ for years to come.
