***Spoiler alert– don’t read this if you don’t wanna know. Lol***

Dope.

That pretty much sums it up. I had full intentions of tweeting the night away, but I think every iPhone/AT&T user was dismayed by the lack of service at the Orpheum. *womp womp* I managed to send out two tweets– one about Kirk Franklin’s new single (it’s awesome) and the other about the biggest surprise of COG history– Whitney Houston’s surprise duet with Kim Burrell.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

I got to the venue several hours before the show started and the line for general admission was wrapped around SEVERAL corners. I only knew it was “us” because of the french rolls and cat-daddy suits that seemed out of place (only a bit, though) in downtown LA.

I had some other business to attend to, so I dipped to the back area, where the excitement had already been building. Backstage, I saw a little of everyone, including the one and only El DeBarge (pause: insert starstruck moment right… there). EVERYONE was milling around, getting hair and make-up, throwing on suits and outfits. I tried to steer clear.

Then, I headed over to the red carpet area, where the artists looked incredible and media was in full-effect. We lingered in the lobby, doing the “hey, how are you?!” stuff before heading to our seats. The taping was about to begin.

Kirk Franklin opened the show with his new single– from the catchy hook that I KEEP singing to myself, I’m gonna say it’ll be called “Right Now.” The singers sounded and looked great (Nikki Ross, Faith Anderson, Charmaine Swimpson, Debette Draper, Candy West, Anaysha Figueroa, Isaac Carree, Myron Butler and Deonis Cook– a dream team). The band was full of energy and Kirk was his dynamic self. But a technical error required that they do it again. After another technical error the second time around, I think they decided to just keep what they had the first time. Hopefully, what you all see will be as dope as what it was– the performance was flawless.

VaShawn Mitchell performed his runaway hit single “Nobody Greater,” with an elegant set. By the end of the tune, he had the entire room on their feet– he does a great job leading folks in praise and worship. This is definitely his time.

Y’Anna Crawley, Leandria Johnson and Jessica Reedy were joined on stage by Kelly Price and Chante Moore to sing a rendition of “Because of Who You Are.” It was good, though some might say the vocalists were such powerhouses that it was hard to figure out who to watch and listen to. They each sang like nobody’s business, though.

Let’s see… what else… well, there was a little performance by Kim Burrell that had some folks talkin’…

OKAY, SO… Kim Burrell comes to the stage, singing “I Look To You,” one of the singles from Whitney Houston’s comeback record. She looks great and sounds incredible. Check. Then, after her verse, a familiar voice can be heard… a tone that has never been (shall never be) matched… and the audience started gasping. Slight gasps at first, but by the time the wall lifted and WHITNEY HOUSTON walked out to join Kim, the entire room was on their feet, screaming like kids on Christmas day. The two executed the rest of the song with grace and professionalism, but to be honest– it was all about the ‘moment.’ Priceless.

Further into the show, Mary Mary performed a new song called “Something Big.” It has a high-energy, Jackson Five type of vibe to it and their vocals were awesome. Getting increasingly excited for the project.

Other stand-out performances of the night include Israel Houghton & Kirk Franklin singing “Mercies” and James Fortune & FIYA singing “I Believe” with Shawn McLemore and Zacardi Cortez. I also loved the throwback moment created by El DeBarge (singing his new single “Second Chance”) and Howard Hewitt (singing the classic “Say Amen”). Major shout-out also to Jonathan Nelson & Purpose, Smokie Norful & Myron Butler, Kathy Taylor Brown, Earnest Pugh, Byron Cage… good performances by all of them.

The night ended with an incredible performance by Beverly Crawford, joined on stage by Dr. Bobby Jones, singing her single “It’s About Time for a Miracle.”

It was definitely one of the best COG programs ever– some were saying “the” best. The program will air on BET on January 30th. Of course, I’ll remind you as the date approaches.

So that’s that. Excited?