The road to the 2015 Essence Festival began Saturday (May 30) in Chicago with Verizon Wireless’s Now Playing Tour. Hosted by Terrance J with a headlining performance by Omarion, fans came out, despite the rainy weather, for a afternoon of music, free gifts and more.

Taking over the Verizon Wireless store at River oaks Mall, Terrence J hosted fans through their Verizon Live experience, which also brought rising songstress Justine Skye.

After an impressive lyrical performance from hometown heroine Bebe Ohare, Skye took the command of the stage interacting and sining for the faithful fans who stuck through the inclement conditions. Within her time on stage, Justine Skye introduced the crowd to her new single “Bandit,” showcasing her beautiful voice and dazzling dance moves.

The crowd welcomed the man of the afternoon, Omarion, to the stage with screams and cheers as he performed fan favorites “MIA” and “Let’s Talk” and shared a moment with the crowd bringing his son Megaa on stage for a mid set turn up. Omarion closed the show by delivering a high energy, from he and the crowd, performance of his red hot hit “Post To Be.”

“Events like these allow me to kind of just get personal,” Omarion stated. “Even though it rained, it still feels like personal and I always love connecting with my fans.”

“We are ready for Essence Music fest it’s always a crazy experience down there but you know for me I film a show in a studio now, without a live audience and it’s a lot of fun, anytime I could be around people in the middle of the action I enjoy it,” Terrence J added.

The party didn’t stop there, after the performances fans and the artists filed the hosting Verizon store to view a one-on-one sit down between Omarion and Terrence J before Maybach O greeted and snapped photos with every fan.

Verizon Wireless is serving as a major sponsor of this year’s Essence Festival, which will gather as the largest celebration of African American music and culture. To bring a taste of the Essence Festival to cities around the culture, Verizon has combined their technology, celebrities and the Now Playing Tour to get everyone excited for the forthcoming Essence celebration.

The Now Playing Tour will now be arriving in more cities in the forthcoming weeks with more celebrity guests. To check out where you can join in on the fun check the dates and guests below. Also be sure to check out all the action from Chicago below and visit http://VerizonNowPlaying.com  for more info!

June 6 – 2701 Veterans Memorial Blvd Kenner, LA 70062 (Featuring Luke James)
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)