Live Review: RNB Fridays Live

Pure chaos is not even a slight exaggeration when describing the absolute confusion outside Hisense Arena. There is only one entrance in use and hundreds of punters push one another to create a sorry excuse for a line as stressed ground staff try to make some sort of order out of this mess. We arrive early, to ensure we catch opening acts, Dante Thomas and Kevin Lyttle sing early 2000s hits (Miss California and Turn Me On respectively). A voice blaring through the PA misdirects us to a non-existent entrance on the complete opposite side of the arena. "...And that was Dante Thomas! Next up is Kevin Lyttle!" announces the voice, providing updates on what's happening on stage. Ground staff apologise for the run around and instruct the crowd to head back around to the main entrance where the queue is now moving at a snail's pace. "...And that was Kevin Lyttle!" Two acts missed and 40 minutes later, we're finally in.  

There's no doubt that Fatman Scoop is a hypeman like none other, however he surprisingly begins on a strange low. After telling the crowd, "We're about to make history as the first stadium to do the mannequin challenge," (the latest social media trend that requires participants to stay very still, as if frozen in time, as the whole thing is filmed), he then gives a ten-minute spiel on poses we may choose to freeze in. After hyping the crowd up with a few R&B party hits, he invites five ladies from the crowd, specifying that "two must be plus-size", to dance on stage. The ladies take the stage, as does a Nando's mascot; there's clearly no subtlety to the product placement tonight. We lose track of how many times we hear, "Melbourne, make some fuckin' noise!" Finally, we get what we've been waiting for: the unparalleled hype track Be Faithful blasts through the arena. The set finishes after Fatman Scoop takes off his shirt, kicks a signed AFL footy into the audience and the Nando's mascot is escorted from the stage.

Blu Cantrell, looking ever so dreamy in a little white dress, spends the first few minutes of her set vibing out with the crowd to Get Low by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. An ill-fitting song choice for the moment, but this nonetheless serves the purpose of getting the audience hyped. Cantrell doesn't mess around and gets straight into Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) followed by Breathe. Both are quality tracks delivered superbly. Her vocals are tough to fault and she's only gotten better with time. Though only onstage briefly, Cantrell leaves a long lasting impression for all the right reasons.

DJ Horizon keeps tune after tune coming, providing punters with the opportunity to keep on dancing, however most seem to be updating their Snapchat stories and 'checking in' on Facebook. One eager audience member is even spotted Googling "Songs that Blackstreet sing". Well, she's about to find out, because, soon enough, the four R&B legends saunter onto the stage dressed in matching white suits and looking dapper as ever. Don't Leave Me kicks off their set, accompanied by the '90s choreography we can all admit to giving a go while watching Video Hits on a Saturday morning back in the day. Their vocal runs have everyone swooning and the heart-meltingly lush four-part harmonies are only enhanced by the long-stemmed red roses that Blackstreet throw to lucky punters; we hope the thorns have been trimmed off. They finish off with the one and only No Diggity.

Next up is Montell Jordan and it's clear from the get-go that everyone's just waiting for him to sing This Is How We Do It. Instead, Jordan takes his time and brings back old tracks Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz and I Like. He talks about how he was going through some dark times in the '90s and says he's in a much better place now: "I'm a pastor now. I'm a Christian. I let Jesus into my life. I know this isn't something you expect to hear at a concert." It's definitely not what we're expecting and, for a second, it feels like an infomercial for a religious conference. However, his affirmation is met with supportive applause. After talking about his new book and promising to pose for a selfie with anyone who purchases it, it's finally time for This Is How We Do It. Around 20 years after its release date, this song still hasn't lost its charm.

A big Kmart logo beams from all three screens in the arena as punters dance to DJ Horizon's mixes. After the music fades out, Fox FM presenters Fifi and Dave grab the mic and tell the audience that Fifi Box has "learnt to dab" (the viral dance move that looks like you're sneezing). "Let's get dabbing!" yells her male counterpart as she begins dabbing in front of the confused audience. After asking, "What are we doing? Duck face? Dabbing? What do we feel like?!" they take a selfie with the crowd. This is the most painfully awkward part of the evening and not a good enough segue for R&B princess Mya.

Adorned in a glittery silver ensemble, Mya begins with Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do). She possesses the dreamiest falsetto and commands attention with every note and step she takes. After a jaw-dropping dance routine and another glam outfit change, Mya performs Lady Marmalade with absolute ease and sultry sass, accompanied by two back-up dancers who don't miss a beat.

Just before the lights dim for 112 to make their entrance, a punter is overheard asking her mate who "One One Two" are. An innocent mistake, however fans who overhear this exchange intense eye rolls. Wearing matching blue-and-white tracksuits, 112 keep us entertained with wonderful choreography, featuring an abundance of finger snapping and body rolling. Dance With Me and Peaches & Cream have the entire crowd singing along, vocal runs and all. These R&B legends are not lacking in stamina or style and they seem to embody everything we loved about this genre in the '90s - soulful music, harmony-drenched vocals and the ultimate dance routines. They're wonderfully nostalgic.

For the first time tonight, we see a live band set-up. Four dancers dressed in white storm onto the stage and, in the blink of an eye, the TLC queens appear to "T! L! TLC!" chants. From the first chord, we recognise Creep. The ladies look sharp as ever and their stage presence is flawless. However, there's a clear divide in the audience. Half of the crowd are long-time fans, the rest have probably recently become acquainted with these legendary ladies after hearing them a few times on Fox FM's popular R&B Friday's segment. An eager young man from the crowd is picked out to be serenaded by Red Light Special and is clearly loving life as both T-Boz (Tionne Watkins) and Chilli (Rozonda Thomas) plant a kiss upon his cheek. After a beautiful rendition of Unpretty, TLC lay down their new track, which sadly sounds very generic. A really uninspiring piece, especially when compared to their previous golden discography. No Scrubs is obviously the undisputed highlight and Waterfalls? A close second. The crowd sings along passionately to every word. Without a doubt, these are two of our most loved songs from the '90s and it's an absolute treat to get to experience them live.

Nelly enters rather unceremoniously, following his hypeman to 2000 hit, E.I. He looks super-chill in his gold chains and shades, thanks us for riding with him for 17 years and then jumps to some of his most popular tracks from early on in his career. After a long, seemingly improvised call-and-response segment, we finally get what we want as that classic intro to Ride Wit Me starts. There are a few new tracks, which please the younger crowd members, but there's no comparison to his early-2000s material. Things get a bit strange when Fetty Wap's Trap Queen and DJ Snake & Lil Jon's track Turn Down For What start playing while Nelly shuffles around onstage - a very random inclusion.  And finally, just when we thought all was doomed, Hot In Herre re-energises us and saves the day, followed by Dilemma. The final track Just A Dream is a little sobering and as a cannon of colourful confetti explodes into the air, punters start making a beeline for the exits.

"How good is music?! It's the best!" Ash London randomly screams into the mic as the confused crowd continues to swarm through the exit doors. Sorry, we're too busy to respond to ya. We're trying to catch a cab to the closest after-party.