Live Review: RNB Fridays Live feat. Craig David, Sean Paul, Kelly Rowland & More

Given that doors opened at 4pm on a Friday and this reviewer has a job and bills to pay, catching Ruff Endz' opening set was never going to happen.

Instead, we arrived just after 6pm, as Mario Barret kicked off his slot. One would think that given the RNB Fridays Live show goes for over six hours there would be a steady flow of punters filing in throughout the evening. But, not in this case. As Mario bounced around on stage, playing hits like How Do I Breathe and Let Me Love You, the GA section of Qudos Bank Arena was more than half full of screaming fans; a very impressive turnout. Mario's energy kept the crowd moving throughout his hits-only set and it was a treat to watch the now-31-year-old make the most of his time on stage. The intervals in last night's proceedings were filled by DJ Horizon and the night's MC, Fatman Scoop, who had little trouble keeping the arena entertained, playing RNB classics from the likes of Usher, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce and more. 

En Vogue were up next and despite how strong the group were vocally, it took some time for the younger fans to really get into it. Free Your Mind and their cover of 1993's Whatta Man helped, but they really won the crowd over with Don't Let Go (and yes, you could hear a few people shout out, "Oh this is their song?!")

By the time Kelis made her way out at 7pm, everyone inside Qudos Bank Arena was treating this like a straight-up dance party, and she obliged. Kelis' energy made even the stiffest punters relax a little bit, as she also made a point to fit in all the classics in 30 minutes, cranking out Bossy and of course, Milkshake.

Looking out into the GA section as Kelly Rowland took to the stage, you'd be forgiven for assuming this was her own headline show. The entire standing section was crammed. Rowland had the fans in the palm of her hand from the get-go. If the arena was crazy for Dilemma and Stole, then it completely lost its mind when Rowland delivered a Destiny's Child medley, fitting in some of the iconic group's fan-favourites like Survivor, Soldier and Independent Woman.

Oh, and Delta Goodrem randomly came out during the set to get a lap dance from one of the back-up dancers. So, um, yeah. There was that?

The vibe from Rowland's performance carried straight over into Ne-Yo's set who was joined by a live band on stage; a very good move. The singer's vocals haven't wavered even an ounce in over a decade, as he belted out tracks like So Sick, Miss Independent and When You're Mad with ease. If you were listening from outside the arena, you could have sworn someone just blasted a Ne-Yo playlist on Spotify around Qudos Bank Arena. Ne-Yo rounded out his 45-min slot with Give Me Everything and Time Of Our Lives, which the room went berserk for in easily one of the best showings of the night.

After all the bells and whistles of that set, it was going to be interesting to see how Craig David could follow, given that his TS5 show features just one mic and some turntables. It was obvious to see that some in the crowd weren't sure what a TS5 show is (does anyone know what TS5 means by the way?) and expected to see the UK artist perform his '00s tunes back-to-back. Instead, in what was the 'danciest' performance of the night, David played remixes (Music Sounds Better With You mixed with Wild Thoughts was a damn banger), rapped and sung, and it quickly won the crowd over. While fitting in teases of R&B classics such as No Scrubs and One Dance, David was sure to make the fans happy by performing his best-known songs such as Fill Me In and 7 Days. Nostalgia, new hits and R&B favourites. Well played, David.

Jamaica's own Sean Paul wrapped up the night's proceedings and though the crowd was still heaving, it wasn't as energetic or as full as it was for David, Ne-Yo or Rowland. Maybe the 10.50pm start time had something to do with it or maybe the set times should have been tweaked? Regardless, Paul put on a great display. His remix of Sia's Cheap Thrills got a run, as did Got 2 Luv U, Rockabye and Temperature to massive cheers.

All in all, RNB Fridays Live was another huge success and many left the arena wondering out loud who they could bring out next year if it meant more sell-out arena shows; Usher? Snoop Dogg? Hell, could they get Destiny's Child back together? Either way, the result was clear - with crowds like this, RNB Fridays Live is only going to get bigger, so the sky's the limit.