Erykah Badu performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on June 10, 2022. Matt Pang/STAFF.

BERKELEY — At the eighth show of her “Live from the Badubotron” tour at the Greek on Friday, neo-soul diva Erykah Badu explored her discography, bringing a new twist to well known-favorites.

The imaginative “Badubotron” tour guided the audience through a magical world, weaving laser lights and psychedelic projections into the journey.

Badu’s band entered dressed in white tees under bright lemon-yellow coveralls, and began playing some old-school funk riffs and harmonies before a mesmerizing image of an Egyptian scarab emblazoned with the initials “EB” was projected onto a screen above them. Badu emerged in a shiny floor-length fringed gold coat topped by a black version of her signature hat.

She begun with “To Each His Own (That’s My Philosophy)”, warning listeners to “Leave other people’s bitches alone.” “On and On” was even funkier than on records with ’60s- and ’70s-era images projected on a screen. The performance included numerous fan favorites from albums like Baduizm, Mama’s Gun and New Amerykah.

Erykah Badu performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on June 10, 2022.

“Love of My Life” kicked up roars from the crowd. A sensuous, synth-driven version of “Make You Put Your Phone Down” served as a transition for Badu to change her outfit to all black. Then, all of a sudden, a kaleidoscope camera effect was added, transitioning into “Other Side of the Game” with an extended bridge before flowing into “Window Seat.”

The set ended with popular songs “No Love,” “Certainly,” “Next Lifetime” and “Tyrone.” Badu’s vocals were strong and clear, and she showed tremendous stamina throughout the night.

Chicago rapper, producer and poet Noname opened the show with a lively 45-minute set. The artist, whose name is Fatimah Warner, acknowledged being nervous—as well as excited—about performing again. It was her first performance in the U.S. since 2020, and she’d only played a handful of times elsewhere since then. After a few shortened songs, she eased  into “Rainforest.”

Noname performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on June 10, 2022.

Noname is no stranger to controversy, and rebelliously announced that she “hates billionaires.” Launching into a rapid-fire freestyle, she warmed up on the jazzy “Dizzy” before immediately finishing up the series of with fan-favorite”Song 32.” She enlisted audience participation in helping to sing the syncopated and catchy “yippee ki yay” hook.

Next, Noname was joined by St. Louis rapper Smino and Chicagoan Saba. As the trio Ghetto Sage, the three gave a stunning and electrifying performance of “Ace,” from Noname’s Room 25 album. This performance is cause for anticipation of their upcoming album, which features single “Häagen Dazs.” The group followed this with a medley of songs from Telephone and Room 25, and ended with “Yesterday.”

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Matt Pang at Instagram.com/mattgods and Twitter.com/mattpangs.