R. Kelly will be performing tonight at The House of Blues in Las Vegas. Even though he is a multi-platinum artist who has sold over 100 million records worldwide, R. Kelly rarely performs at stadiums. Most of his shows are at small arenas, nightclubs, or venues. The last time Kelly joined a global tour was when he toured with Jay-Z. More than 10 years ago, Jay-Z and R. Kelly embarked on their Best of Both Worlds Tour.
After a bizarre situation, which involved R. Kelly running off stage, Jay-Z refused to continue the tour with Kelly. Kelly claimed two people were waving guns at him. Jay-Z refuted the claim, and said Kelly was jealous because he wasn’t getting love from the audience. After the alleged gun situation, R. Kelly was taken off the Best of Both Worlds Tour. Jay-Z continued the tour with other artists, and Kelly sued Jay-Z and Atlantic Worldwide. The Best of Both Worlds Tour was changed to Jay-Z and Friends. Unfortunately, the tour never grossed the thirty million dollars it was expected to generate, and R. Kelly’s lawsuit was thrown out by a judge.
Despite R. Kelly’s legal woes and controversy, he was named the most successful R&B artist of the last 25 years (from 1985-2010) by Billboard magazine. He has managed to accumulate over 200 awards; including 3 Grammy Awards. R. Kelly has been credited for redefining R&B music, and he is also commonly referred to as the ‘King of R&B‘.
A typical R. Kelly concert setlist consists of his most successful hits, including some songs he never released. He usually opens with the “Ignition (Remix)” and closes the show with “I Believe I Can Fly.” To date, “I Believe I Can Fly” remains R. Kelly’s biggest hit. Ironically, the song never reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. R. Kelly’s shows usually lasts 2 or 3 hours. The audience can expect to hear songs like “Down Low (Nobody Has To Know),” “You Remind Me of Something,” “Bump N’ Grind,” and so many more songs. His full concert setlist usually consists of thirty or more songs.