James Weldon and friends throw a Sunday night party at World Cafe Live

Eazyyy’s contemplative set was contrasted by Bey’s jubilant opening; he bounced, he sang, he spit and spun around the stage. He deftly navigated the booms of heavy trap beats and the brisk energy of funk-inspired throwbacks. While Bey is lyrically just as inclined to tackle heavy subject matter in his rhymes — something he did during a breathtaking a cappella last night — he often contrasts those emotions with sonic backdrops that transform them into moments of hopeful transcendence.

Unlike his friends on the bill who performed with DJ backings, Weldon took the stage for his headlining set with a full band — many members of The Funkitorium — and they inserted a dynamic texture and throwback neo-soul groove into songs from his recent Well Done, Weldon project, especially “Still Here” and fan favorite “Coconut Oil.” The open and free-flowing dynamic of his set makes sense coming from somebody who’s not just an artist, but a connector via his Artistry Collective studio and regular Juice Jam open mic series.