Fridayz Live 2023

Fridayz Live

Sydney, NSW - 18/11/23

Australia’s biggest RnB festival, Fridayz Live returned in November for its annual tour around the country and we were fortunate enough to attend the Sydney show at Giants Stadium. This was the final show in the series run but you wouldn’t have known with the amount of energy and enthusiasm that all the acts displayed.

Fridayz Live is one of the regular names on the festival calendar and the team’s experience is clear in the organisation and execution of the event. It was like a well-oiled machine. The acts hit the stage on time, there were lots of bars with a variety of choices, a smorgasbord of food selections on every level of the stadium, adequate signage, lots of helpful staff and a bevy of merch items. Major sponsor McDonalds even set up a working store in the middle of the dance floor area while Fatman Scoop and Yo! Mafia returned in their respective roles Scoop as host for the series, and Yo! who again took on the task of keeping the party energy high between sets. Both successfully completed their roles and hopefully cemented their inclusion in next year’s shows. This is an event done very well, the only two suggestions would be, and these come directly from attendees we spoke to would be more toilets for the GA punters if possible and a tweak in the lineup.

As usual, we only have high praise for Fridayz Live and its organisers. This event really is a delight to attend and one we at MFA look forward to every year. We thank Frontier Touring again for having us along and for always looking after us.

The Lineup :

New Yorker Travie McCoy opened proceedings with charismatic charm and a handful of classics that everyone knew including Billionaire, and Stereo Hearts. He thanked organisers for the opportunity to not only visit our beautiful country but also for the long list of new friends he had made while on the tour.

Fan favourite JOJO jumped on stage next with sparkly pants and an arrangement of dancers to accompany her as she belted out her popular tracks Say Love, Leave(get out) and Too Little Too Late.

Duo 112 were up next and despite the heat, they never slowed up their energetic pace as they worked both sides of the stage. The group from Atlanta played hits Peaches & Cream, Dance With Me and a rendition of ‘I’ll Be Missing You’

The Queen of this year’s lineup was the glorious Kelly Rowland, and she did exactly what was anticipated, she dominated! She sang, She danced, and the crowd lapped up every second of it. The former Destiny Child member dressed in a sexy denim outfit gave the audience a little bit of both her worlds with a few tracks from her trio days including Soldier, Bootylicious, and Cater 2 U as well as the solo hits Motivation, Stole and When Love Takes over which she made with David Guetta.

Naughty By Nature had two sets through the night as the explored the Top 50 RnB tracks of all time. Making the list was everything from Eminem to Dr Dre, Ice Cube to Snoop, 50 Cent to Coolio, Nicki Minaj to Cardi B. The three-piece was another act that had boundless energy, cris-crossing the stage before shaking hands with punters along the barriers and then heading into crowd to continue the party.

Boyz To Men were a vision of white as they took to the stage to a thunderous cheer and it was clear a lot of people had been waiting for this exact moment. The Philadelphian vocal group knew what their fans wanted and they didn’t disappoint, playing their songs On Bended Knee, I’ll Make Love To You, End Of The Road and It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday.

Arguably the most anticipated act of the night was Flo Rida, the Carol City native exploded onto the stage with an energy that didn’t stop till his set was complete. Dressed in jean cut-offs and an open leather vest the Florida-born artist played a ‘best of’ collection of his long list of hits such as My House, In The Ayer, Club Can’t Handle Me, Turn Around, Whistle, and Wild Ones. Flo’s set included a chance for ladies and then the men of the audience to get on stage for a dance and a Champagne shower as punters were sprayed while the artist and his friends had a few cheeky shots of Patrona. Then it happened, Mr Rida donned the thickest Gold chain I’ve ever seen before attaching the biggest pendant I think has ever been made, then it was onto the shoulders of a city-sized security guard (Big Zacc) shoulders and he was off deep into the crowd, doing a full lap of the bottom floor of the stadium. Demonstrating his desire for his fans to have an unforgettable experience and the love he has for them. Finally, he took off what looked like a brand-new pair of white sneakers, signed them and gave them to two lucky patrons in the crowd as souvenirs.

Our very own and the only Australian on the bill, Havana Brown took to the DJ decks to keep the energy levels high before the final act for the night. Havana, who also successfully occupied the same slot at last year’s event played a mixture of her songs (Run The Night) and as well as other RnB favourites (Dynamite) before announcing she had brought along a special guest. It was at this time that Conrad Sewell appeared on stage and two completed a cover of Firestone.

The Headliner for the festival was Australian Idol judge but American-born Jason Derulo who came on to the stage with an entourage that would rival the accompaniment of royalty and a red fake fur jacket that needed to be worn while standing on a platform to appreciate its actual length. Jason was determined to give the fans a great show and that he did, busting out some masterful choreography before bringing out guests the Les Twins who took the dancing to a whole other level. Jason dropped hit after hit with Wiggle, Take You Dancing, In My Head, Savage Love, It Girl, Hands On Me, With The Lights on and Ridin’ Solo before closing out the night to a barrage of finale fireworks.