July 31, 2014 – Eloise Marie Valadez
There was a retro music celebration of sorts Sunday at The Venue at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino.
New Edition, one of the first of the popular ’80s “boy bands,” presented a 90-minute concert on its “All Six” tour. The sold-out show was jam-packed with “screaming” fans – the majority of whom are now grown women – who obviously had been admirers of the group since its beginnings in 1983.
The show starred all past New Edition members, from Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill to Bell Biv DeVoe members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.
New Edition’s concert put the spotlight on the group’s biggest hits as well as signature songs from all of the members’ solo careers and Bell Biv DeVoe’s group spinoff.
All the members took the stage at the concert’s start while they broke off for solo performances or in various group configurations throughout the show.
Songs in the spotlight included “Mr. Telephone Man,” “Candy Girl,” “If It Isn’t Love,” and “Cool It Now.” Brown’s solo compositions included “Roni” and “My Prerogative” while Tresvant grooved on “Sensitivity.” Gill delivered a catchy arrangement of his “Rub You the Right Way” while other group members joined in on the tune. Bell Biv DeVoe fired up the stage with “Do Me” and the mega-hit “Poison.”
In the vocal department, Tresvant and trio Bell Biv DeVoe proved to be the strongest while Brown was inconsistent in his performance.
Brown, however, delivered a standout version of the Stevie Wonder-penned “All Is Fair,” which featured Gill. The tune is one of the songs on Brown’s 2012 album “The Masterpiece.” To learn more about New Edition, visit officialnewedition.com.