( Rolling Stone ) -- After back-to-back stomach clutching renditions of `` Not Gon ' Cry '' and `` I 'm Going Down '' at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans Sunday night , Mary J. Blige pulled off an Oprah-worthy seminar on affirmation with `` Just Fine '' to close out the three-day fest , which celebrates black music and African-American culture . The synth-heavy number pierced to the core of the capacity Louisiana Superdome crowd . As Blige danced around in a shimmering black mini-dress , the audience took over the number and launched into a sing-along that reached up to the fifth level of the arena . Earlier , Blige told Rolling Stone , `` I do n't think fans come here to hear you talk about your new album . They come to hold their stomachs when you sing that song that you love so much . That 's what [ the festival ] is about . To get that nostalgia . You got ta give the people what they want . '' She certainly obliged . Photos : 2011 Essence Music Festival : Kanye West , Usher , Mary J. Blige , George Clinton and More . If Blige 's set was packaged as faith and forgiveness , then Saturday night 's headliner , Kanye West , was essentially id decked out in a sporty white blazer . The Chicago MC arrived through the air via a cable-enabled lift before he got off and had a Rudyard Kipling-inspired moment and walked through the crowd to reach the stage for `` Power . '' Riffing off recent performances , West 's show was a mix of his Coachella set ( in three acts ) and his VMA performance ( red suit ) but with a nod to the Essence crowd , as he finished with a stirring musical testimony to his mother , `` Hey Mama . '' Photos : The Hottest Live Performances from Coachella 2011 . `` It feels so good to be back home , '' 'Ye told the audience -- not unlike Blige , preaching the power of healing . `` When I say home , I mean my people . I travel the world . I been around the world . I got into a little trouble . A little controversy here and there . But before I go any further in the show , I wan na thank you for coming out and still supporting me . '' Friday night headliner Usher and Charlie Wilson ( Friday 's penultimate performer ) had an unofficial generational game of one-upmanship . Wilson commandeered the stage for what felt like an eternity , though in actuality it was much closer to two hours , still , surely more than his allotment . The former Gap Band singer ran through a series of his old cohort 's hits , from `` Outstanding '' to `` You Dropped a Bomb on Me . '' Uncle Charlie , as he 's been dubbed by Snoop Dogg , cut into Usher 's constituency when he launched into `` There Goes My Baby . '' The song not only shares the title with one of Usher 's tracks , but the swooping song is best known ( at least to the younger set ) as Wilson 's dedication to Snoop and his wife when the couple renewed their vows . Wilson smiled , preened and pranced as the audience swayed from side to side . A rejuvenated Usher , however , proved it 's still a younger man 's game . He also arrived from the sky like West , but once he landed ( equipped with a helmet ) , the pre-July 4th fireworks started . `` U Do n't Have to Call '' and `` You Make Me Wan na '' thundered throughout the dome . Shrieks echoed as leather-clad Ush slithered between dancers during `` Lil Freak '' and `` Trading Places . '' But , much like Blige noted , the crowd wanted nostalgia and Usher offered it in heaps with a three-song Michael Jackson medley . It was a true `` OMG '' moment . Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone .
The Friday festival celebrates black music and African-American culture . Michael Jackson medley , decked out in a sporty white blazer , arrived via a cable-enabled lift . Usher offered nostalgia with a three-song Kanye West .