Our first trip of the year. It’s been way too long since I’ve been on a plane…
This past weekend, my wife and I went to see New Edition in Las Vegas. I wasn’t sure what to expect because,, a lot of artists from that era haven’t aged well when it comes to live performances. When we saw Dru Hill and Luther Campbell, they were awful and I was especially disappointed when I saw Janet Jackson—the show just wasn’t that good. She only had four dancers the entire show and they were all male.
The first time I saw New Edition was back in the ‘80s, right after Bobby Brown left the group. I went with my cousins, and Bobby was on the same tour as an opening act.
From the beginning, the choreography was sharp, the vocals were solid, and they ran through all the classics. Each member got their moment—Bobby Brown performed his solo hits, and he’ struggles to move, he did pretty welll. Ralph Tresvant sounded and moved well, and Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD), did their two songs as did . Johnny Gill.
They structured the show in a way that worked around Bobby Brown’s physical limitations without taking away from his presence. Backup dancers filled in when needed, but it never felt like a distraction. The whole thing was well thought out, and you could tell they put in the effort to make sure the show lived up to expectations.
