Waterfalls and Fire Burning: The Hot Summer Nights tour 

All Photographs taken by Kory Savage

The Hot Summer Night Tour featuring Shaggy, TLC, En Vogue, and Sean Kingston, made its way to the outskirts of Houston on July 1st. It was definitely a hot night at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion but the performances were worth sitting in the summer heat.

1. How did you enjoy each act?

Naomi (@naomimgloria): Because of some trouble with Vivid Seats not sending out tickets we missed Sean and basically all of En Vogue. That didn’t stop us though, we loved Sean and how he sang all of his oldies, and especially En Vogue went off on their outfits it’s like they never left honestly. The TLC backup dancers went off and we’re amazing!! The DJ break was so good especially for the younger generation that was there because it was a lot of pop hits that were and will always be big. I knew Shaggy was, you know, Shaggy but I didn’t know how he really got down. He had really good high energy and knew how to perform for a crowd – I absolutely loved watching him.

Amir (@amitri1017): Sean Kingston was a bit of nostalgia, because he was prominent during my time. However, it was a bit disappointing to only hear background music for him even though I know he’s older – it would have been better with more singing and less talking. The same nostalgic effect can be said for the iconic TLC, but more remarkable especially since they were missing a member on account of the tragic accident that happened a decade or two ago. Shaggy was iconic as ever. I remember seeing his music videos when I was younger on YouTube like I did with Sean Kingston. En Vogue was a hard one to decide if I liked it or not, I just remember singing it in the car with my mom and knew some of the songs but just didn’t have any attachments to them as much as the other three.

Marco (@mgjctv): Each act was very impressive, the energy they were giving was fantastic, and of course when they played their biggest hits, everyone (including me) was dancing and having a great time!

2. What’s one part of the concert that you weren’t thrilled about?

Naomi: Vivid Seats was so annoying and still won’t give a refund because they said they sent the tickets, and we obviously didn’t have them. We were on the phone with them for a little over an hour. We ended up going to the box office and just buying more tickets, which I felt bad about.

Amir: I wasn’t too thrilled about TLC’s performance of “No Scrubs.” Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic to hear the song be performed and see them on stage – but I wanted to hear at least the audio of Lisa Lopezs “I think that’s her name” part in the song. That would have been iconic because almost everyone who’s anyone with an ear and phone has heard No Scrubs and knows all of the parts. I know it was probably hard because “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls,” “Creep,” and “Unpretty” were the last few songs that they wrote and performed together. They were also some of their highest-charted singles. They did play Lisa’s part on Waterfalls, which don’t get me wrong, is amazing – but not as iconic as No Scrubs.

Marco: How long you have to wait for the next artist to come up stage!! The wait times were too long.

3. Does this music still have an influential presence in 2023? If yes, how so? 

Naomi: I believe this music does. I grew up with two older sisters, so I know this music like the back of my hand. But I know I’ve also heard a few of these songs on TikTok and in mainstream media – it’s going to be passed on from generation to generation, and I’m excited. They don’t make music like this anymore, and I hope it stays long after I’m gone.

Amir: Most definitely. I feel like a lot of music back during the time of all the stars and icons that performed on stage had more substance and meaning behind the words that were said and sung. Artists had more of a connection with their fans and more of an impact on their lives. Hearing music like that has actually affected a lot of people today in the respective genres of each of those artists. The songs had more energy that would get almost anybody dancing and having fun from the melody to the dance moves to the energy that they were all giving. So yes, I do think they still have a lot of influence on the 2023 presence.
Marco: Yes, of course. If you take me for example, I never lived in the 90s, but yet I know TLC all because of my mom growing up. Their music has lived through the 90s and continues to pass on to this day 30 years later. As I was watching the crowd, I could see kids that were the same age as me and even younger vibing out to the music.  The type of music they represent still has a strong impact on people of the younger generation.

About Author

Vincent Ruggiero

Concert Reviewer – Hip-Hop, Soul, and Classic Rock
Spotify – @tnecniv734
Shows Reviewed: Thundercat, Billy Joel, Christopher Cross, Steve Lacy, Legendz of the Streetz, JID and Smino, Paul Wall and Gary Clark Jr., John Mellencamp, Larry June, TLC/Shaggy/Sean Kingston/En Vogue, Kenny Loggins, 50 Cent, Lil Uzi Vert, Aaron May, Zane, Santana and Counting Crows

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