Although his birthday isn’t for a couple more weeks, Houston rapper/burger slinger Bun B used his fourth time as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s resident Black Heritage Day music curator to throw himself a Birthday Bonanza concert on Friday, March 7 — and it was an odd lineup with some awkward technical glitches.
Before the show started, tributes were given to Sylvester Turner and Sheila Jackson Lee. Then, TSU’s Ocean of Soul and Prairie View A&M’s Marching Storm bands teamed up and gave dual, thundering sets before joining forces and performing together for the announced crowd of 69,667.
After a bunch of fireworks and pyrotechnics went off a few minutes before 9:30 pm, a clip package of celebs giving Bun birthday wishes played on the screens. This package included comedians (Cedric the Entertainer, Gary Owen), rappers (Slim Thug, Paul Wall) and a predictably creepy message from wrestling legend The Undertaker. Then, Ennio Morricone’s “Man with No Name” theme started playing and Bun came out rocking a long leather coat with fringes and a cowboy hat that once again had the Monster Energy Drink logo on the front. He and his band started things off with “Get Throwed.”
Unlike his previous “Takeover” shows, the concert didn’t have a clear musical theme. For the past few weeks, Bun has gotten clowned on social media for his all-over-the-place lineup. (Facebook trolls were mocking up flyers announcing other possible artists, including Ice JJ Fish and Milli Vanilli.)
However, the lineup did give off a Black dad’s Spotify playlist kind of energy, and it did seem like Bun (soon to be 52) booked a lot of favorites from his library. First up was So So Def’s resident boy band Jagged Edge, who did a medley of their late ‘90s/early 2000s hits. After that was a surprise performance from Do or Die, a Chicago rap group who was signed to Houston's Rap-A-Lot Records back in the day. They performed their hit tune “Po Pimp,” which Bun said he often performed during sound checks. Both acts dressed Black-dad casual, like they were going to their kids’ soccer game after this.
If there was one artist people were truly anticipating, it was R&B temptress Coco Jones. Coming out in an all-white ensemble, including shiny cargo pants and a cowboy hat, she led the crowd with a couple bars of “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” before doing “Taste,” from her upcoming album Why Not More? Jones was the first of several artists who had audio problems during the show, switching mics halfway through when her voice wasn’t picking up all over the stadium.
At this point in this show, Bun B came back out in a beige waistcoat with the UGK logo bedazzled on the back, looking like a land baron on Gunsmoke. “I believe I look like a million dollars in here,” he said, before introducing surprise performer Tommy Richman. Richman, who had a show earlier that evening at White Oak Music Hall, stopped by to do his TikTok hit “Million Dollar Baby.”
Local gospel great Yolanda Adams came out next, in a white zip-up and spangly jeans, singing during an In Memoriam package of Black people who died recently (like Turner) and who’ve been dead for a while now (like DMX). During this performance, one of the background singers’ mics was louder than Adams’s, something she appeared to pick up on.
After performing a couple of her peppier gospel numbers, Adams asked Bun, “Don’t you think it’s time to bring out the slabs?” A quartet of slabs rolled up next to the stage, carrying some local rap legends, as Bun performed a couple UGK tunes. Then, Bun brought out Houston MC Don Toliver, who arrived in a red Ferrari. Once he hopped out (wearing what looked like a black leather tracksuit with fringes and a blue handkerchief around his face), he performed several songs but also struggled with microphone problems.
Next, Bun introduced another surprise performer: T.I. All dreaded up and wearing what looked like a pleather outfit, the Atlanta vet did a boisterous set, pulling out a lot of his 2000s hits and saying, “I’m the king, bitch!” every once in a while.
Keith Sweat was next, giving the right amount of old school energy as he sang hits from his New Jack Swing heyday. Sweat prematurely left the stage at one point, thinking his set was over. But when the music for “How Deep Is Your Love?” began playing, he returned. He saved face by asking the crowd, “You thought I was finished?”
An Ali Siddiq video appeared once as Bun introduced Ludacris, the final performer of the night. Just like his fellow ATL rap god T.I., Luda gave an energetic performance (in cowhide-looking shorts!). He pulled out all the classics, including “Stand Up” and “Move B***h,” before leading the entire audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Bun. Bun closed it out as always with UGK’s “Int’l Players Anthem.”
Yeah, it was a weird night. There were audio and visual glitches, a lineup that had everything from Dirty South legends to quiet-storm mainstays to one-hit wonders to gospel singers making a joyful noise. Bun took an ambitious swing with this one, assembling a grab bag of his favorite artists for a freewheeling show that appealed to many demographics. I wouldn’t mind if he did it again — but those mics better be sorted out next time.
