New Edition: Precision, Excellence, Heart
Last night New Edition (complete with Bobby Brown & Johnny Gill 
) rolled into town. I’ve been excited about this tour since I heard the first promotional spot for it. The very first concert I ever attended, way back when & many moons ago, was a New Edition concert. To this day I can remember exactly where I was & what I was doing when I heard Candy Girl for the first time on the radio. Ahh, those were the days…
Needless to say, I was super psyched and couldn’t wait for the high energy, precision show New Edition is known for. Then, about an hour before showtime, the devastating news of Whitney Houston’s passing made the rounds. In fact, I didn’t even know about it until I’d arrived at the venue. It definitely put a somber tone on the evening, not only for the performers, but for the audience as well.
The show must go on, as they say. The fellas pulled on their reserve of experience and professionalism and took stage for what turned out to be an AWESOME show. I, along with everyone in attendance, was wondering if Bobby would take the stage. I wouldn’t have blamed him a bit for sitting this one out, but he showed up and delivered a great show. They all did.
I had a great time!! After nearly 30 years in the business, these guys still have it. Some artists these days think all you have to do at a concert is jump around the stage, sing or rap in the microphone, and have women in skimpy outfits gyrating all over the place. Not so with NE. If you want to see a real performance, I highly recommend New Edition if they’re performing anywhere near you. They are the epitome showmanship and crisp choreography.
Now, on to the set list. I separated the show into the acts based on my perception of the flow. I also include some video snippets I took.
DISCLAIMER: this is NOT top quality visual or audio. So if you’re expecting HD quality, you’re about to be sorely disappointed. Some of the snippets are a bit blurry because someone nudged me… or maybe it’s because I *may* have been dancing, I digress.
Also, I will neither confirm or deny whether or not I’m the crazy person you hearing screaming (or singing/shouting horribly off key) in the background… You have been warned.
Act I: The Intro
If It Isn’t Love
Crucial
Not My Kind of Girl
Hit Me Off
Act II- Old School Classics
Jealous Girl
Is This the End
Popcorn Love
Candy Girl
Mr. Telephone Man
Cool It Now
My Secret
Count Me Out
Act III: The Solo Hits
My, My, My
Tenderoni
Smile Again
Sensitivity
Can You Stand the Rain
Boys to Men
I’m in the Mood (Johnny SHOWED out on this one & I didn’t get a clip of it)
My Prerogative
Do Me Baby
Poison
Finale:
Home Again
This it the only song I captured in full because I figured it would be the final song of the night. It was a moving performance, made even more so due to the circumstances.
Again, great show that took me down memory lane. Hats off for pulling out a stellar performance in spite of the challenges. New Edition gave it their all and left everything on the stage tonight.
Precision, excellence, heart.
