Forty-five years.
That’s how long New Edition has been together as a group, hitting the stage and finding stardom when they were just young kids. Four decades later, and they’re still clicking better than ever. Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, and Johnny Gill stopped by Atlanta on March 30 for their Legacy Tour and gave the city the performance of a lifetime.
Before they hit the stage, R&B singer Tank warmed up the crowd with his smooth vocals. Another R&B group from the past, Guy, came out and performed a few of their hit singles such as “I Like” and “Let’s Chill.” The group mentioned that they hadn’t been on the same stage as New Edition since 1989.
The opening performance concluded with Keith Sweat, who serenaded the crowd with a list of his classics, including “Twisted,” “My Body,” “Make It Last,” and “Nobody.”
New Edition didn’t wait to build up the crowd when they got on stage, and with straight to their hits. Brown performed one of his classics “My Prerogative” which was followed by the group performing “If It Isn’t Love,” “Mr. Telephone Man,” “Cool it Now,” and “I’m Still In Love With You.”
In their second set, the group took it back to 1983 when they were young and flashy, performing “Candy Girl,” “Popcorn Love,” “Count Me Out,” “A Little Bit of Love,” Is This the End,” and “Lost in Love.”
New Edition was strong together, but they showed they could be just as good in their solo careers. In the third set, Brown performed “Roni,” Gill performed “My, My, My” and “It Would Be You.” Tresvant performed his solo hit “Sensitivity,” and Bell Biv DeVoe performed “When Will I See You Smile Again?” and “Do Me!”
To end the night, the group came together and performed some of their hit songs that were together and solo. Brown showed the crowd why he was deemed the “King of R&B” with his songs “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Every Little Step.” Next came one of the group’s most popular songs “Can You Stand the Rain,” and Bell Biv DeVoe got the crowd jumping with “Poison.” Wrapping it up, the group finished with “N.E. Heartbreak.”
The group showed during the night that they still got it, and the legacy will still continue beyond the 45-year milestone.
