Months ago, I had the weekend of Feb. 6 circled on the calendar. I’m going, going back, back to Cali, Cali.

Plans changed abruptly at 10:08 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19, when my confirmation arrived through Ticketmaster. Next step, book my return flight home for Feb. 7. Mission accomplished.

So here’s the outcome. The 2015 NAACP Image Awards neared its end, and some of my fellow journalists were plotting their next move. I declined the invites, as I mentioned to them I’m headed back to New York City to cover the biggest night in music.

“The Grammys are Sunday,” a brother said as if to correct my statement. My reply?

“I ain’t stutter, my dude! D’Angelo’s at the Apollo tomorrow.” He didn’t see how I can pass up the events of the weekend, and I couldn’t see how the significance of what was about to transpire on 125th can be diminished.

“All the stars are out here this weekend. You can catch D’Angelo later this year,” was the logic presented. In the press room at the Pasadena Civic Center is where it all came together. Celebrities, stars and the like have images. Their moves and deeds are focused on how they’ll be perceived by others. The show at the Apollo was about transcendence.

A decade and a half has passed since a chiseled torso appeared on the album cover of his sophomore album, “Voodoo,” and the provocative video for the single “Untitled” propelled D’Angelo into the superstar stratosphere. Arguably, there was a cost. As the dope as the album was, the music was rendered secondary.

2015, that issue is out of the equation. Things done changed a little, so it got dealt with. Remember back in 2000 with the release of “Voodoo” and the “The Line” when D’Angelo addressed his personal apprehensions with “Will I hang or be left hangin’? Will I fall off? Or will it be bangin’?” The same script is exercised on the new disc, “Black Messiah,” when, on “Back to the Future (Part I),’” he delivers: “If you’re wondering about the shape I’m in/I hope it ain’t my abdomen.”

A betting man would say that’s putting things in perspective. With the new album, it appears he is saying my shell is just that, but my core, the music, I’m fit as ever, and it’s time to unleash the beast.

That leads us to Saturday night at the Apollo. A little after 8:30, it was befitting that, soon after sauntering into the blue-hued spotlight, the son of a Pentecostal preacher led the flock in “Prayer.” The voice set the tone for the night with the initial salvo, but by the time the next two songs rolled up, “1000 Deaths” and “Ain’t That Easy,” the aroma and feel of the funk—the funk that James Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix and Prince championed—had permeated the venue and held the standing-room-only crowd in its grip for at least two hours.

The first selection not from the latest disc, the usually reserved, romance-inducing “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” kept up the pressure until what might be the most popular title from D’Angelo’s latest work, “Really Love,” revealed that the fire could be contained and the cool can come through.

The first selection that dipped into the original song catalog was somewhat of a welcomed surprise gem, “One Mo’ Gin.” To be honest, song selection didn’t matter much. With the Vanguard—featuring names such as Chris Dave (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), Jesse Johnson (guitar) and Kendra Foster (background vocals) augmenting the band—it was about the pinpoint precision and tempo. It was about feeding off the crowd’s energy and returning it three times over. It was about honoring the purity of classics, “Alright,” “Brown Sugar,” “Lady,” “Chicken Grease” and the show’s closing number, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” while also demonstrating the urgency of future classics “The Charade,” “Back to the Future” and “Til It’s Done (Tutu).”

In his headlining debut in the home where stars are born and legends are made, D’Angelo came in a star and left having made significant inroads toward the rarified air of legend.

That time will soon come. I just got word that a second go-around in New York City is about to go down Wednesday, March 11 at the Best Buy Theater. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 13 at noon at AXS.com, 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849), bestbuytheater.com and the Best Buy Theater box office.

Good luck. Over and out. Holla next week. Till then, enjoy the nightlife.