Mary J. Blige has been the reigning Queen of Hip Hop Soul for the last three decades known for her emotional intensity, personal lyricism and fabulous boots. Her most recent tour, which is named after her 14th studio album Good Morning Gorgeous, serves as a victory lap celebrating her extensive career and ability to triumph over adversity. The Root had the pleasure of seeing the legend herself in Chicago. Here are the 5 things we learned:
1) There’s no way that Mary isn’t a natural blonde.
The way the star sports blonde hair should be criminal and this tour was no different. Her bleached tresses reached past her thighs during her Chicago stop at United Center and were pin straight with bangs. The cover of Blige’s 1994 breakthrough sophomore album, My Life, featured her donning two blonde braids and the R&B world hasn’t been the same since. Although it’s been said that Black people can’t be born with blonde hair, we beg to differ.
2) Mary can still cut a rug and hit her classic dance.
Perhaps there is no greater dance that fans love more than the Mary bop. She hits a mean two-step with her back to the audience and turns around before swinging each arm around her head and letting out that infamous kick. The choreography was a little bit more complex on the Good Morning Gorgeous tour, but Blige still effortlessly executed it in heels. Back in 2020, she told Angie Martinez about her classic moves: “My shit is swagged...my shit is smooth.”
3) Mary’s fans know every word to every song and will sing them so she doesn’t have to.
Blige’s discography consists of 14 studio albums, which equates to an endless amount of hits. Her setlist consisted of classics like “Real Love,” “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” “Not Gon’ Cry,” “I Can Love you” and “Family Affair.” Not only did they get quite the response from those in attendance, Mary often turned her mic to the audience so they could gleefully scream every lyric to every song. Even during the brief intermissions where Mary changed outfits, the songs that played in the background were just more of her tracks—which is more evidence of her illustrious catalog.
4) There isn’t a stiletto boot Mary has come across and hasn’t liked.
If there is one thing more notorious than Mary’s dance moves it’s her undeniable love of a sturdy stiletto boot. Sometimes they’re over the knee, sometimes they’re thigh high—but they are always present. For the Good Morning Gorgeous tour, there were metallic boots, red sequined boots, there were blue boots. Sis paired her footwear with a matching monochromatic look and stunned in every one.
5) Mary’s message for the Good Morning Gorgeous tour is one of self-love.
Like the album itself, Good Morning Gorgeous is about self-love and learning to embrace your independence. Not only did Mary proudly proclaim herself single, but how her journey is one of resilience and meant to inspire those who are unsure of themselves. Some of her performance felt like a sermon, where she took the whole arena to church and her rendition of “Just Fine” was a self-congratulatory moment of sheer joy.