NE-YO, BEHANI, Lloyd @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 28/9/2024

There was a whole lot of love in the Adelaide Entertainment Centre last night for R&B legend, NE-YO, who delivered us the smoothest performance of this year. NE-YO gave the fellas a two hour lesson (I hope notes were taken) on how to be the perfect gentleman and capture the hearts of the ladies. Meanwhile the single ladies let loose, with three lucky women joining the singer on stage. We take a closer look at what went down…

The Champagne & Roses Tour was opened up by fellow American R&B singer, Lloyd. Lloyd’s energy was electric. Donning his Bruce Springsteen tee, he performed hits from the early 2000’s including You and Get It Shawty.

Arguably best known for his collaborations with rapper Lil’ Wayne, it would have been a crime to not include the 2009 single BedRock by Young Money. Of course the crowd went nuts for this one, as this is exactly the kind of nostalgia they wished to seek when purchasing tickets for this show.

Lloyd gave us a taste for what was to come with his killer dance moves and flawless vocals. This man was doing the most physically, yet his singing was still on point.

There was a brief interval before Australian artist, BEHANI, took centre stage in a white hooded cloak surrounded by male dancers. Having collaborated with big names such as Tyga, holidayed with DJ Khaled in Miami and even recorded with Ne-Yo himself, BEHANI was there to showcase her different musical style.

The Melbourne-born singer was also promoting her upcoming reality TV show Behind Behani coming to 7Bravo in October this year which will follow her through the highs and lows of her rise to fame.

At 9pm sharp it was time for the three-time Grammy Award winner to step out. NE-YO was looking fresh, as if we hadn’t aged a day since the release of his debut album In My Own Words back in 2006.

In a stunning leopard print suit and his iconic black hat tilted to the side, he came straight out with some of his biggest hits including Closer, Because of You and One In a Million.

NE-YO moved through different vibes as opposed to eras which was really refreshing to see from an artist. We got all the sexy hits such as Single, Sexy Love and strip-club inspired anthem She Knows before moving onto a deeper, more emotional path belting out classics like Mad and So Sick which had us all in our feels.

During the interval, NE-YO’s hype man had gone out on a mission to find three talented ladies that would have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dance with Ne-Yo! We watched as girls gas-pedalled, twerked and shook what their mamas gave them to land themselves on stage with their celebrity crush.

Halfway through NE-YO’s set, it was time for the selected ladies to compete and show him their best moves as they danced to Push Back, a famous collaboration between NE-YO, Stefflon Don & Bebe Rexha. A Kenyan-born, Adelaide based woman took the title, impressing the singer with her steamy performance which seemed to have him very hot under the collar.

Moving through more of his pop records we heard some of his newer music, including U 2 Luv and 2 Million Secrets which went down a treat with fans before taking us back in time with the banger that was and still is Miss Independent.

NE-YO will always be known for his blend of R&B, touching song lyrics and pop production… But we also can’t forget his massive dance tracks, having collaborated with the likes of David Guetta and Pitbull. Just when we thought he was finished, he surprised us with Play Hard, Let’s Go and Give Me Everything.

Wrapping the show up with Time of Our Lives he really did have us all in the palm of his hand. We had been taken on a journey, from high school love to heartbreak and back to having the time of our lives again.

The Champagne & Roses Tour is a show I’ll remember forever and keep close to my heart as it transported me back to a different time. We truly do not get artists like NE-YO coming through in this day and age with such strong song-writing abilities and solo smash hits. Treasure it while you can.

NE-YO now makes his way to Perth, Brisbane and Sydney to finish off the Australian leg of this must-see tour.

Live Review By Mia Hole