Boyz II Men dust off their classics for concert
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When people decided to attend the concert by rhythm and blues (R&B) act Boyz II Men, their ultimate mission most likely would have been to revisit the quartet's classic chart toppers and reminisce about how the songs gave meaning to their hookups or breakups.
And concertgoers craved just that. The band put on quite a show on Monday night, with acrobatic multioctave vocals and spirited dance moves, which ultimately just had to give way to a sing-along by the audience.
A major pop act in the early and mid 1990s, Boyz II Men retreated from the limelight after failing to recast their magic spell on audiences. While new acts in hip hop and R&B now reign the charts with a Timberland beat and polished heartthrob image, the Philadelphia-based group, which took its name from a New Edition song, have outgrown their gift for rendering syrupy and romantic, soulful ballads.
Having sold more than 30 million records, the band ceased to score any hits after their fourth album Evolutions, released in 1997, and the major draws in their live performances were from their two masterpieces, debut album CooleyHighharmony (1991) which contains hit singles Motownphilly and In the Still of the Night and follow-up album Boyz II Men II with hits like I'll Make Love To You and On Bended Knee.
Concertgoers were expected to be extra patient on Monday before they could enjoy the romantic renditions of the songs during the group's evening concert.
The performance was delayed for one and a half hours for reasons that concertgoers could only guess at, prompting some to do things that aren't supposed to be done at an R&B concert.
Impatient fans began venting their anger by throwing whatever was within reach onto the dark, empty stage.
When the members of group finally appeared on stage they teased the crowd with their up-tempo hit Motownphilly.
Unknowing fans were probably surprised to see that there are now only three of in the group: Nate Morris, Wayna Morriss and Shawn Stockman.
Group member, Mike McCary, a Barry White-sound-alike, resigned in 1998 after failing to take part in the Evolution tour.
Fans took a while to forgive the group's late appearance, and even though the Boyz put their utmost into their dance moves during gig opener Motownphilly, the audience just stood still and watched the spectacle. Some even giggled at the trio's dance moves, which appeared dated compared to Usher's smooth body moves, for example.
Emotions finally thawed when the group delivered a rendition of On Bended Knee. The first note from the guitar intro quickly sent concertgoers into a frenzy and the Boyz comfortably left the singing to concertgoers who knew every word of the song.
"It took us a while to get here ... But we are here," group member Shawn Stockman said to the crowd, attempting to win back their hearts.
The romantic mood of the concert reached its peak when the Boyz sang their biggest hit, I'll Make Love To You, and couples hugged each other while flashing their cellular phones in place of candles.
From on stage, the three band members kept tossing roses from a bouquet, a scene common in Morissey shows.
After the night performance, concertgoers finally got the true meaning of another hit of the group, It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday, especially when the yesterdays gave the group such sweet success.