Although the program was running almost an hour late and it was about 12:25 a.m. by the time Jada Pinkett Smith introduced Alicia Keys at her headlining concert, Keys still wowed the audience with hardly any visuals and special effects other than her personal talents.
Saturday night was the 16th Essence Music Festival, and Keys started her set powerfully with the ballad “Love is Blind” from her 2009 album The Element of Freedom.
Throughout the night, she alternated between different types of pianos and keyboards, at times including a baby grand piano and a strap-on electronic keyboard. The musician swept through her hits, including “Fallin’ Diary,” "No One” and “Till You See Me Smile,” USAToday.com reported.
Other singers that performed during the EMF included Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, Earth, Wind & Fire and Estelle.
Even with the company of talented musicians and performers, Keys was awarded with the biggest applause of the night when she included in her set “Empire State of Mind Part 2” against a video backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
