top of page

Boyz II Men and Patti Labelle Headline the Great New York State Fair Concert


Boyz II Men and Patti LaBelle
Written by Tammy Reese and Lakisa Renee / All videos/photos by LaKisa Renee

On August 29th 2022 baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman who make up the Grammy-winning vocal soul powerhouse group Boyz II Men returned to the Great New York State Fair for the first time since 2009 to celebrate with fans over 30 years in the music industry.


Many classic songs and fan favorites that were performed included “Motownphilly”, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, “End of the Road”, “I’ll Make Love to You” and “One Sweet Day” which features Mariah Carey who was not in attendance. During “One Sweet Day” the legends guided the audience to sing Mariah’s parts of the song. During “I’ll Make Love to You”, the group who were matching in all-white outfits handed out flowers to the ladies in the audience. Cultured Focus Magazine’s own LaKisa Renee personally received a flower from Shawn Stockman.


The guys sang, danced, and played guitars throughout the night. The crowd enjoyed every moment, even when they were not singing their own songs. August 29th was the late King of Pop Michael Jackson’s birthday. The crowd went wild to hear Boyz II Men sing a cover to a song that Michael once did a cover to which was “Come Together”. The song first recorded by The Beatles was written and composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

The night was a great representation of soulful R&B music and overall classic R&B harmonies.




The “Godmother of Soul,” Patti LaBelle came back to the Great New York State Fair to perform on Women’s Day, August 31st at Chevy Court. Patti LaBelle is one of the most influential voices in the Rhythm and Blues, Pop, and Soul musical genres. She last performed at the NYS Fair in 2015.

Patti LaBelle’s iconic career has spanned six decades. The crowd had an excited packed house that sang and danced to each song. Patti came on stage sparkling in orange with a well-done and suited blonde hair due. Later in the show, she did a jaw-dropping wardrobe change to a black and white dress with an all-black hairstyle still stunning as ever. The 78-year-old singer has swag, class, energy, and amazing stage presence and style. Her dance moves are just as fun and on point as her singing ability. Patti’s band and musical director were full of life as well as her background singers. All three singers had their moments to shine bright with solo moments during the concert.

Classic hit tunes performed during the show included “Lady Marmalade”, “You Are My Friend,” “New Attitude,” and “Somebody Loves You Baby”.


The crowd members were brought into the show as Patti shouted out and showed love to everyone in attendance and personally had a public conversation with some of her fans that were in the audience.

In addition to her legendary music career, the legend is recently known for appearing on The Masked Singer.

An accomplished author, Patti has written six books, including the New York Times bestselling cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine, which just celebrated its commemorative 20th Anniversary Edition release. In 2007, she introduced Patti’s Good Life, a food and lifestyle brand that offers a variety of frozen comfort foods, including her world-famous Sweet Potato Pie.




TLC performance was held on August 26th, 2022. The legendary R&B TLC took us on a journey back to the 90's with a show-stopping performance at the Great New York State Fair 2022. This was TLC's first performance ever in Syracuse and at the NYS Fair. The Iconic trio, now a duo after the untimely passing of group member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, performed a number of their greatest hits in front of a packed audience of packed fans at Chevy Park.


The concert began with an opening set by their DJ to hype up the crowd. He played 90s favs ranging from The Fugees, to Bell Biv Devoe and more. T-Boz and Chilli hit the stage in glittery green and black outfits with their background dancers. They started the show with hits out the gate performing "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" followed by "What About Your Friends" from their debut album "Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip." The crowd went wild, everyone was dancing and singing along to every word.


The duo did not miss a beat, their voices sounded exactly the same as the original tracks. Their 90s inspired choreography was precise, fun, energetic and acrobatic. T-Boz and Chilli made sure the presence of the late Left-Eye was remembered during the concert as they incorporated her vocals into the performances.

TLC then took us on a journey through the "CrazySexyCool" era performing popular hits “Baby-Baby-Baby,” “Diggin’ On You,” “Creep,” and "Red Light Special," which are some of my favorite songs.


The ladies took a quick break while the DJ entertained the crowd. They returned to the stage to perform hits from their futuristic album "Fan Mail" such as “Unpretty” and "No Scrubs." T-Boz discussed her inspiration for writing the song "Unpretty" and encouraged all women to love themselves as they are. Before singing their mega-hit "No Scrubs," TLC reminded the audience that if a man has no job, no ambition and no plan, he might be a scrub!


TLC closed out the show with a touching tribute to the late Left Eye during the performance of “Waterfalls.” Lisa "Left Eye"npassed away at the age of 30 in Honduras following a car crash in 2002. Thousands of fans swayed back and forth with their cell phone lights in the air while T-Boz, Chilli, and the background dancers danced during Left Eye’s memorable verse as the lyrics floated above them. The whole audience then sang along to the chorus of "Waterfalls" a capella. It was such a touching and beautiful moment to see and capture.


After the last song fans called for an encore. TLC said yes and asked the crowd which song they would like to hear that hasn't been performed yet. Unfortunately the group cut not perform any additional songs due to the NYS Fair curfew. However, they did stay on stage for a while to talk to fans and sign memorabilia for them. The fans were dressed in TLC shirts and 90s inspired outfits including neon colors and hats. The concert and experience was one for the record books.


For TLC Updates:


The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Find the Great New York State Fair on its website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


All concerts in the Chevrolet Music Series were free with Fair admission. All concerts at the Fair are sponsored by Chevrolet.


Tammy and LaKisa thank the public relations team at the NYS Fair and the publicists to both Boyz II Men and Patti LaBelle for the opportunity to have press access for these main events.



The Great New York State Fair ran August 24th - September 5th, 2022











Tags:

Commenti

bottom of page