A chilly night in Houston had fans gathered up at the downtown Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on March 25th to welcome New Edition on their “The Culture Tour.” The line was wrapped around the entire venue, and fans came with full anticipation and energy to this sold out, iconic show. The legendary R&B Group had not toured since 2012, and their return to the space city was one you could not miss!
The show began promptly at 9:30 with the group of six coming onto the stage in complete elegance. They showed Houston their class in White trench coats, Red shoes and matching suits, and with the dance moves that are loved by fans everywhere. They began their show with the performance of “Candy Girl,” from their very first album released in 1983. The album that started it all, showed all of its continued power decades later, with an arena full of fans singing word for word.
The night continued and the fans grew louder with every song. “If it isn’t Love” was the song that got every fan in the arena out of their seats and dancing. The high emotion and melody of the song was a perfect combination to have at the top of the set list. It set the tone for the night and the performance. Along with its catchy lyrics, the group’s choreography and ability to continue singing had Houston fans screaming in admiration.
One unique thing about this show was that although the group came on tour together, they still embedded time in the set for each member to perform their hit solo songs. The first solo act on the tour was “My, My, My,” by vocalist Johnny Gill. The spotlight was on him, and a few lyrics into the song, fans scream the song word for word. The rest of the group joined with back up vocals, showing their support and admiration for one another and their solo projects.
Following Johnny Gill’s solo act, came the Bell Biv DeVoe trio. They brought all the energy to the stage with their performance of “Do Me,” and their hit song, “Poison.” With a colorful array of lights, a flashy change of outfit and lyrics like “That girl is Poison,” the entire Toyota Center was dancing, and the feeling in the room was ecstatic. Along with the group’s choreography, the back up dancers were on cue with every second of the timeless song.
Bobby Brown came to the stage with fans filling the room of anticipation for what song he was to sing. The beat dropped for his grammy award winning hit “Every Little Step.” The song was released in 1988, but is still strong, well known and loved in 2022.
The time came for lead vocalist of the group, Ralph Tresvant to perform his solo act. Ralph showed Houston his vocals were in full effect with the smooth performance of “Sensitivity.” With the set midway through, the energy in the room was still at an all time high.
The show went on, and the R&B phenoms went on performing a majority of hits made together. A snippet of the groups documentary “The New Edition Story,” released in 2017, was played on the big screen and the group hugged each other watching their inspirational true story unfold. It was a heartwarming moment and Houstonians were all for it. “Boys to Men”, “N.E Heartbreak”, and “You’re not my kind of Girl” were some of the hits performed together. The show ended with the group of six in raincoats, dimmed lights and the performance of “Can You Stand the Rain.”
New Edition, the Grammy award winning R&B group consists of members Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, Ricky Bell, and Michael Bivins.
SET LIST:
1. Candy Girl
2. Mr. Telephone Man
3. If it isn’t Love
4. Roni
5. My, my, my
6. Do Me
7. Fairweather Friend
8. You’re not my kind of girl
9. Hit me Off
10. N. E Heartbreak
11. Jealous Girl
12. Is this the End
13. Count Me Out
14. Every Little Step
15. Boys To Men
16. Sensitivity
17. When Will I See you Smile Again
18. Rock Wit’cha
19. Poison
20. My Prerogative
21. Rub you the Right Way
22. Can you Stand the Rain
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