New Edition brought their “The New Edition Way Tour” featuring Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton to a sold-out crowd at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Feb. 20. The night also brought out national and local celebrities including singer Janet Jackson, former NBA all-star Derrick Coleman, political analyst Angela Rye, and native Detroit journalist Jemele Hill.
All together New Edition, Boyz II Men, and Toni Braxton have accounted for 120 albums sold, 11 Grammy awards, and lead the way defining 1990s R&B, which is considered one of genre’s richest decades.
The show started on high notes and high energy as New Edition rose from a platform under the stage covered in shadows and sound. They began with a new song, “Going Out Tonight,” and were quickly joined on stage by Boyz II Men (who went right into “Motownphilly”) and then Braxton (who sang hits “How Many Ways” and “He Wasn’t Man Enough”). To the crowd’s delight, New Edition then pulled out two of their ’90s faves “N.E. Heart Break” and “Hit Me Off.”
Those first 20 minutes set the tone for the flow for the rest of the show. This wasn’t going to be a typical legacy act concert in which each artist goes out, gives their best dozen hits, and then retreats back to their green rooms for the night. They kept the flow round robin-style with each act taking the stage at different periods and in different outfits throughout the whole night.
Toni Braxton thanked the crowd for “her job,” as she called it. She talked about being told she was never going to perform again due to her fight with lupus and dedicated her performance of “Breathe Again” to Whitney Houston, telling the crowd that it was Whitney’s favorite “Toni Braxton song.”
Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men brought the most passion of the night singing every song like it was a Super Bowl performance. The group was full of notable gestures like passing out roses as they sang, “I’ll Make Love To You,” spoke how it was honor to have been signed to Motown Records, and they wore shirts donning Aaliyah’s portrait while they sang, “One Sweet Day.”
New Edition’s performance selections were made up of their singles like “Can You Stand The Rain” and “Candy Girl” along with hits from their breakout solo careers. Johnny Gill passed out roses and went into the crowd singing, “My, My My.” Boyz II Men joined Ralph Tresvant on stage as he sang “Sensitivity,” and Bobby Brown showed he still has his swagger performing “My Prerogative,” “Roni,” and “Every Little Step.”
The show lasted exactly three hours with everyone performing the entirety of most of their songs and the night ended with all performers on stage singing BBD’s mega hit, “Poison.”
