Riverbend Music Center | Cincinnati OH
A Ladies Night to Remember!
I knew from the lineup alone that this wasn’t going to be just a concert – this was going to be a whole 90s situation!
On August 21, 2026, I headed to Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati for the It’s Iconic Tour, featuring three legendary groups that helped define an era – TLC, En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa…with DJ Spinderella y’all! Yessss the crowd was so hyped to see her back where she belong!
And let me tell you, the name of the tour fit perfectly because ICONIC is exactly what it was.
This wasn’t your traditional concert setup where you have an opening act, maybe another supporting act, and everybody spends half the night trying to figure out who the actual headliner is. Nope. There really wasn’t a headliner because these ladies were ALL the headliners!
The entire night felt like one big 90s hip-hop and R&B party with a serious dose of Ladies Night energy and women’s empowerment mixed right in.
The crowd understood the assignment
Before the show even started, the ladies walking into Riverbend were a show all by themselves! People came representing the 90s in every possible way. There were throwback outfits, creative T-shirts featuring group names, song lyrics and photos, and plenty of groups of friends in matching outfits. You could tell who had coordinated before they even got out of the car! It was one of those crowds where you could feel the excitement before anybody stepped onstage. Everybody came ready to sing, dance, reminisce and have a good time. And yes, I was people-watching. Of course I was!
A little VIP nostalgia before the show
I also purchased the Hot Seat VIP Package for TLC in collaboration with En Vogue, so I had a few extra goodies waiting for me.
The package included a clear bag, scarf, lanyard, laminate and the sweetest little welcome card from TLC and En Vogue. But my favorite item was easily the cutest one – a miniature version of TLC’s CrazySexyCool CD.
And when I say miniature, I mean MINI!, about 2-1/4 inch square mini!
It even has a tiny disc inside that actually serves a purpose. You simply tap your phone to the little CD and it connects directly to the CrazySexyCool album on Spotify.
Now THAT was clever, because I honestly thought it was a keychain 😂
It was such a fun way to take something completely nostalgic from the CD era and give it a modern twist. Whoever came up with that little piece of VIP merchandise understood the assignment because I absolutely loved it.
No opening act – you better be on time!
The show was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., and at 7:30, DJ Dubz was right there getting everybody warmed up.
As if we really needed much warming up! LOL.
DJ Dubz kept the party going until around 8 p.m., and after the stage was reset, the main event kicked off at approximately 8:40 p.m.
Here’s where this show was different – you never knew which group was coming out next.
TLC might perform, then Salt-N-Pepa, then En Vogue, then somebody else would pop back up later. There was no sitting around thinking, “Oh, the group I came to see doesn’t perform until the end.” So to the folks strolling into Riverbend late…
Yeah. I saw you. 👀
And you missed some stuff!😲
Hit after hit after hit
The music barely gave us time to recover because so many of these songs are permanently embedded in our memories.
En Vogue gave us classics including “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Free Your Mind,” “Something He Can Feel” and “Don’t Let Go.” TLC took us straight back with “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” “What About Your Friends,” “Baby-Baby-Baby,” “Diggin’ on You,” “Waterfalls,” “Red Light Special” and “Unpretty.” Salt-N-Pepa kept the party going with “My Mic Sounds Nice,” “None of Your Business,” “R U Ready,” “I’ll Take Your Man,” “Let’s Talk About Sex” and “Shoop.”
And then came one of those moments that just made sense – Salt-N-Pepa performing “Whatta Man” with En Vogue.
Come on now!
And trust me, that is nowhere near the complete setlist. Those are just a few of the songs we heard throughout the night.
When you have three groups with catalogs like these, you don’t realize just how many songs you know until one starts playing and suddenly you’re yelling, “OH, THAT’S MY SONG TOO!”
A 90s party disguised as a concert
By the time the show wrapped up around 10:40 p.m., the crowd was happy, sweaty and thoroughly entertained because a time was indeed had!
The night was fun, nostalgic and full of energy. I sang. I danced at my seat. I sang some more. I danced some more.
Honestly, it felt like I had gotten a workout by the time it was over! But that’s what made the It’s Iconic Tour so much fun. It wasn’t just about watching three legendary groups perform songs we grew up with. For a couple of hours, we got to step right back into an era when these songs were everywhere – on the radio, on BET, on MTV, at parties, in our cars and probably on a mixtape somebody made for us.
TLC, En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa each brought their own sound, style and history to that stage, and putting them all together turned the night into one big celebration of women who helped shape 90s R&B and hip-hop.
And judging by the crowd leaving Riverbend afterward…
We would gladly do it all over again.
