Next thing fans know, Monica finally touched the stage, and the whole venue was shaken up with extremely high energy. As she greeted the crowd, she transitioned right into her hit record, “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One Of Them Days),” much to the pleasure of the audience. Whether you’re a hardcore fan of the woman or not, there’s no denying that she’s got some timeless hits on her hands to go through. While everyone in the crowd adjusted happily to her presence, Monica gave us another throwback record, “So Gone,” which has always been a huge female favorite, as well as Monica’s, herself, as she admitted to the crowd. It wasn’t long before fans were bursting with joy, as she stepped into an even bigger hit, “Before You Walk Out Of My Life,” further proving the laundry list of hits this phenom has.

Although the energy was high consistently throughout the evening, there were some points where Monica toned things down for some of her slower love songs, giving her a chance to flaunt those powerful vocals of her. She brought out a mic stand to serenade fans with more recent tracks like “Love All Over Me,” as well as “Until It’s Gone,” which live on her 2012 album, New Life. She also gave fans a taste of what’s to come on Code Red this next week, as she performed her Akon-assisted record, “Hustler’s Ambition,” which sees some very strong vocals and content matter from both of the singers.

A couple of strong tracks later, Monica surprised the crowd by dabbling into one of her most famous hits of her two-decade-long career, “The Boy Is Mine.” Although some whispers of a possible Brandy sighting traveled through the crowd, it turned to be just rumors, though Monica still held her own singing the classic rivalry track.

After a brief musical intermission, giving Monica a few minutes to switch up her style, she made a comeback to the stage in some more red gear, including an incredibly fashion-forward coat. Despite her bringing the nostalgia to her fans, Monica still kept the focus in Code Red mode. She finally closed out the show with her hit single of this year, “Just Right For Me,” which features Lil Wayne. It’s a hard-hitting record that’s become an instant fan-favorite, leaving the crowd’s tastebuds more than satisfied as they await her project to come this Friday. If nothing else was made clear last night, it’s definitely the fact that Monica has longevity that cannot be denied, and fans that are here for the long-run. –Lindsey India

Photo by @lindseyindia