The Millennium Tour made its second stop at Little Ceaser Arena on Saturday night, part of its 24-city run. The nostalgic hip-hop and R&B concert series featured headliners Bow Wow, Omarion, and Trey Songz, and also featured Plies, Boosie, Ying Yang Twins, RSVP, Nivea, and special guest Rick Ross.
The great thing about concerts like the Millennium Tour is that because there are so many acts in the line-up, artists are focused on delivering their biggest hits and not squeezing in new material or album fillers. The night promptly started at 8 p.m. as Nivia kicked it off with a short set highlighted by her 2002 hit “Laundromat.”
The Ying Yang Twins followed and truly amped of the energy with their club bangers “Whistle While You Twurk,” “Wait (The Whisper Song),” and “Salt Shaker.” By the time they performed “Get Low,” the arena had filled up and it felt like the concert had really started.
Next up was RSVP, a Voltron-esque R&B supergroup made up of Ray J, Sammie, Bobby Valentino, and Pleasure P. Ray J came out singing “Sexy Can I” in a mask, walked through the crowd singing “One Wish,” and Sammie sung his verse from Soulja Boy’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.” Pleasure P had the whole crowd singing “Did You Wrong” with him while Bobby Valentio passed out roses, played the piano, and sang an a cappella version of his verse from Lil Wayne’s “Mrs. Officer.” All four singers did what they’re known for — dance, have fun, and take turns being each other’s hype man.
Boosie took the stage next wearing enough jewelry to make Mr. T jealous. He jumped right into his two most notable songs, “Wipe Me Down” and “Independent,” and led the crowd in “Swag Surfin’” sing-along (which was appropriate seeing the time period the concert is channeling). Plies came out next wearing all black and served the crowd “Bust It Baby,” “Shawty,” and his verse from Jeezy’s “Lose My Mind.” Rick Ross came right behind him with all his Maybach mega hits. The Florida native performed “John,” “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast),” “Hustlin’,” and brought out newcomer Nino Breeze. However, it felt like Ross’s set ended abruptly as he left the stage, the music stopped, and several commercials began to play on the background screens.
Bow Wow was up next and was extremely energetic, running across the stage multiple times as he performed. The Ohio native acknowledged he was on the eve of his 38th birthday as he performed material from his So So Def catalog that included “Fresh Az I’m Iz” and many others. The highlight of his set was Bow Wow bringing out Detroit emcee Peezy, who performed “2 Million Up,” and Icewear Vezzo, who performed “Money Phone” and “Up The Scoe.” Vezzo then took to mic to give Bow Wow his proverbial flowers in front of the crowd by acknowledging his contributions to hip-hop. They both embraced in a brotherly hug and they exited the stage.
Omarion had the most polished set. He had six dancers and the choreography was top notch, but the crowd didn’t seem to know many of the songs he performed. R&B crooner Trey Songz closed out a long four-hour night with seductive performances of “Neighbors Know My Name” and “Slow Motion” while picking up the tempo with “Bottoms Up” and “Na Na.” The Virginia native also brought Detroit’s Skilla Baby, who performed a short set to the crowd’s delight.
The concert, which was organized and promoted by the Black Promotes Collective, was well-curated and moved at any expeditious pace. There was never more than a 10 minute pause between acts (except the space between Rick Ross and Bow Wow). Overall, the R&B artists from the early 2000s have always struggled to gain the same allure and respect as their ’90s counterparts, but bringing out over 15,000 Detroiters on a cold March night is definitely an accomplishment.
