by Agnes M. Erskine
Nostalgia filled the air at The Howard Theatre on Friday
night as R&B group Dru Hill sang an anthology of hits. The atmosphere was
charged with romantic energy, as the place was filled with couples slow dancing
to the sounds of the 90’s and early 2000s. Original members, Nokio, Jazz, and
Sisqó took the stage with new member Tao, who replaced former member Woody after
his dramatic exit from the group in 2008.
Unlike many artists who take a break
from the scene, Dru Hill did not miss a beat and delivered an outstanding show
to a packed house. The group performed all of their chart-toppers; songs like
“Tell Me”, “Never Make A Promise”, “In My Bed”, “Beauty ”, “These Are The
Times”, “We’re Not Making Love No More”, and “I Love You” had folks remembering
past loves and more as they sang along word-for-word. The members each took a
turn elevating the crowd with a bevy of some of the greatest R&B songs of
all time. Jazz sang a stirring rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”,
Nokio appropriately took on Prince’s “Darling Nikki”, and Tao went “Crazy” as
he covered Cee-Lo’s hit of the same name.
The group closed out with “5 Steps”
which they dedicated to slain teen Trayvon Martin. Noticeably absent from the
stage, Nokio made a surprise walk through the crowd before awkwardly being
helped up on stage by group-mate Jazz for the finale. After the rest of the
group had left the stage, Nokio remained to quiet the cheering audience and
inform them of a meet and greet taking place on the lower level of the theatre.
Patrons filed down the stairs forming a line that ran from the basement level
and upstairs into the lobby, only to find that there wasn’t actually a meet and
greet. From the looks, sounds, and feel of it, there’s great potential for a
strong Dru Hill comeback.
As always, thank you to Howard Theatre for the access.
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