November 5 marked the sixth year the Soul Train Awards have been held in Las Vegas, once again taking over the Orleans Arena. Soul singer supreme Erykah Badu hosted the music spectacular for the third time, and unless you were among the lucky thousands in the arena Sunday night, you missed out on some of the show’s funniest and most memorable moments—BET’s November 26 broadcast won’t include Badu’s off-the-cuff banter, jokes and songs that entertained the crowd during filming breaks. She’s not just a musician; she’s a sorceress, and everyone in the building was under her spell.
No spoilers here—you’ll have to tune in later this month to see who took home trophies. But be ready to celebrate ladies’ night: Toni Braxton received the Legend Award and SWV took home the Lady of Soul Award. Braxton’s performance was preceded by a burn-the-house-down tribute by up-and-comers Ro James, Jessie J and Luke James. SWV opened the show with a medley running through its ’90s radio hits. If you’ve never been part of an arena-wide sing-along to “Weak,” watching on TV will be the next best thing.
Additional powerhouse performances by DVSN, Tank, Le’Andria Johnson, Daniel Caesar, 112 and Keyshia Cole helped make the Soul Train Awards’ 30th editon a truly special occasion, another magical music event that fits very well in Las Vegas.
