Dannielynn Birkhead Pays Tribute to Janet Jackson by Wearing Her 2003 Outfit to 2022 Barnstable Brown Gala

LOUISVILLE - MAY 2: Singer Janet Jackson (L) and Jermaine Duprie (R) attends "Stuff Magazine's Crown Royal Kentucky Derby Eve Party" on May 2, 2003 at Jillian's in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images); LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: Dannielynn Birkhead attends the Barnstable Brown Gala at Barnstable-Brown Mansion on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
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Mark Mainz/Getty; Stephen J. Cohen/Getty

Dannielynn Birkhead is channeling her inner Janet Jackson.

The daughter of Larry Birkhead and the late Anna Nicole Smith attended the 33rd annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala on Friday evening, where she wore the exact outfit that Jackson, 55, wore to the same event almost two decades ago.

Larry, 49, revealed that the attire Dannielynn, 15, was wearing once belonged to the "Escapade" singer in an Instagram post on the joint account that he shares with his teenage daughter.

"Off to the Barnstable-Brown Gala with Dannielynn," the photographer captioned a series of posts, before revealing that her outfit was the same one worn by Jackson in 2003.

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Noting that her ensemble "was purchased as a part of Janet's @juliens_auctions benefitting charity," Larry continued, "Ironically, Janet is expected to attend tonight."

"Next up the @kentuckyderby then taking Dannielynn to her first @janetjackson concert," the proud dad concluded his post.

At the event, Dannielynn and Jackson posed together for photographs alongside Larry. The father-daughter duo has long attended the event, which is where Larry first met Smith.

Chris Barnstable-Brown, one of the event's organizers, tells PEOPLE that Dannielynn "looked gorgeous" while wearing her "homage" to Jackson. "She is getting so tall," he adds of the teen. "She's almost as tall as her dad now."

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Jackson, meanwhile, Barnstable-Brown says, looked like a "goddess in the flesh." He adds: "Janet Jackson came in and when just absolutely couldn't be any sweeter."

"She was so sweet and down to earth, and she was mingling with guests," Barnstable-Brown says. "She was talking to everybody."

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: Larry Birkhead, Janet Jackson, and Dannielynn Birkhead attends the Barnstable Brown Gala at Barnstable-Brown Mansion on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: Larry Birkhead, Janet Jackson, and Dannielynn Birkhead attends the Barnstable Brown Gala at Barnstable-Brown Mansion on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)

Stephen J. Cohen/Getty

Jackson, Dannielynn, and Larry were just some of the guests to attend the star-studded gala, which raises money for the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.

Over the past thirteen years, the event has raised and donated approximately $17 million to aid the medical center.

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Other guests at the event included Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, Justin Hartley, Sofia Pernas, Richie Sambora, and Morgan Wallen, to name a few.

The members of New EditionBobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ralph Tresvant — were also in attendance as well.

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: Ronnie DeVoe, Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, Ricky Bell, and Bobby Brown of New Edition attends the Barnstable Brown Gala at Barnstable-Brown Mansion on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 06: Ronnie DeVoe, Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, Ricky Bell, and Bobby Brown of New Edition attends the Barnstable Brown Gala at Barnstable-Brown Mansion on May 06, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)

Stephen J. Cohen/Getty

Barnstable-Brown tells PEOPLE that many of the singing celebrities in attendance jumped onstage for "impromptu" performances.

Among them included Aldean, 45, who performed a "10-minute rendition" of his song "Little Pink Houses" — which Barnstable-Brown says, "Had the crowd all chanting."

Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker also performed onstage, and Barnstable-Brown notes that his son Jack was in attendance at the event recording his set during what marked a father-son getaway for the duo.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by C Michael Stewart/imageSPACE/Shutterstock (12929208w) Richie Sambora Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Gala, Louisville, USA - 06 May 2022
Mandatory Credit: Photo by C Michael Stewart/imageSPACE/Shutterstock (12929208w) Richie Sambora Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Gala, Louisville, USA - 06 May 2022

C Michael Stewart/imageSPACE/Shutterstock

Sambora, 62, also performed, and he later donated the guitar he was using during his set to charity. The instrument, which was signed by a bunch of the other celebrities, started a bidding war and sold for $70,000.

"Seeing them all jamming and doing their dances and stuff like that was just totally spontaneous, but it was a ton of fun," Barnstable-Brown tells PEOPLE.