Let me take you back, back in time. The year was 1991 and I was 17 years old. I'm sitting in a car with my best buddy at the San Mateo Tower records. Anyway, she and I heard a song on the radio called Motownphilly by a new group called Boyz II Men. At the time, the song was ok and not worth much to us. A couple of weeks later, we were impressed. We heard one of their ballads and this was the hook, line and sinker.
Now, 15 years later, the two of us, with our husbands, attended yet another Boyz II Men concert on Friday, October 20, 2006. One big change was the quartet is now down to a trio. Michael, the bass of the group, is no longer able to perform due to an illness. We had seen the quartet perform for the last time as a foursome at the Concord Pavilion when they opened for Luther Vandros. Besides that, they were exactly the same, to which my friend said, well aren't we too?
The performance took place at the Campbell Heritage Theatre, a quaint little theatre with cushy seats. Members of the crowd were from all walks of life, generations and races. At the beginning of the concert, at least 5 elderly couples got up to leave during the first 2 minutes of the opening song. Poor things were sitting by the speakers and probably fried their hearing aids. As for my friend and I, we both had goose bumps of excitement lining our arms.
The Boyz voices were just like we remembered them. You could say they were like ice cream...cool, crisp and refreshing. Older songs were performed and as they did 15 years ago, performed with their same smooth-moving choreography that made us weak in the knees. During oneof their biggest classics, I'll Make Love To You, each member brought out a bouquet of red roses. While they romanced the crowd with their positive, love-making-style lyrics, roses were thrown with care to the ladies (of all ages) who bum rushed the stage.
No matter what changes they have gone through, they still own the "ultimate" love song. Their way of making a woman feel special comes across in each and every song they perform. With respect and equality going down the tubes, Boyz II Men does their best to give that sense of caring in their music. It was a fantastic night and I will never forget it.
Now the question you are all asking is, how did we get our photo with them? Easy. When we arrived, a woman was selling "VIP" passes to meet the group after the show. It was $25. How could we resist? Here is an easy comparison, concert programs usually cost $20. What's another $5 to meet the group you have been following for 15 years? (For you math folks, that is $1.66 per year.) It was money well spent. We scrounged up enough money between us (a $20 bill, three $5's, fourteen $1's and a dollar in quarters) and proceeded to buy our passes. A giddylaughter fell between us as we gripped them tightly. After the concert, we stood backstage with about 50 other people who wanted to share in our joy. We finally made our way to the room where they were sitting. It was our turn. We walked up to them and giddy-ness took over. They signed our tickets, programs and took two stunning photos with us. It was definitely worth the wait and they will always be my number one group.
Here is the playlist from the show and a few other notes:
--Motownphilly (not finished)
--Remedy - new song from their new (double cd) to be released Feb. 14, 2007
--On Bended Knee - and they still got down on them
--The Perfect Love Song - new and worth every new lyric
--Please Don't Go - a personal favorite of mine
--Uhhh, Ahhh--Right On Time - new
--A song was done here, unsure of the name or if it was just a bit of filler. It was tasty anyway!
--You Make Me Feel Brand New
--old school Hall/Oates song I forgot the name, sorry
--old school song, forgot name, sorry again
--Water Runs Dry
--I'll Make Love To You
--Song For Mama - before they had asked folks to get their cell phones out, look at them and dial their mama. Wayna and Nathan actually sang into to phones handed to them.
_____End of show, then encore
--It's So Hard To Say Goodbye - 1st few bars sung acapella by Wayna
--End Of The Road
--Motownphilly - finished it, everyone stood up and danced, including a little senior who bounced up and down with her cane.
We are slowly counting the days until Valentine's day, 2007. I'm ready!
