My Raymond & Brown Experience: The R&B Tour in Detroit

On July 3, 2026, I attended night 2 of The R&B Tour starring Usher Raymond and Chris Brown at Ford Field in Detroit—and when I tell you it made my entire summer, I mean that. I love me some R&B music and these are two of my favs for sure. It was my first time seeing either of them live, my first stadium concert and my first time being that close to the stage. Add in VIP access, surprise performances and some much-needed time with my family, and my night was everything I wanted it to be.

Some experiences are so good that you stay on a high for days afterward. This one took me a couple of weeks to come down from.

If I don’t do anything else for the rest of summer ’26, my summer was made. Okay!

The concert was more than a night out for us. Some of my out-of-town family came to Detroit for Fourth of July weekend, and The R&B Tour gave us the perfect reason to link up.

One of my sisters, my aunts and a few of my cousins all were going. We rarely get the chance to hang out together as a family, so I was already looking forward to the day before we ever made it to Ford Field.

We met at my aunt’s house in Detroit to get ready. My cousins were already turning up and setting the tone for the night we were about to have. You could feel the excitement building before we even left the house.

Now, let me tell the truth: my original outfit plan did not survive the day.

My monthly monster decided to show up right before the concert, and the bloating had me feeling like a blowfish. I was uncomfortable and hated my outfit, and there was no way my tummy could fit into top I had planned on wearing. So, I made a last-minute switch and kept it moving. Thank God that nothing—not even that—stopped me from enjoying the night. Below is the top I was going to wear.

Thankfully, we got dropped off, so we didn’t have to deal with downtown parking. We arrived early to get in the VIP line—yes, VIP! 🙌🏽—and picked up our VIP bags.

The only problem was the heat. It was almost 100 degrees outside, and because we were early, we had to wait in the baking sun for a while. Wild! That kind of heat will test your excitement, your makeup and your patience all at once.

Once we finally got inside Ford Field, though, it was worth it. We were in Pit A, right in front of the stage. Before the show started, my family grabbed pizza and more drinks, and we settled in for the night.

This was my first big concert, and somehow I had gone straight to experiencing one from the pit. I already knew this was about to be different.

I love both Usher and Chris Brown, so seeing them live for the first time was a moment for me. And let me just say: they looked good in person—respectfully—and sounded even better.

One moment I absolutely could not wait for was that cute lil dance Chris Brown does at the beginning of “Obvious.” If you know, you know. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to record it myself—but best believe I found somebody else’s footage of the exact moment.

When Breezy first came out to “Party” and Usher joined him for his part, I was so excited. Honestly, I was too hyped during the entire show. Once everything started, my family and I were each in our own little world, taking it all in.

The staging was beautiful, and I loved the theme of the show. Being right in front of the stage made every entrance, dance break and production detail feel even bigger. I had never experienced a concert from that close before, and it raised the bar all the way up.

As if seeing Usher and Chris Brown wasn’t enough, we were pleasantly surprised with performances by Eric Bellinger, Tank and Mario.

I was not expecting to see any of them, so every surprise felt like an extra gift. That lineup made the night feel like a full celebration of R&B instead of only a co-headlining concert. It just kept getting better.

The show also paid homage to Prince and Michael Jackson, two of my most beloved musicians. I appreciated that so much. Those moments gave the production another layer and connected the artists we were watching to two legends whose influence is still everywhere.

And I have to give some love to the people helping bring the full show to life. Guitarist Ari O’Neal was fire. She was super dope on those strings, for real. And let’s not forget about Taylor Terry—bad as she wanna be. She absolutely kills it every time. Those are the kinds of details that make a live show feel like a full production instead of just a collection of songs.

Then my iPhone ran out of storage—for the very first time ever. Of all the nights for that to happen, it had to be during my first big concert while I was standing right in front of the stage. I missed the chance to record so much footage, and it pissed me off so bad. The crowd was pretty decent overall, although a few people definitely got on my nerves.

Whenever someone in my family left to use the restroom or grab drinks, I tried to protect our spots. But people kept pushing and squeezing their way toward the front. I understand that everybody wants a good view, especially in the pit, but it was still annoying when we had arrived early and waited in that heat to secure our places. I guess that was to be expected.

Of course, I didn’t let it ruin the night, though. The R&B show was far too good for me to give that energy more attention than it deserved.

My Raymond & Brown Experience: The R&B Tour in Detroit

The experience was amazing. The performances, vocals, staging, surprise guests and being so close to the action made this a concert I will never forget.

But what made the night even more special was experiencing it with my family. We don’t get to spend that kind of time together often, and this concert gave us a reason to come together, laugh, turn up and make a memory in Detroit. I enjoyed being with them so much.

I was on cloud nine for days after the concert. Honestly, it took me a couple of weeks to fully come down.

Would I see Usher and Chris Brown again? Absolutely.

And if you are thinking about buying tickets to The R&B Tour, go on and get them. You will not be disappointed. Get there early, wear comfortable shoes, prepare for people to test your patience if you’re in the pit—and then enjoy the show.

Raymond and Brown gave me one of those nights that becomes part of the story of your summer. Mine just happened to include family, VIP, Detroit and two R&B superstars right in front of me.

Summer ’26 was made. Okay! Shout-out to my Auntie Yolanda for making this happen. 🩷

Have you seen Usher or Chris Brown live—or are you planning to attend The R&B Tour? Tell me your favorite concert moment below.