Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Having hailed from a little further down the road in Indianapolis, it was a homecoming of sorts when Kenny Edmonds, better known to the masses as Babyface, came to Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana via Concert Management Inc., who once again added to its extremely lengthy list of legends.

Although practically everyone has performed at the state of the art venue housed inside the Gary casino of the same name, this elite artist, songwriter and producer may very well be the statistical record holder thanks to 13 Grammy Awards, contributions to more than 800 million records sold, over a billion streams, reaching the Top 10 an astounding 125 times in addition to 45 R&B and 16 pop chart-toppers.

Having about two hours to address his most meaningful moments would’ve seemed like an impossibility on paper, but thanks to a mixture of complete versions and mega medleys, Babyface certainly rose to the challenge.

Now 65-years-old and fresh off the single “As A Matter Of Fact,” the headliner looked and sounded basically like he did throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, when he not only juggled a solo career on the heels of The Deele, but co-founded the record label LaFace, which served as a launching pad for Usher, Toni Braxton, TLC, Pink and Outkast.

Babyface began by strictly singing his away around the smooth grooves “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” “Soon As I Get Home,” “For The Cool In You,” “Never Keeping Secrets,” “Whip Appeal” and a few others, accompanied by a soulful seven-piece band.

From there, he strapped on a guitar to reveal the childhood composition “Wit You,” then fast forwarded to adulthood for “Water Runs Dry” and “Change The World,” respectively cut by Boyz II Men and Eric Clapton.

Speaking of stars, he nodded to working with Whitney Houston on “Why Does It Hurt So Bad” and Karyn White during “Superwoman,” followed by a lightning round of tracks for guys like Midnight Star, The Whispers, Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill, alongside ladies such as Braxton, Mary J. Blige and Brandy.

Since Babyface is frequently in the studio with the above and beyond, this live experience was a relatively rare occurrence for the Hard Rock, though given the near capacity crowd’s ecstatic reaction, he seemed to sincerely ponder “When Can I See You Again?” while winding it all down acoustically, and hopefully, it will be much sooner than later.

For additional information on Babyface, visit BabyfaceMusic.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include The Black Crowes (Oct. 18); Jagged Edge (Oct. 19); Theory Of A Deadman (Oct. 26); Brett Young (Nov. 2); Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Nov. 8); ZZ Top (Nov. 15); Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (Nov. 21); Aaron Lewis (Nov. 22-23); In This Moment (Nov. 27); Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, & Slick Rick (Nov. 29); Bret Michaels (Nov. 30); Northwest Indiana Symphony (Dec. 5); Joe (Dec. 7); “A Not So Silent Night” (Dec. 28); Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular (Jan. 11); Rickey Smiley And Friends (Jan. 24) and Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (Feb. 1). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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