The Best And Blackest Moment's From BET's #ThankYouObama Celebration

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These days, we need all the uplift and encouragement we can get. And last night, BET’s televised program “Love & Happiness, an Obama Celebration,” was just that. It was bittersweet, fun and funny and an expression of gratitude to the couple who’ve meant more to us than words can express. Check out the best and Blackest moments from last night. #ThankYouObama.

Yolanda Sang Her Face Off

When we typically hear “Glory,” the Grammy Award-winning song by Common and John Legend, John is the one who does the vocals. But last night, Yolanda Adams stepped in to do the honors and it was indescribably marvelous. I just sat, spellbound staring at the television, unable to fully process what my ears were hearing and what my eyes were seeing.

Jesse Williams’ analysis of her performance was accurate.

Leslie Odom Jr

If you Google Leslie Odom Jr. in connection with the Obama tribute, you’re more likely to stumble across his Hamilton-inspired rap. He remixed it to make the lyrics about President Obama’s lineage and legacy in the White House. And it was brilliant. But what moved me more than anything else were his vocals as he sang Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” It was beautiful. And for a moment, you could tell that President Obama was holding back tears.

Jesse Williams

You already know Jesse Williams spoke eloquently during this occasion. In a speech that best described our feelings, Williams said:

“And in these last few months with you guys in the White House I’d just like to publicly thank the Obamas for being such a great and lasting source of pride for all of us.”

AJ and Free

Regina Hall hosted the evening with Terrence J. You know Regina is high-key hilarious. And she got to deliver the best joke of the evening. In speaking about how sad she was going to be to see Mr. and Mrs. Obama leave the White House, she said, “This is actually worse than when BET replaced Free & AJ.” The fact that Terrence J. was standing right next to her as she said it, made it that much more hilarious. While the President seemed to be a bit out of the loop, not really catching the reference, Michelle got it immediately and busted out laughing, giving Terrence J. the “Ooo” face.

For Real

In another moment, Regina looked out into the crowd and said, ‘Y’all we’re not going to see this again.” When she delivered those words, before the election, there was no way she could have known just how true they would ring. At this point, we can only hope that after the next four years, there will be something at least a little bit close to this.

Michelle’s Bop

If you ever wondered if our First Lady enjoys these White House concerts, specifically this one, you need only look at her body language and dance moves. She was feeling it. The proof was all up in that chair dance. The GIF was ready and available on the internet within minutes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BM21i_kg9mk/

Kierra’s hair whip

Many of us remember the moment Kierra had a hair faux pas on stage when her wig fell off as she was performing. But don’t worry, she was not fazed. Not only did she pick the wig up off the floor and slap it back on her head, she didn’t change her standard choreography either. When she was at the White House, she was whipping her hair and head. So much so that we saw more of her loose, blonde girls than we did her face. Kierra, Michelle Williams and Yolanda did their good work.

Usher’s Song Choices

Usher is a familiar face at the White House. He often performs of the President and First Lady. But this time, in what might be his last time performing for the first couple, Usher did exactly what he wanted to do: an anthology of his hits. He sang “U Make Me Wanna,” “Caught Up” and “Yeah.” You will remember that there is a line in “Yeah” that speaks about his voice making people’s booties go clap. Yes, he sang that in front of the Obamas. To his credit, he also led the crowd in James Brown’s iconic, “I’m Black and I’m Proud” chant.

President Obama’s Choreography

At the end of the night, when President Obama took the stage to thank all of the night’s musical guests, Bell Biv DeVoe led him in a two step that was pretty impressive.

Pres Obama saying we’ll be alright

At the very beginning of the night, when President Obama spoke about his leaving the White House, there were moans and groans from the audience. But he responded, “We’ll be aight.” We sure hope he’s right.

Images via BET

Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of “Bettah Days.” You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter @VDubShrug.