The road to the 2015 Essence Festival continued in New Orleans this past Saturday (June 6) with Verizon’s “Now Playing Tour.” The first stop was in Chicago on May 30th, where we saw host Terrance J and headliner Omarion shutdown the show, despite the downpour that ensued.

For the 2nd stop of the tour, the hilarious comedian Sommore took care of the hosting duties, while Luke James took the headlining spot. We also saw a shutdown performance from The Voice contestant Tonya Boyd Cannon, as well as New Orleans’ own Kevin Stylez. In addition to the performers, New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Brandon Coleman was in attendance for a Meet and Greet and a live interview with host Sommore and the crowd. The concertgoers in the NOLA were excited to see all of the hometown favorites.

Despite the scorching heat, Luke James rocked out the “Now Playing Tour” in New Orleans with a shutdown performance. Playing songs like his Grammy-nominated “I Want You,” Luke had the crowd (mainly the women) in a frenzy.

For someone who’s toured with Beyoncé in the past, it was refreshing to hear the level of excitement Luke has performing for his hometown. “It’s the same feeling. It’s really no different,” Luke told us at the show. “I try to perform to the best of my ability whether it’s 2 people or 20,000 people. It’s a blessing to be able to perform no matter where I am.”

The party didn’t end there. After Luke’s performance, fans filled in the hosting Verizon store for a full blown meet and greet with the R&B star, giving attendees an experience they’ll never forget.

Verizon Wireless is serving as a major sponsor of this year’s Essence Festival, which will take place in New Orleans from July 2nd-5th. To bring a taste of the Essence Festival to cities around the culture, Verizon has put together the “Now Playing Tour” to get everyone excited for the forthcoming Essence celebration. With two of the four stops already in the books, be sure to catch the last two shows in Washington D.C. (June 20) and Inglewood, California (June 27).

Also check out http://VerizonNowPlaying.com for more information surrounding the “Now Playing Tour” and the highly anticipated Essence Festival! Here are the locations for the last two stops:

June 20 – 9021 Snowden Square Dr Columbia, MD 21046 (Featuring Omarion, Hosted by Terrence J)
June 27 – 3419 W Century Blvd Inglewood CA 90303 (Featuring Wale, Hosted by Terrence J)

Click the following page to see some photos from the New Orleans stop of the “Now Playing Tour.”