Individually, Brandy and Monica have each been responsible for a steady stream of chart-climbing hits, served as musical touchstones and inspirations for countless people, and have enjoyed careers that started in adolescence and managed to endure for decades. As accomplished as both singers are on their own, their lives will forever be intertwined by a once in a lifetime collaborative single and undeniable cultural moment the universe simply knows as “The Boy Is Mine.”
The 1998 duet played into the media-manufactured “rivalry” between the two young singers—the R&B version of similarly fabricated Britney vs. Christina and Backstreet Boys vs. NSYNC late ’90s feuds—and it paid off in a big way. “The Boy Is Mine” camped atop the Billboard charts for 13 consecutive weeks, earned both vocalists a Grammy, went double platinum, and remains each of their most popular and most streamed songs more than a quarter-century removed from its release.
Now, 27 years after the world heard the duo split verses and share harmonies on one of the biggest songs of the 1900s, Brandy and Monica have joined forces again on the aptly-named “The Boy Is Mine Tour,” which kicked off in Cincinnati on Thursday and continued on to Fiserv Forum the following night. Milwaukee turned out in a big way Friday for the second stop on 32-concert tour and the packed arena was rewarded with a two-hour co-headlining set in which the R&B superstars took turns traversing their equally amazing catalogs, sharing the stage for some memorable moments (including an unexpected cover), and showing their appreciation for each other.
Before the headliners did their thing, punctual showgoers were treated to entertainment from an eclectic blend of openers. At 8 p.m. sharp, reigning American Idol winner Jamal Roberts took the stage and showcased his powerful and soulful pipes with a 10-minute set that kicked the show into motion and set the tone for the caliber of concert to come.
Less than 15 minutes later, Muni Long took her turn in front of the ever-growing audience that was steadily making its way into the arena. While she’s probably best known for her songwriting work (including co-writing credits on hits by Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and the Pitbull song “Timber”), Long displayed her abilities as a performer over the course of a 25-minute set consisting of crowd-pleasing originals, a tribute to the recently departed D’Angelo, and one of the first live performances of her then-hours-old single “Delulu.”
Long also added a dash of humor to the mix, splitting up songs with financially-focused skits that found her trading lines—and hundred dollar bills—with her background singers and dancers, and even poking a little fun at herself. “A lot of people say I’m just a one-hit wonder,” she said immediately after performing her most successful solo song (“Hrs & Hrs”). “Well, I want to set the record straight. I’m a two-hit wonder!” She proved as much by closing out her endearing and entertaining set with “Made For Me,” inspiring much of the audience to sing along.
Speaking of multi-hit wonders, none other than Kelly Rowland was up next. Despite being a founding member of Destiny’s Child and a bonafide solo star in her own right, Rowland was gracious and infectiously upbeat in the direct support role from 9:15 p.m. until about 9:50 p.m. Over that approximately 35-minute span, she delighted the Forum with a jam-packed collection of song segments from her own catalog (including “Motivation” and “Kisses Down Low”), tracks she featured on (namely Nelly’s “Dilemma”), a few covers (including a rendition of Monica’s “Mirror”), and a cavalcade of iconic Destiny’s Child offerings. Between her energy, her voice, and the tight choreography, Rowland would’ve been worth the trip on her own. (Come back and headline somewhere in Milwaukee soon, Kelly!) However, the best was still to come.
When the clock struck 10, the smoke machines that had been billowing since Rowland’s last note stopped and gave way to a video of Brandy and Monica walking into an elevator and pressing the top floor button. The screen went black, an elevator rose from within the stage, and the excitement in the arena also climbed to a higher level as the doors parted to reveal the headliners in all their glory. They paused for an extended beat, then strolled confidently out of the elevator car to take Milwaukee on a two-hour journey through their amazing careers and their world-renowned collaboration, with a few enjoyable departures tossed in for good measure.
In the early part of the set, Brandy and Monica leaned into the adversarial narrative bestowed upon them by taking turns trading musical blows. Ms. Norwood started with a rousing rendition of “What About Us?” as Monica and her backing dancers looked on in feigned disinterest. Monica answered back with her “Knock Knock” that elicited an equally bored reaction from Brandy. The trend continued with Brandy performing a portion of “I Wanna Be Down,” Monica responding with “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)” and Brandy wrapping up Act 1 with “Best Friend.”
From there, the two superstars took turns. Monica temporarily departed, leaving Brandy room to stretch out and give an extended taste of her outstanding body of work. At that point, Brandy focused on deeper cuts (relatively speaking for an artist with a mountain of hits to her name) including “Full Moon” and “Who Is She 2 U” before she surrendered the stage to her counterpart.
During her first turn on the stage alone, Monica conducted a “Street Symphony” and brought Milwaukee back to “The First Night” with her material that—much like Brandy’s—sounded album-caliber, and she even threw in a great dance number along the way. After Monica stepped aside to end her first dedicated solo portion, the pair slowed things down and ratcheted up the emotion with a collection of about a dozen total songs that could fall into the “ballad” classification. Brandy performed “Brokenhearted” and “Almost Doesn’t Count” then Monica did “Why I Love You So Much” and “I Keep It To Myself” and they shared the stage to reprise their 2012 duet “It All Belongs To Me.”
With dozens of hits between them and on-stage tenures that span about 70 years combined, there was a lot of ground to cover to make sure every notable song and every era of each performer’s career was touched upon. The co-headlining approach served as an asset to help break things up and keep things rolling along. Without blowing the whole set list, we will confirm Brandy did “Baby”, “Sittin’ Up In My Room” and “Top Of the World.” And yes, Monica performed “So Gone” and “Angel Of Mine.”
Though things took a (scripted) combative tone initially, sections of the set were broken up with videos in which Brandy and Monica explained their confusion over being literal teenagers who were pitted against one another by the music industry machine, they voiced their mutual respect and admiration for each other, and they acknowledged that their work together helped them both reach higher levels than ever before. The end of the show found them sharing the stage once more, this time with a decidedly more friendly vibe than at the concert’s outset.
They paid tribute to their shared mentor, idol, and friend Whitney Houston with a captivating cover of her “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” before sitting next to each other, doling out compliments, and watching as their counterpart performed “Have You Ever” and “For You I Will” respectively. Finally, to the surprise of nobody and the excitement of everybody, Brandy and Monica put a satisfying bow on a memorable night with a bombastic, full band-backed version of “The Boy Is Mine” before returning to the elevator and traveling to even greater heights than two hours earlier. It took 27 years to happen—to quote Brandy, “DAMN!”—but it was absolutely worth the wait.
