Review: R. Kelly Returns To Chicago For Love Letter Tour

R. Kelly
All State Arena
Thursday, June 16

The King of R&B made his triumphant return to his hometown of Chicago, IL for the seventh stop on his 1950s-inspired (uh, I think that’s the time period? Dunno, I wasn’t born yet) Love Letter Tour.  Kells brought along Keyshia Cole and Marsha Ambrosius, who served as the opening acts.  I missed Marsha’s set thanks to traffic (please stop having concerts at the Allstate Arena – too far away. Thanks), but was able to catch most of Keyshia’s set.  The real show, however, wasn’t on stage, it was in the hallways and at the concession stands.  Lines stretched around the corner to take a picture with giant screens of airbrushed photos of a shirtless Kells, or just a simple head shot – a steal at only $20.  There was a little bit of everything and everybody at the show: pimps, infants, barefoot women in bikini tops, strippers, tourists, farmers, 75-year-old men in Jordan Fusions, etc. Kells brings everyone together, but that’s what a King does, no?  I also saw a grown man try to fight a concession stand employee for giving him a regular Mountain Dew instead of a Cold Red Mountain Dew, but that’s another story for another time.

The crowd was pretty docile during Cole’s set, but once Rob took the stage everyone was on their feet.  Before singing one note, a four minute black and white mini-movie played, featuring Kells as a dapper lounge singer being accosted by a woman at the bar, who was dying to be on the Love Letter Tour.  Aren’t we all?  Fireworks exploded and the main event hit the stage with “Step In The Name Of Love,” the 15,000-ish people in attendance all began to step as Kells ran through his string of hits.  The stage was modeled as a 50’s-inspired diner, with a fully stocked bar with that guy in all of those R. Kelly videos playing bartender (what a gig!) Seeing Rob Kelly live is akin to seeing Jay-Z, as you forget just how many hits he has in his arsenal – they literally don’t stop.  From features and guest appearances to hits of his own, tracks likes “Hotel,” “Gigolo,” “You Remind Me Of My Jeep,” “Down Low (Remix),” and “Your Body’s Calling Me,” Kells killed.  When he asked the crowd to strip, panties and bras began to  hit the stage almost immediately, and the 43-year-old woman next to me almost fainted.  No matter what pitfalls or personal issues Kells has encountered, he may have the most loyal fans in all of music.  Robert makes grown men cry.  When he did “Real Talk” acapella in the crowd, I saw a few dudes tear up. Dead serious.

After an hour and a half of hits, Rob closed out the show with “Step In The Name Of Love”, but not before the ‘R. Kelly Staff’ ushered 35 women to the stage (all shapes, sizes and races) to drink champagne and dance with him.  “This is my hometown, right?  This is my town!  Chicago, Illinois!”  Last night he wasn’t only the King of R&B, but also the King of his City.

Recommendation: Even a casual Kells fan would have a blast. Go if it hits your city.

High Point: Kells doing a chopped & screwed version of “Thoia Thoing”

Low Point: The guy two rows in front of me wearing a Gucci bulletproof vest moving his body like a snake, ma