The ultimate hip-hop and R&B party went down at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena Sunday night, when Jodeci, Charlie Wilson and New Edition performed for a sold-out crowd.
It was rare to see anyone sitting throughout the show, as grown and sexy fans soaked up tracks that ruled the airways for over three decades.
Jodeci promptly kicked things off. “We’re all here for you,” K-Ci assured the audience, a nod to the highs and lows the group has gone through during its 31 years.
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dressed in their signature black leather and dark sunglasses, Jodeci delivered for nearly 30 minutes on songs including “Still Waiting” and “Come and Talk to Me.”
K-Ci and his brother, Jo-Jo, took the audience to church with their Southern-soulful voices on tunes like “Love You for Life,” while Mr. Dalvin kept things hyped and Devante Swing, known as the quiet one who also wrote the majority of the group’s songs, sang back up.
Charlie Wilson, who started his career in the ‘70s with the Gap Band, gave an energetic 70-minute performance despite two recent knee surgeries. At times, the 69-year-old singer would lean on the mic stand or seem to walk with caution after a costume change, but his voice never wavered, and he assured the crowd he’d never skip performing in Atlanta.
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He performed hits including “Computer Love,” “My Name is Charlie,” and “I’m Blessed,” the latter of which neared an altar call by the end of the song.
New Edition hit the stage next: Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike, Ralph and Johnny, too (if you’re a fan, you probably sang that line as you read it).
Dressed in turquoise trench coats and fedoras, the men, now all in their mid-50s, were kicking, sliding and moving, showing they haven’t missed a beat in the last 30 years.
The men, who were in their teens when the group formed in the late ‘70s, managed to pack the majority of their catalog into a 90-minute show.
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Everyone was utilized on hits including “If It Isn’t Love” and “Mr. Telephone Man,” and even some solo numbers, like Johnny Gill’s “My, My, My,” were turned into group songs.
Breaks to prepare solo songs were well-timed: While Ralph Tresvant sang his 1990 hit “Sensitivity,” the rest readied for the next round of songs, so it never felt like there was a break in the flow.
But when the drumbeat dropped for “Poison,” the song recorded by three New Edition members as Bell Biv Devoe in 1990, the arena exploded into a frenzy of singing and dancing. The frantic energy continued through the sound of an organ, signaling the start of Bobby Brown’s monster hit “My Prerogative.”
The fact that these acts are still packing arenas after decades is a testament to their impact on an entire culture. This is a party you can’t pass up.
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