Over the years, the Met Gala has developed something of a reputation for its showstopping (or should that be dinner-stopping?) musical performances—from Rihanna belting out “Bitch Better Have My Money” during 2015’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” to Cynthia Erivo joining Ariana Grande onstage for a duet of “When You Believe” at last year’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” celebration.
For the 2025 gala fêting “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” however, one or two big acts simply wouldn’t do: The night—a tribute to the Black dandy—demanded a constellation of musical talent, beginning with a show on the red carpet.
As celebrities streamed onto the printed-daffodil-strewn Met steps, Silk Sound, a 20-person chorus, serenaded guests (and eager onlookers posted across Fifth Avenue) with a rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” (Creative direction was by Allen René Louis.)
The group would later move into the Great Hall, where, throughout the night, they covered a string of classic R&B, disco, and reggae hits, including “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind Fire; “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson; “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder (more on him later); “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley; “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green; “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers; “Never Too Much” by Luther Vandross; and “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden Whitehead. Joining them was the Matt Jones Orchestra, conducted by Matt Jones himself.
Next came an interlude, arranged by Met Gala co-chair Pharrell Williams, from the 26-member Voices of Fire choir, based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and directed by Bishop Ezekiel Williams, Pharrell’s uncle. They performed melodious arrangements of “Joy (Unspeakable),” “Anywhere,” and—of course—“Happy,” because what would a major Pharrell outing be without that number?
Later in the evening, as guests lingered in the Engelhard Court during cocktail hour, the call to dinner came—quite suddenly!—courtesy of New York’s High and Mighty Brass Band, an eight-person group established back in 2009 that performed “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and Dr. Dre and “Here Comes the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamoze.
But there was more! The show after dinner, near the Temple of Dendur, opened with a kind of palate cleanser: Colman Domingo, another co-chair of the gala, recited a poem to introduce the opening act—Usher!
Flanked by a fleet of zoot-suited dancers, Usher took the stage to perform a suite of major hits. Everyone immediately jumped to their feet as he belted out the smash single “Yeah!” from his 2004 album Confessions, “U Don’t Have to Call” from 2001’s 8701, and “OMG” from 2010’s Raymond v. Raymond. (Aakomon Jones, who choreographed Usher’s eye-popping Super Bowl halftime show last year, provided the creative direction here, while Galen Hooks handled the choreography proper with assistance from Cassidy Noblett.) For his appearance, Usher sported two predictably dapper looks: a red zoot suit by Willy Chavarria and a white double-breasted tuxedo by Brandon Murphy (with a jaunty white bowler hat by Stetson, stuck with a pin by Ouie).
And then came the night’s headliner, as it were: 25-time Grammy winner (and all-around living legend) Stevie Wonder, along with a nine-person band. Dressed in a sparkly embroidered suit by anOnlyChild, Wonder put on a set that was, well, kind of a wonder! It opened with a few strains of “Sir Duke,” gloriously a capella, before Wonder’s backing band kicked in; then he ran through a slew of other hits like “Black Man,” “Higher Ground,” and “Isn’t She Lovely.” A full-on singalong erupted in the room when Wonder sang “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”—and then the set reached a phenomenal conclusion with “I Wish,” “Superstition,” and a duet of “Another Star,” from Songs in the Key of Life, with Usher. A thrilling end to a thrilling night.
See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Met Gala 2025 Red Carpet:
Met Gala 2025: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Access Here
Entertainment and program producer: Prodject; stylist: Max Ortega; music consultant: Justin Levine
