Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, En Vogue at Starlight Theatre, Kansas City MO (2026-09-30)
Set 1:
My Mic Sounds Nice
None of Your Business
R U Ready
Get Up
Champagne
La Di Da Di (Slick Rick cover) (Snippet) >
I’ll Take Your Man / Slam (Onyx cover)
Whatta Man (with En Vogue)
Set 2:
Ain’t Nuthin’ but a She Thing
Expression (With House Dance Break)
Do You Want Me
Let’s Talk About Sex
DJ Spinderella (medley of DJ mix snippets)
Shake Your Thang
Shoop
Push It
Stomp (God’s Property cover)
Set 1:
Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg / What About Your Friends
Silly Ho / Kick Your Game / Girl Talk / Hat 2 Da Back
Baby-Baby-Baby
Diggin’ on You
Set 2:
Creep
Red Light Special
Unpretty
No Scrubs
Waterfalls
Set 1:
My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)
Free Your Mind
Set 2:
Something He Can Feel (Aretha Franklin cover)
Hold On
Don’t Let Go (Love)
TLC & Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue- IT’S ICONIC
OCT 2 Atlanta, GA
OCT 4 The Woodlands, TX
OCT 5 Irving, TX
OCT 7 Phoenix, AZ
OCT 9 Las Vegas, NV
OCT 10 Inglewood, CA
OCT 11 Concord, CA
Salt-N-Pepa only
Oct. 22 Seattle, WA Museum of Pop Culture
Dec. 1 Auckland, New Zealand Spark Arena
The It’s Iconic Tour featuring Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, and En Vogue was making a Kansas City stop at Starlight Theatre and though the rain wasn’t completely done, Mother Nature had the gotten the message to hold the weather enough off to let the sold-out show go on as planned.
These three acts were defining forces in ’90s R&B and hip-hop and the opportunity to revisit those so many hits that made them so well-known and famous, were enough to bring a crowd of all ages in, and in droves. While this was a nostalgia focused tour, it also reminded everyone of those still-meaningful and timeless songs and introduced new generations to the soundtrack of so many young people in the late 80s and early 90s.
The format of the show proved brilliant- a 2hr+ non-stop dance party that had each act playing two mini-sets; with one act following right after the other, and often blending together, as when Salt-N-Pepa joined forces for “Whatta Man” with En Vogue (as they did when we saw them last November being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and when TLC’s Chilli joined En Vogue for part of “Don’t Let Go (Love).”
En Vogue represented the classic and elegant, sophisticated vocal harmonies, choruses and in-sync movements; TLC sung of defiance, empowerment, and female independence, and Salt-N-Pepa turned in all back to when it began, with old school rhymes and beats that remain as irresistible, more than three decades later.
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When Salt-N-Pepa hit the stage, it was an immediate statement. Still driven by simple beats, hooks and confident rhymes, the duo, along with longtime DJ, Spinderella still have that trademark swagger to still remind everyone why the songs aren’t going away anytime soon, and why they were deservedly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Like TLC, their first set contained earlier and lesser-known hits but were no less impactful as the duo delivered every line like it was the first time, while Spinderella kept her head down in her laptop and mixing console.
1986’s “My Mic Sounds Nice” got things rolling and is also an ideal statement of purpose from the pair, declaring their female independence and delivering with an undeniable confidence of what they intend to showcase on their own terms.
“None of Your Business” roared with self-will and drew its boundaries of what’s expected without asking for permission and there was a nod to the past with a Slick Rick snippet and the compelling beats and chorus of Onyx’s biggest hit.
The music, plus the message, has always been a part of the group’s methodology such as highlighting the strength of a female on “Ain’t Nuthin’ but a She Thing” and the need to take intimate precautions during an AIDS-era written, “Let’s Talk About Sex” showcase that social sensitivity set to a potent beat, the best.
DJ Spinderella received a solo turn halfway through the second set, spinning a medley of influential tracks over the decades. While some of the hip-hop classics heard were expected, she took a surprising turn by including the likes of Nirvana and Guns n’ Roses; proving that good music, in any form or genre, deserves to be recognized (also part of the reason, they as a hip-hop group, deserved being in the Rock Hall).
Their second set, which would end the evening, built momentum up to the group’s two biggest hits, “Shoop” and “Push It,” which had every fan shucking their rain gear and dancing in place to the unforgettable beats. But they weren’t quite done yet, saving their final song for a God’s Property cover, the 1997 Kirk Franklin-led joyous, “Stomp” in which S-N-P not only acknowledged their gratitude to their enduring fans, but to the man upstairs as well.
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TLC was an incredibly influential trio in ‘90s R&B, and following the auto accident death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in 2002, had initially retired the following year. Of course, they returned, just over a decade ago now and have been regularly touring since. Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins had begun this tour with Chilli but had a flare up with her sickle-cell anemia condition and was forced to withdraw from the remaining shows, including KC.
Despite Chilli having to hold it down for the full trio, both of the missing members were represented by having their vocals inserted into some songs and Chilli asked the crowd to send their love to T-Boz and to help sing the songs, since she was on her own.
Chilli took a longer pause to take note of the younger fans in the audience and brought several pre-teen girls up on stage- to ask their name and have them dance a bit as the band played.
The songs played were almost chronological, with the first set being the early and more lesser-known singles, followed by a more produced and polished later-era set that featured the bigger and more recognizable songs from the height of their commercial success.
Like the band’s own true story, the lyrics often spoke of loss, success, and eventual redemption, and as a solo front woman Chilli managed to engage well with the crowd, Her many dancers and band (along with show opener DJ Dubz) added to provide a fulfilling performance that covered all eras of the group, and recounted all the hits like a familiar jukebox.
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En Vogue appeared visibly happy and sounded dynamic as members Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones looked terrific in similar but not matching gold-trimmed black dresses, and black high boots and gloves, complete with “Ooh Bop” emblazoned fans that were, of course waved in synchronicity on-cue. Jones was a welcome return to the group to see after more than a decade away, following Rhona Bennett’s exit after not being invited to last November’s Rock Hall performance.
“Free Your Mind” which ended their first mini-set, was raw and forceful while still lush, as those forces that the ladies were singing against (i.e. prejudice, bias, bigotry), were displayed on the screen, replaced with the song title and chorus, spinning on three virtual mono colored balls.
Any small shortcomings in the harmonies were more than made up more for by the crowd’s singing along, and the full sound from the accompanying live band made for a classy and ideal beginning to the evening, that helped fight off the rain.
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The It’s Iconic Tour featuring Salt-N-Pepa, TLC and En Vogue worked not only as a celebratory night of revisiting those female-powered modern R&B and hip-hop classics from a generation ago but also proved those songs themselves are strong enough to outlive their original era to transcend into the ethos, decades beyond those moments when they notched their initial chart positions.
National / International act coming through the Midwest / Kansas City area? Please email details to johnc@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time to be considered for Show Preview and Show Coverage consideration.
| John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap ♥ Instagram |
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