BETHLEHEM, Pa. — R&B singers Keith Sweat and Monica know how to put on a good show.
They swept the crowd off their feet and kept them cheering and dancing Tuesday night at Musikfest's main Steel Stage.
The show lasted four hours, with Lehigh Valley rapper, producer and guitarist Maxmilly opening the show.
- Keith Sweat and Monica performed at Musikfest's Steel Stage on Tuesday night
- The show featured R&B, rap, hip hop and soul
- Concertgoers cheered, danced and sang along with the lyrics
Monica, once a teenage sensation and now 42, is Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum artist, singer, actress and entrepreneur. Her second album, “The Boy Is Mine,” spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard music charts.
Sweat, once dubbed the “King of R&B,” was an early figure in the New Jack Swing movement of urban contemporary R&B. He has produced eight albums.
The concert crowd filled more than half of the arena on a cool summer evening that created a comfortable atmosphere for listening to outdoor music after a fierce night of storms Monday night.
Turning on the sex appeal
Monica took the stage first, after a DJ mixed songs such as “Who’s That Girl” by Eve, “Do What We,” by Da Beatminerz, and “Yeah!” by Usher, pumping up the audience.
Concert-goers rose to their feet, cheering and dancing.
The singer performed hits including “Don’t Take It Personal,” “Everytime That Beat Drop” and "Still Standing.” She also sang “For You I Will” from the soundtrack to the 1996 movie "Space Jam" in honor of the late Whitney Houston, who died in 2012.
“I get one sip, a Hennessy."R&B singer Keith Sweat on stage at Musikfest
Sweat, who just turned 62, turned on the sex appeal as soon as he hit the stage to the sound of a roller coaster.
He engaged with the audience not just with his songs, and they responded to his playfulness. Early on, he started with a familiar complaint at other concerts.
“Rumor has it that I like getting drunk on stage,” Sweat told the crowd. “I saw that [expletive] on social media and ‘Every time I was going to do a show he probably gonna be drunk.’'”
The rant delighted my next-door seatmates, Geoff and Alvina from Philadelphia. The concert was a gift from Alvina, and Geoff was hoping for such an occasion.
Geoff, a longtime fan, said he enjoyed Sweat’s idiosyncrasies. Sweat famously consumes Hennessy before performances.
“I get one sip, a Hennessy,” Sweat said.
Sweat sang audience favorites, such as “Twisted,” “Nobody,” “Get Up On It” and “I Want Her.”
Toward the end of his set, he gave a rose to a couple in the front who was married 62 years and sang them his song “I’ll Give All My Love to You.”
A couple of more songs after that and it was time to call it a night.
