It is not often that a heavy dose of R&B and rap rolls around as a Sunday evening pick-me-up. A keen bunch of weekend concertgoers seized upon this rare opportunity, flocking to a stuffy Barton Hall to dance to three fiery MCs: Mario, Trey Songz and Fabolous. In spite of the Sunday night blues, the show provided enough invigoration to start the new week (or end the weekend) with a bang.

As usual, the main obstacle was the heat. Following each other in suit, both Mario and Trey Songz quickly lost their shirts, a trend that did not catch on with the audience. Fabolous maintained his cool, however, reminding the crowd of the main reason they came to see the show. After all, it’s not everyday that one can shout “Holla back youngin’” in public without eliciting stares from strangers.

Now in the back: Fabolous and his hype man get the crowd at Barton bumping.It was the flamboyant Mario who set the tone for the night, opening with “Music for Love,” a single from his 2007 album Go!. Donned in all black and black sunglasses, the suave Mario continued with a remixed rendition of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.” Although it did the trick regardless, excessive scratching by the DJ detracted from the fun of joining in the song’s popular chorus. An urge to belt away “oh baby you, you got what I need,” was thus repressed. Mario instead focused on promoting his upcoming album, D.N.A., set for release on Oct. 13. For this reason, he closed up his act with two new singles, “Break Up” and “Thinking About You.” Both heavily relied on auto tune, and for some time it did not appear that Mario was even singing, but rather joining in at necessary moments. His enthusiasm, however, in tandem with brain-jarring bass, raised Barton’s adrenaline level and left a strong impression.

Trey Songz followed with more soothing themes, kicking off his set with a soulful vocal performance. Maintaining an aloof presence, Trey placated the audience with mellow romantic songs before ascending to a club-bumping level. The pace gradually increased as he moved towards his bigger singles. “Successful,” which he played midway through the set, was released as a single in May, and appears on his latest album, Ready.

How does Trey measure success? By money, cars and clothes. Who would have thought? Success may be granted, though, as Ready debuted last month at #3 on the Billboard 100 charts. Its main single, “I Need a Girl,” was Trey’s choice note to end on, by which time things had become intimate between him and the audience. He had been coolly alluding to this song throughout the set as he scanned the crowd for the right girl in between songs. Complaining of the heat, Trey threw his sweaty beater off before performing this seductive tune, and leaving the stage set for the main act.

Fabolous lived up to the hype of being the biggest name on the billing, and wrapped things up in style. He played an authoritative role on stage, confidently engaging the crowd without gaudily humoring them. “Holla back youngin’” has aged since it became a universal success in 2001; nevertheless, it remains a staple of his performances. “Can’t Deny It,” Fabolous’s interpolation of Tupac’s “Ambitionz as a Ridah,” induced the audience into a rigorous bounce.

From there, Fabolous dipped into hardcore rap, and some of his recent music as well. In contrast to the gleeful opening acts, he was at times somber. He asked the audience to raise the middle finger and bring to mind one person whom they did not like, and then shout, “Fuck you mothafucker.” Indeed, the energy had taken new form.

On a brighter note, Fabolous paid tribute to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan before playing “Salute.” Trey Songz joined Fabolous on stage for two consecutive songs, adding a lighter element of R&B to Fabolous’s rhymes. Following suit, Fabolous closed with singles from his latest album, Loso’s Way. Reaching Number #1 on the Billboard 100 upon its release in July, Loso’s Way seemed to already be in the minds of Fabolous followers at the concert. Anticipation was high for “Throw It in the Bag,” a showcase of Fabolous’s Brooklyn pride and lyrical swagger, featuring a chorus from The Dream. Reluctant to leave, Fabolous nevertheless conceded to his short set time, and “Throw It in the Bag” provided the perfect finishing touch.