It was an exciting weekend in Baltimore, the CIAA tournament was wrapping up, bolstered by several parties to celebrate the tournament as well as HBCU pride and culture. Monica was in town for a show at the Lyric Saturday night. Dru Hill, 702 and Doug E Fresh were killing it over at Live Casino. The Baltimore Media Impact Awards was held, which included a few wins by 1500 Radio.
Legendary R&B groups Jodeci and New Edition capped the weekend off Sunday night bringing the Culture Tour to Baltimore. Held at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena at UMBC, the crowd was full of all ages from those who grew up alongside Jodeci and New Edition, to those who fell in love with their sounds listening to it with their parents, older siblings, or someone who just knows good music. As a person who loves the new jack swing era of music this was a concert I needed to be at. Jodeci opened running through hits that made them legends like "Forever My Lady", "Love U 4 Life", "Come and Talk To Me" and "Freek'n You". They ended their set in a joyous mood singing "Get On Up", that had fans clapping and stomping their feet enjoying the good time. As the opening act their set was about 40 minutes long, which i believe is a little longer runtime since Charlie Wilson wasn't performing on this particular show. I would have liked to hear some K-CI & JoJo songs mixed in, but hey I'm sure this was just a warm up for them to go on their own tour as the headlining act. A brief intermission by DJ Kool showed Baltimore club music some love, which got everyone on their feet. Next came the headliners New Edition. Now full disclosure I am a huge NE fan, and seeing all six together was a bucket list item I couldn't wait to check. I've seen BBD perform live, but would always miss NE shows for one reason or another. Needless to say I was HYPED to see them perform live. They did not disappoint starting the set with "Candy Girl". Segueing into "If It Isn't Love" Bobby just walked off stage, while the other 5 members performed without missing a beat. I didn't think much of it, just thought Bobby disappeared to get ready for a solo set. Then Ricky Bell sang "Rock wit'cha" and I'm thinking where in the hell is Bobby? Turns out Bobby had some stomach issues and couldn't return. Later in the night Mike Bivs disappeared, it was revealed he injured his leg a little the night before. He did return for the last couple songs of the show and you could tell his leg was bothering him, but he kept on performing for the fans. The other four members kept the show chugging along and did not miss a beat. Shouts out to Ronnie Devoe, my man is high energy all the time. Even when you could tell the other members were a little winded, he bounced around like he was 20 years old. They ran through solo hits like Johnny's "Fairweather Friend" and "My My My". Ricky killed "See You Smile Again", Johnny covered Bobby's "My Perogative", while Ralph handled most of "Every Little Step". Ricky covered "Roni". I was disappointed "Don't Be Cruel" didn't get love, that is a top 3 Bobby B. song in my opinion. They covered hits through the years like "Hit Me Off". To old school "Boyz II Men" and "You're Not My Kind Of Girl". To OG NE hits like "Is This The End" and "My Secret". They even included "Count Me Out" which is a song I didn't think got much love. BBD of course got the place hyped with "Do Me" and "Poision". They sprinkled other hits in and closed with "Can You Stand The Rain". Being in their 50's and moving like they did, proved why these gentleman are legends. I am glad I finally got to see them and check it off my bucket list. As their set ended Mike said they owed us one, I understand with him and Bobby missing they felt they let fans down. Honestly they owe us nothing, it was a privilege to watch them do what they do best. I also realized next year makes 40 years since New Edition hit the scene. I'm hoping they have some tricks up their sleeves to celebrate that accomplishment next year.
To see where The Culture Tour is headed next visit https://www.ticketmaster.com/new-edition-tickets/artist/735743
About The Author
B is a 1500 original since 2017. He loves movies, pro wrestling, and traveling. His dream is to one day be able to travel around the world at his leisure. He also is a pro wrestling blogger for his brand at talkinsuplexes.com. He also has a geek branded blog at ablogbyb.blogspot.com. Follow him on IG @storybyb where you may find some of the most random questions and polls known to man.
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