When? Last night, Friday, July 2nd. Where? At the Essence Music Festival, inside the Louisiana Superdome, in New Orleans. What? Audience ownership. Who? Janet Jackson.

Janet Jackson, rocked, wowed, owned the night, thrilled the audience. Two years away from the stage -- just a crowd teaser -- her performance was worth waiting for. Janet showed how she got her Grammys. She earned them. She was incredible. A comeback performance? Did she ever go away? Social media this morning is bumping with her praises. Fans are ecstatic. The critics are pleased.

The Essence festival is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Essence Magazine, a magazine aimed at African-American women.. This year the spotlight in on fantastic African-American female artists. Janet Jackson performed on the opening night.. Gladys Knight, Alicia Keys, many other are among the performers scheduled to appear.

"It means a great deal for me to be in the company of such wonderful women, women who I have the pleasure of knowing personally," Janet Jackson said in an interview before her performance. "I'm especially honored to be able to play on a stage that also hosts Gladys Knight. She watched me grow up and I remember her being around the Motown family when I was a kid. It's definitely an honor."