Salt-N-Pepa and TLC – with support from En Vogue – have been bringing their It’s Iconic Tour across North America this past month. On Sept. 8, it was Chicago’s turn to witness these iconic groups sharing a stage, trading-off hits, and empowering women (along with everyone within earshot) as the It’s Iconic Tour made its stop at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.
Throughout the night, the three artists traded the stage for a series of mini-sets, each one crammed with bigger and bigger hits. En Vogue, and their gorgeous harmonies, kicked-off the show with the one-two punch of “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” and “Free Your Mind.” Maxine Jones, Cindy Herron, and Terry Ellis set the bar high with their pitch perfect vocals and immaculate choreography.
A recent announcement across socials revealed that Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins is currently recovering from a Sickle Cell crisis – she has lived with the disease throughout her life and is presently recovering well and improving each day. Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas is still performing each night until Watkins is well enough to return. Just because she was solo in the spotlight, doesn’t mean Chilli was alone, in fact, fans were more than happy to help her sing each and every song.
“I just want to thank you guys for being out here to see The Iconic Tour tonight. We’re so happy to be here. Obviously, my sister is not up here with me,” said Chilli. “Many of you may not know that she has Sickle Cell Disease, and this month, September, is Sickle Cell awareness month. So, I am going to hold it down for her tonight. That’s exactly what I’m going to do, because that’s my sister. And I’m asking each and every one of you to help me.”
If you’ve ever seen TLC perform, you know that Chilli is a singer and dancer of the highest order, so when she took the mic for the first of TLC’s sets, which included fan favorites like “What About Your Friends” and “Baby-Baby-Baby,” she did so with superstar swagger.
Salt-N-Pepa, with DJ Spinderella at their side, wasted no time sharing their iconic brand of hip-hop that has made them legends for the last thirty-plus years. “My Mic Sounds Nice,” “None of Your Business”– the first of many major sing-alongs in their first set – and “R U Ready” all got the S&P party raging. In what could have been an encore, though it was only mid-show, En Vogue joined the Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella to perform “Whatta Man.”
En Vogue’s “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” – “No Scrubs” “Creep,” “Shoop,” “Push It,” and “Waterfalls” from Salt-N-Pepa and TLC were other highlights of the setlist.
Check out photos of En Vogue, Salt-N-Pepa, and TLC below and click here to pick-up tickets to future tour dates. More information about upcoming shows at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island can be found at LiveNation.com.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
