Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue bring the spice; TLC underseasoned

When a key member of a musical act can’t make it on stage because of illness, the options are universally subpar: cancel the concert, postpone until the performer recuperates, use a substitute or soldier on without them.

TLC, as part of a co-headlining tour with Salt-N-Papa with support from En Vogue at an exuberant sold-out Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park in Atlanta, chose to keep going Friday night without key member Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins.

In fact, T-Boz has been off the tour for several weeks. In a statement in late August, the legendary Atlanta-based ’90s girl group said she was suffering from complications of chronic sickle cell disease.

She was first diagnosed at age 7 and for decades has endured frequent bouts of pain because of the disease, which causes red blood cells to stick to vessel walls and block oxygen flow.

As a result, the rigors of touring have been a perpetual challenge for T-Boz since TLC’s heyday.

She and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas have only toured intermittently over the past 24 years since their charismatic third, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, (the L in TLC), died in a car crash in Honduras. During live shows, the remaining duo has chosen over the years to insert Left Eye’s prerecorded rap tracks rather than bring in a replacement.

That has always made for a less-than-idyllic live show. But T-Boz’s absence was even more painfully apparent because her lead vocals are so integral to all their songs. Chilli seemed lost without her. It was like Hall & Oates with just Oates.

Not that Chilli didn’t try. The ageless, chiseled performer ably performed choreographed dances with six backup dancers and an energetic four-piece band. But TLC with just C underwhelmed. She ended up doing largely truncated versions of seven songs like “Creep,” “Unpretty” and “No Scrubs” on top of two medleys.

Early on, Chilli addressed T-Boz’s sickle cell issue with the crowd.

“Sometimes she has a crisis,” Chilli said. “She did. I can tell you, she is getting to 100% every solitary day. I will hold down for my sister.”

The crowd cheered so loudly, Chilli got emotional.

“Help me hold it down tonight,” she said. “I’m at home.”

The largely female crowd, packed with millennials and Gen Xers, did their job.

So did En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa.

The tour promoters tapped ticket sale gold with this power package, a trio of complementary female acts. All hit their prime during a more innocent time: post Cold War, pre-9/11. Their songs reflected a period of positive social change for women where girl power wasn’t just marketing pablum but true agency.

DJ Dubz warmed the crowd up early on with an hour of female-oriented pop hits by the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston and Beyoncé.

Then came the 130-minute, nonstop mixtape-style concert. Each act would play a few songs, then swap out, occasionally intermingling.

First out was En Vogue. The quartet arrived in the early 1990s with no shortage of attitude and sophistication, delighting fans of pop, dance and R&B with a harder edge than predecessors like the Pointer Sisters, Klymaxx or Exposé.

Now a trio with three of the four original members (Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and recently reunited Maxine Jones), the ladies were slinky, sexy and in control.

From 1990 to 1996, En Vogue generated six massive Top 10 hits. And the Chastain audience heard them all in glorious, no BS fashion.

The repeated line “No, you’re never gonna get it” from “My Lovin’” never sounded so good. And the grinding guitar riffs during “Free Your Mind” gave the still relevant song’s lyrical message extra kick.

But the MVPs of the night were Salt-N-Pepa.

Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandra Denton (Pepa) have been together since the mid-1980s. For most of their career, they were supported by DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper), who came back in the fold this year after a messy split in 2019.

Salt-N-Pepa’s chemistry was infectious, sparks flying the moment they hit the stage in bright duster jackets and parachute-style trousers. It’s as if the hot tub time machine ejected the group from 1993 as they joyously spit out verses from “My Mic Sounds Nice,” “None of Your Business,” “Get Up Everybody (Get Up)” and “Champagne” in rapid succession.

They were also supplemented by six dynamic male backup dancers with at least a total of 36 sweaty abs.

“Thank you for supporting us for 40 years,” Salt said at one point, “We love being part of the soundtrack of your lives.”

Indeed, from the sing-a-long power of “Whatta Man” (with En Vogue) and “Let’s Talk About Sex” to the groovy “Shoop” and breakout hit “Push It,” Salt-N-Pepa turned the amphitheater into a sweaty outdoor nightclub.

Spinderella, who proudly noted that she became the first and only female DJ inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November, also spun a powerhouse 15-minute DJ set. She first honored the late Dolly Parton with a clip of “9 to 5,” then barreled through hits by the likes of Daddy Yankee, House of Pain, Nirvana, Missy Elliott and Outkast. The video screen gave dancers in the audience a chance to channel their own inner “Soul Train.”

The show ended with gospel flair as Salt-N-Pepa concluded with the 1997 God’s Property classic “Stomp,” which featured a rap verse from Salt.

And in an homage to Georgia’s own James Brown, Pepa wrapped a fake-tired Salt in a red cape at the end of “Stomp.” Salt then came back to life for one more chorus before Pepa caped Salt one more time, laughing as they left the stage.