New Edition cements “Legacy” during United Center marathon with Keith Sweat, Guy, Tank

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Demand to see the fully reunited New Edition is so tremendous after selling out the United Center a mere year ago, the blueprint for the modern day boy band did it all over again on the entirely new “Legacy” Tour in honor of its 40th anniversary.

That meant Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill were all on hand for an extensive evening, mounted by the Black Promoters Collective, to fully document one of the greatest R&B and pop groups ever established, plus similarly sizeable solo careers.

The Boston-bred brotherhood of singers, songwriters and dancers, backed by a full band and arena-filling production, dropped “Crucial” as the crowd screamed along, then dove directly into Gill’s “Rub You The Right Way” and Brown’s “My Prerogative,” each defining forces in the new jack swing movement of the ‘90s that continue to inform today’s hip-hop culture.

Harmonies and coordinated choreography also abounded, from the carefree bubblegum days of “Mr. Telephone Man,” “Cool It Now” and “Candy Girl,” to more mature moments such as “If It Isn’t Love” and “I’m Still In Love With You.”

As chronicled throughout a record-shattering BET documentary, New Edition could very well take the prize of any act when it comes to resilience, both in the public eye and behind the scenes, which was a theme perhaps most evident in the moving “Can You Stand The Rain,” followed by Gill leading the audience in lifting up Tresvant, who performed like a total pro, in spite of his father being on the verge of transition from this life to the next.

The 90-minute set also ran the gamut of pure romance when it came to Gill’s “My My My” and Tresvant’s “Sensitivity,” to the pure party of Brown’s “Every Little Step” and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” as New Edition collectively and individually cemented a legacy of a significance level not seen since The Jackson 5.

Those headliners would’ve certainly been enough to make the evening feel complete, but direct support from fellow superstar Keith Sweat, who was also in LSG with the late Gerald Levert and Gill, could’ve been another concert in and of itself as “The Sweat Hotel” radio host and a fleet of dancers delivered soulful standouts “Don’t Stop Your Love,” “I Want Her,” “Merry Go Round” and many others.

Right beforehand, new jack swing pioneers Guy, comprised of super producer Teddy Riley (Michael Jackson, Brown, Sweat, Boyz II Men), Aaron Hall and Damion Hall, put on a slick overview that still sounded like “The Future,” while smooth crooner Tank flexed his mighty vocal muscles and made the masses swoon as they were getting settled for a marathon night of multi-genre giants.

For additional information on New Edition, Keith Sweat, Guy and Tank, visit Facebook.com/NewEdition.Live, TheSweatHotel.com, Facebook.com/GuyForever1 and TheRealTank.com.

For a list of upcoming Black Promoters Collective concerts, visit BlackPromotersCollective.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the United Center include John Mayer (Mar. 31); Depeche Mode (Apr. 5); Jo Koy (Apr. 7); Mana (Apr. 28-29); Blink-182 (May 6-7); Lizzo (May 17); The Cure (Jun. 10); Stevie Nicks (Jun. 23); Twice (Jun. 28); Anita Baker (Jun. 30); Drake and 21 Savage (Jul. 5-6); Windy City Smokeout (Jul. 13-16); Thomas Rhett (Jul. 28); Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire (Aug. 5); Madonna (Aug. 9-10); Sam Smith (Aug. 15); Arctic Monkeys (Aug. 27); Peter Gabriel (Sept. 30); Mana (Oct. 1); Wu-Tang Clan and Nas (Oct. 8) and Depeche Mode (Nov. 13). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.

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New Edition cements “Legacy” during United Center marathon with Keith Sweat, Guy, Tank

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