The love that was shown to the 90’s R&B group Xscape, was beyond measure. We all received a snippet of their upcoming Essence performance when the group appeared on stage at the 2017 BET Awards. Therefore all throughout the weekend, the anticipation was building to witness this historic reunion concert at the 2017 Essence Festival on Sunday, July 2, 2017.
Prior to this huge event, the group members LaTocha Scott, Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and Tamika Scott stopped by the Essence Empowerment Experience stage to talk with Essence editor in chief, Vanessa K. Deluca, about their journey and how it has shaped their lives. At first glance, we all noticed four chairs and observed that Latocha Scott and Tameka Scott were not in attendance. However, it was revealed that Tamika Scott’s daughter got married the night before and the two sisters had to catch a red-eye flight to New Orleans Sunday morning. Fortunately, Latocha and Tamika sat in on the last 10 minutes of the interview.
View a short clip below of Tiny sharing her thoughts on the reasoning behind their new documentary series that will air on Bravo. The television show will follow Xscape on the road back together as a group. Kandi can also be seen in this clip discussing what she has learned most while on hiatus.
On the night of July 2, 2017, Xscape fans were thanking God above for this nostalgic concert opportunity. Unfortunately, due to the concert being held in the Essence Superlounge which could only hold a smaller capacity of people, the entry line was shut down by the city’s fire marshall. Several fans voiced their disappointment of not being able to see Xscape on social media.
Although I am imperfect, I always try to keep my wisdom hat on in regards to making smart choices and this time things worked out in my favor. Fortunately at 7:55 p.m. I arrived at the entry point of the super lounge when the line only consisted of a handful of people. Even at this point with a credential, the fire department politely stopped me and gave a healthy pause. Meaning, I had to wait a few minutes before they could let any more people inside. Once we were released, my eyes gawked at the site of fans sitting all along the sides of the walkway as they waited patiently. BJ the Chicago Kid was on stage performing in the same lounge during his allotted time slot and I know he appreciated the audience.
Meanwhile, after BJ the Chicago Kid left the stage we waited for approximately 45 minutes to a little over an hour for the show to start. Fans inside began shouting, “We want Xscape!” Once the show started a lot of us were thankful to watch them on the monitors. One of the coolest moments I witnessed during an Xscape intermission was comedian and Blackish television star, Anthony Anderson, casually posted up in the back of the room. He was so gracious to help me take a selfie since I completely suck at this camera skill.
Overall, I enjoyed watching the Xscape ladies sing some of my favorite hits such as, “My Little Secret,” “Who Can I Run To,” and “Just Kickin’ It” to name a few. If you were a part of the large group that didn’t get to experience this event I understand your pain. Hopefully, the ladies will announce more dates in a city near you.
