Over the years, the Met Gala has developed something of a reputation for its show-stopping (or should that be dinner-stopping?) musical performance—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, however, fêting “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” 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 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 red carpet performance at the 2025 Met Gala

Photo: Getty Images

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 were 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. They did “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and Dr. Dre and “Here Comes the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamoze.