Chris Brown performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 31, 2024. Derek Fisher/STAFF.

OAKLAND — Rapper and singer Chris Brown showed why he’s considered one of the greatest entertainers of the times at Oakland Arena on Wednesday during his 11:11 Tour stop in the Bay Area.

Brown hit the stage accompanied by a slew of dancers. The show had four acts representing the elements of fire, water, air and earth. The first, with the fire theme, found the artist emerging on a platform from behind two video screens, which parted to form a portal. He kicked off the show with “Angel Numbers/Ten Toes Down,” from his recently released 11th album, 11:11. The voice of Michael Jackson filled the arena announcing, “No matter how hot it gets, you can take the heat,” as dancers emerged on a tilting stage in front of screens that flickered with flames.

Chris Brown performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 31, 2024.

Brown launched into an energetic rendition of Gunna and Young Thug collaboration “Heat,” from 2019 album Indigo. A talented dancer in his own right, Brown joined his crew, who were wearing baggy pants or leather and thigh-high boots. He was all smiles as he stood for a moment after the song to soak in the screams and applause from the sold-out room.

“Town bidness! How my ladies in here? How my fellas doin’ tonight?” he said.

Brown was never winded, commanding the stage with confidence. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he smiled and waved between stints of choreographed dance moves. He continued the fast pace in the first set, hitting on many tracks from the new album, like “Summer Too Hot,” “Go Girlfriend” and “That’s On You,” as flames punched to highlight the music.

He showed off his songwriting skills on new track “Freak” which features Lil Wayne, Joyner Lucas and Tee Grizzley. Brown spit bars with dexterity. He continued, hitting many popular tunes from older albums like “Ayo” and “Go Crazy,” ending the first act with “New Flame.”

The water-themed second act kicked off with “Bruce Lee,” on which Brown emotionally sang, his slightly raspy voice ad-libbing over the backing track. Then, he pretended to stumble around in a stupor as the first notes of “Liquor,” from 2015’s Royalty album, rang out. The only way to distinguish his voice from the recorded version was a slight tremor of vibrato that added to the rich sound.

Muni Long performs performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 31, 2024.

Blue-clad dancers joined him onstage for “Privacy.”

“I see y’all rocking out to the new songs. I have some old shit, too, though,” he said before continuing on with 2019’s “Indigo.”

Brown took flight with two dancers on the next few tracks, hovering over the crowd and at points, even singing upside down. His vocal performance didn’t suffer a bit with the acrobatics. Hitting on “Only” and “Wrist” during his aerial performance, he was transported to a circular, tilting stage toward the back of the floor. There, he sensually performed “Take You Down.” Attendees rush over to get a closer look.

He continued on, now alone on the floating stage as it returned him back to the front of the room, with “Feel Something.” There, a dancer writhed in a bed awaiting his return. More ladies eventually joined them, covering Brown as he sang one of his most popular songs of late, “Under the Influence.” The second set culminated with “Pills & Automobiles,” followed by DJ Fresh spinning some songs.

Maeta performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on July 31, 2024.

The air-themed third act featured crowd favorites like “Play No Games,” “Strip,” “Back to Sleep” and Jordan Sparks duet “No Air,” where he encouraged the ladies in the audience to sing along to Sparks’ part. The final, earth-themed act brought ampiano beats into the mix. Brown hit on “Wall to Wall,” “Deuces” and “Loyal,” before ending the action-packed show with “Grass Ain’t Greener.”

Singer-songwriter Muni Long preceded Chris Brown, showcasing her powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Backed with three impressive singers, Long sounded amazing. Her bright, clear voice was strong as she powered through popular songs like “Made for Me,” “Hrs & Hrs” and “Time Machine.” She even came with surprises, and brought out Bay Area legend Too $hort to perform “Blow the Whistle.”

Indianapolis native Maeta kicked off the show with a sensual set, clad in black lace, backed by two dancers. But it was her beautiful voice that left the biggest impression.

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Derek Fisher at Instagram.com/dfishswish.