Boyz II Men

I realize, due to the large amount of harassment that I received from co-workers today, that a 30-year old male going to see Boyz II Men (without his wife, who happens to be 1200 miles away) is, well, gay.

But I’m not gay and I still had an amazing time at the concert. I was seated in section BB (one section stage right of center section CC) on row “A” (which is also known as “1”) in seat 6, which is also two seats from the center section. The view was therefore unobstructed by other attendees.

When I was in high school, I was a fan of Boyz II Men, probably because I spent some of that time (in 91?) traveling with an a capella music group, who liked to try and imitate their vocal styling on the bus. I went to one of their concerts then and got to go to a meet-and-greet back stage after the show. I don't remember that show (even with the meet and greet) being anywhere near as good as this show.

Tonight, I learned first hand that these three men can still sing- and not just in a studio where all the notes can be fixed in post and mastering. They hit notes, exactly on pitch, time after time, they ran circles around notes while staying exactly in tune, and they perfectly harmonized with each other for a solid 2-hour show.

Before I get into the [gory] details of the show, I’d like to point out that they were open to pictures being taken. That’s rare these days- the standard disclaimer on the ticket, on the signage, and announced before the show is that no photography of any kind is allowed, that cameras will be confiscated, that cell phones taking pictures will be wiped clean. What is the point of this insane policy anyway? “Boyz II Men” allowed cameras, and I think this is as every concert should be. Had I known beforehand, I probably would have brought mine.

They didn’t have a band with them, but it didn’t really matter. The vocals are what really makes this group.

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It doesn’t hurt that they (apparently) are running EAW cabinets for sound, and just about any sound coming out of an EAW cabinet sounds good. They use an LR system, with uppers flown (3 wedges on each side) low ends under the stage, and 5 fills onstage. The vocal monitors were wireless earbuds. The lights were standard par cans, (I think) six Studio Spots (250’s), and a bunch of techno-beams or equiv. The LD went a little crazy with the haze at one point. I didn’t see any Studio Colors, or any 575 models, which was strange given the size of the stage.
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The guys started out the show with their 1991 smash hit “Motownphilly” from their debut album “Cooleyhighharmony”, and this instantly got the crowd to their feet. They went directly into a new song (to be released in the fall) called “Music”, which was very catchy and well received. From "Music" they moved directly into “Can’t Let Her Go”, I believe this was also a new song.

After this intro medley, Shawn stayed on stage to explain the new music. Someone from the back shouted something like “Why’d you dump Michael?” The crowd went silent, and hopefully someone next to this idiot punched him or escorted him out. As you may or may not know, Boyz II Men is down from four performers to three, due to the recent “departure” of former bass singer Michael “Bass” McCary. Nothing much is ever said about this, except that “he decided to pursue other activities.”

All eyes in the house were now looking in silence at Shawn to see what he would say in response.

He looked straight in the direction of the heckler:

“We didn’t dump him. [pause] *He* *left* *us.*”

And then turned to the rest of the crowd: “You guys think we sound ok without him?”

The crowd went wild. And rightfully so: these three guys sound phenomenal, even singing with tracks.

Next, Shawn did what he called his “mic check.” They turned up the fx- about a 2000 ms delay (with a pinch of verb) on his mic, backed off the compressor a little, and he belted out some amazing notes- the kind of notes that make chills go from your toes, up through your legs and spinal column, and to your head before turning around and heading back towards your feet. He led from there into “On Bended Knee.”

Next, he explained another new song they were going to do called “Perfect Love Song.” He pointed out that it isn’t that they think they wrote the perfect love song, but that it’s actually about this and that and we should pay attention to the lyrics. I couldn’t make all of them out, but the basic idea is that this guy can’t figure out how to explain how deep his love is for this woman, and so he describes it as being the “perfect love song” written by Marvin Gaye, Sade, Mariah, et al. The melody and lyrics were both awesome.

“Please Don’t Go” was next on the line-up, followed by a medley of “Ooh, Ahh” and “Right on Time.”

After that, they moved into their positions on the elevated portions of the staging and Shawn explained the album with all the remakes on it, “Adding a little Boyz II Men style to the mix.” They sang “Feel Brand New” and “Sara” (Hall and Oats).

Something called “Won’t Do 4 Love” happened here. New or old?

Next, they explained a term (“It’s Ebonics. It’s a colloquium.”) that describes a guy who won’t show affection for his girl in public because of the fear of being considered “soft.” The term also turned out to be the title of another new song, “Booed Up.” (like, “he’s my boo” or something)

That led directly into another new (I think) song called “Relax Your Mind.”

Then, they said they were going to do some “Classics” and sang “Water Runs Dry” into “I’ll Make Love To You.” I think this is where they handed out roses to the female audience members.

The next part was the most touching- even for a very heterosexual male.

Shawn asked everyone who had a cell phone to get it out and hold it up. Cell phones went up all over the theater. He then told everyone to call their “Mama.” There was some noise from the crowd, and Nathan said that everyone knows they’ve got free nights and weekends and it isn’t going to cost anything and that they better start dialing.

I’d say that about 90% (or better) of the people with cell phones complied with their request. “Now that you’ve got your mama on the phone, hold the phone up in the air as high as you can.” Cell phones all over the theater went up again. “This next song that we’re going to do is dedicated to the most wonderful women in the world. Without these women, none of us would be here at all. This song is dedicated to mama.”

Of course, then they sang “Mama,” but with a twist- each member of the group took cell phones, one at a time, from audience members and sang (still holding the microphones, of course) directly into the phone. They’d sing a little, hand the phone back, and get a phone from someone else. Males and females were handing their phones to the guys to sing into. I’d never liked that song before for some reason, and maybe it was all the Pepsi I’ve been drinking all day or lack of sleep, but that whole experience got me (again, as a very heterosexual male) all teared up.

Then they said goodnight and went off stage. The crowed clapped and stood for about 5 minutes before the lights finally went back off and the back (up) center of the stage opened up to reveal the three men on stools on a round platform. The platform rolled to the front (down) center while they began a capella version of “Yesterday.”

Their playlist said “Time Will Reveal” next, but I don’t remember that song.

“End of the Road” was next on the list, and they had everyone in the crowd singing along at top volume.

To close out the show, they sang a reprise of “Motownphilly,” under condition that “you guys out there make this place look like a night club.”

No one left this concert without a smile from ear to ear.

The music, lights, and sound were, as far as I could tell, without error. And I’m one of the biggest critics of all three- I have perfect pitch so I can tell when someone isn’t singing on key, and I’ve done sound and lighting professionally, so I can spot the errors faster than just about anyone. I don’t ever remember going to a show that was this perfect. Besides the haze thing (which I can't say anything about because that was my biggest fault as an LD!) and about 300 ms of feedback during Shawn's "mic check" portion, there just wasn't anything done wrong. Even the edges on the spotlights were perfect, and that's something that usually gets missed. (soft-edged lime light is just wrong.)

If you were a Boyz II Men fan back in the 90’s, take the time and spend the money to see this show. It’s well worth the price. Get as close to the stage as you can.