Project Description

R&B Vine Days

@ Rochford Winery

10/02/2018

By Kelsey Hentschel

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Saturday the 10th of February, Melbourne was treated to the first ever series of RNB Vine Days winery shows at the stunningly picturesque Rochford Winery in the Yarra Valley. The Victorian show is the third instalment of this national touring event. First NSW, then QLD.

The events were organised through hit radio station Fox FM. The concert series showcases some of Australia’s stunning wine regions at “A Day On The Green” venues and flaunts some of the biggest names in modern R&B. The event lineup consisted of Boyz II Men and TLC taking the headlining positions, alongside Blackstreet, DJ Horizon and YO! MAFIA.

The atmosphere for this festival was electric. It seemed as though everyone had come prepared with picnic rugs and camping chairs. The lawn was a sea of fans having a boogie to the all of the classic R&B jams. My companion & I snagged a prime spot on the lawn with a clear view of the festivities, and we honestly didn’t really move the whole day (except to the bar for some of the signature Rochford wines).I haven’t really much to say about DJ Horizon and YO! MAFIA, other than they maintained a constant stream of danceable tunes. They were definitely enjoyable performances, but nothing particularly notable happened for me to write about.

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R&B hall of famer Shaggy was originally booked for this event but later pulled out of the festival tour, to be replaced by legendary 90’s outfit Blackstreet. I cant compare the two as I have never seen Shaggy before. But I will say I was thrilled to hear that the iconic hip-hop/R&B group would be taking his place. The boys came out with a bang and gave their everything into the whole set. The crowd absolutely went off when the group performed “No Diggity”, a song which grew in popularity since it was featured in the first of the “Pitch Perfect” movies.

Next to take the stage was American R&B vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boyz II Men. These guys are best known for emotional ballads such as “End Of The Road” and “I’ll Make Love To You”. The boys came out on stage together wearing matching all white outfits. It was something from a 90’s dream. The group sang and danced in unison. It was clear that there were many die-hard fans in the crowd as they could bee seen enthusiastically dancing and singing along to every song, even the lesser-known tracks.

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Closing the Festival was TLC. TLC is an American girl group, originally a three piece from Atlanta, Georgia (only two remain). Best known for their cult R&B hit “No Scrub”, as well as their hits “Waterfalls” & “Creep”. This was the most exciting set of the day. Complete with backup dancers and choreographed lighting. The girls put on a full on production. It was a perfectly curated mix of classic TLC old school hits, and fresh tracks from their latest album. I found myself singing along to tracks that I was unaware I even knew. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of work that had gone into every aspect of their set. Before I knew it we had breezed through every song on the setlist. It was the final song of the set, and consequently the night. ”Waterfalls” rang out across the winery and surrounding farms while a tribute to fallen member Lisa Lopes played on the screens behind the two girls. It was a beautiful moment shared in by everyone at the festival.

Overall I was overjoyed with the running of the event. There were no noticeable faults regarding planning, setup, bathrooms, water stations, food vans, etc. The night seemed to go off without a hitch. I had an absolute ball. This may have been the first ever R&B Vine Days. But with the way things went this weekend I can confidently predict that it certainly wont be the last. Until next time.

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AMNPLIFY – DB