Missy Elliott is at the top of her game at Wells Fargo Center show

Missy Elliott is easily the best Melissa to ever do it, and that’s saying something. But all jokes aside, Missy has been a fixture in my musical universe since I was a jit. Her experimental music and unsettling iconography sometimes frightened me, but left me incapable of looking away. At the time, no one else sounded like Missy with her flawless blend of rapping and singing. No other female MC looked like her either: a plus-sized jawn in bright baggy clothing with a compelling visual shot through a fisheye lens. The experimental essence of Missy is forever seared on the brains of 80s and 90s babies.

When the futurist visuals dropped for “Out Of This World,” Missy’s first headlining tour, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the same time-hopping, jaw-dropping energy would be palpable.

The night kicked off at Wells Fargo Center with Missy’s right-hand man Timbaland, who bopped around the stage to numerous tracks spanning his more than 30-year career. Songs included “Promiscuous Girl,”  “Ayo Technology,” and “Pony.” Unfortunately, Timbaland’s performance left much to be desired as he was alone on stage rapping along to only parts of the songs that played. Either way, his presence was a solid palate-warmer for what was to come.

The Princess of Atlanta, Ciara, was the next person to grace the Wells Fargo Center stage. She kicked off her set with her 2024 debut single “Goodies” which was followed by “Oh” and “Ride.” As a tween who was listening to Ciara at the onset of her career (like many of the other people in attendance), it was nice to see that she was still able to expertly execute all of the iconic dance moves that so many of us mimicked in our bedroom mirrors. Ciara and her dancers gave us everything we needed and more.

Since dancing is a major component of Ciara’s artistry, it made sense for her to have a bevy of dancers backing her up. For Busta Rhymes, all he needed was his omnipresent hypeman and co-conspirator Spliff Star. The pair pit verses from songs like “Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” “Make It Clap,” and the “Never Leave” remix as they played around with volume and speed. Busta and Spliff have been doing this for so long that their playful rap game of cat and mouse left audiences captivated without all the other pomp and circumstance like backup dancers and pyrotechnics.

At long last, it was finally time for the lady of the night. Missy kicked off her set with a relatively new track, her 2019 release “Throw It Back.” She followed this up with “Sock It To Me” and “I’m Really Hot” while she and her backup dancers were draped in shimmering bronze jumpsuits. Missy had many outfit changes throughout the night, including a black puffy jacket with a train that spanned the length of the stage. Air pooled and undulated through this outfit as she performed “The Rain.” This stage look was of course referential to her outfit in the music video to the same song.

Missy has always lived in some fantasy world that intersects post-Reconstruction Era South with Afro-futurism. Hailing from Virginia, Missy blends the mysticism and magic of the southern older days with wild possibilities of unforeseen years to come. Throughout her 30+ year career, Missy has given us countless hits and campy visuals. When we tap in with Missy’s artistry — may it be in the music, the clothes, the music videos, or the arena tours — there’s an exploration of alternative Black worlds. A full fantasy novel series can be based on her songs and music videos.

With her first headlining tour, Missy provided audience members with all the drama, all the theatrics, and all the wonder. A tour of this caliber has been long overdue for Missy Elliott.