From the moment I heard their name (group and individual), New Edition have been a part of me. I strangely thank my sister for my borderline obsession with them. They did a concert with Force MD's, and Run DMC way back in the day (All For Love album) and she made my mother angry to which her punishment was she wasn't allowed to go. At that time, I was short for my age and my mom didn't feel comfortable with me traveling alone on the subway so I wasn't allowed to go either. They did air the concert on the radio in those days so I was able to hear them and my father got me an autograph picture from both New Edition and Force MD's but I promised myself that once I was of age to attend one of their concerts, I was going and nothing was going to stop me. Then there was the "Heartbreak " tour. Didn't make it to that one either but that was my own fault. I picked that year to not do that great in school so missing that tour was all me. Once again, I promised myself that I would not miss another concert. It was that determination that turned me into the fan I am today.
It appeared there for a minute that the "Heartbreak" tour would be the last one they would do together. There were solo projects and issues within the group but low and behold, "Home Again"! YES!!! I finally had the opportunity to see my guys perform with the added bonus of not just seeing five of them but all six. Nothing and no one would prevent me from seeing my New Edition. I was lucky that their first stop was in my hometown because we all know the outcome of that tour.
New Edition have always been a huge part of my life in one way or another. "Can You Stand The Rain" is the first song I sang to my male friend (who I had a crush on by the way) and "S-C-H-O-O-L" earned me a high grade in English. I can go on and on with different examples but this one I'm about to share is truly near and dear to me.
NE was doing a show that I just knew I was going to miss. It was going to be at my job (at that time I worked at Madison Square Garden)and I had to work that evening. It nearly killed me to know that we were going to be in the same building and for me not to see at least one member. That was not going to happen. I went to work extra early, changed into my Chef's Uniform, and walked around (people tend to say I was stalking them but that wasn't the case) the areas I knew they should be. While I was chatting on my cell phone with one of my cousins, the first person I saw was Michael Bivins. In my head, him and Bobby Brown are the cool male friends you have. They are the ones you hang out with and just kick it. If some drama appear, they are the ones you call to help end it. Seeing Mike excited me but it wasn't a seeing my favorite member type of excitement. He was looking for their dressing room and of course I was more than willing to help him find it. He is a very cool guy. He took time to say hello to my cousin who was still on the phone and we eventually found the dressing room. Luck was on my side that entire day. The area they were located made it very convenient for me to get to them.
I left but of course made my way back to see who else I could see. I heard some of the guys who were hanging around their area talking about getting something to eat. One of them (who I later found out was Ronnie Devoe's cousin) looked in my direction and said, "She looks as if she knows where to get something to eat". Now normally I have a smart remark and this time was no different. Just as I was about to say, "What gave that away, Sherlock?" I heard someone yell out, "Yeah cause Ronnie is hungry", I quickly smiled and began to mention different restaurants in the area. Ronnie DeVoe, my number one love?! Of course I'm going to look out for him! In my head, Ronnie was the cool friend I had a secret crush on. Back to my story... I ended up establishing a decent relationship with Mike's bodyguard whose name is Eric. After all, he was the one I mainly dealt with. He told me that they wouldn't have time to go anywhere because they needed to rehearse and I volunteered to throw some food together for them. I told Eric to give me five minutes and I would personally cook and bring them some food. I ran to the kitchen and turned into the Tasmanian Devil.
After I cooked and packed everything, I gathered my nerves and brought the food to Eric. He looked at me carefully, told me that I looked harmless and allowed me to bring the food in. I sat the food on the table and slowly turned around and there they were practicing some steps to "If It Isn't Love". At that moment I was Tupac because all eyes were on me. I stood there for a few seconds and took in that moment. Ralph Tresvant is the guy all the women wanted except for me (at that time)and Ricky Bell... well I just didn't like Ricky. He never did anything to me personally. I just didn't like him but "Something In Your Eyes" did make me raise an eyebrow. Johnny Gill... now I love me some Johnny Gill as long as he is singing. I prayed the entire time for him not to sing, hum, or even whistle. Talking was okay but anything musical and I would lose it. I also made tea for Johnny Gill's voice. Yep... that was me... lol!
To make a long story short, I got to meet all of them and they all were very sweet and very gracious towards me. Ronnie saw my Scorpio pendant that I was wearing and he gently grabbed it. As he held it, he looked at me and said "Ahh... Scorpio". I slowly made my posture straight and responded, "Why yes I am" and by doing that, it gave me the right to tell everyone that I got felt up by Ronnie Devoe. Yep... mmm hmm... sure did! I share this story because at the time I was dealing with my own personal tragedy. My mom was suffering with cancer and the stress of dealing with that had took it's toll on me. Being able to meet my favorite group and have them all (Ricky included) be so kind to me gave me that added boost I needed. Needless to say, I ended up catching their performance and when Johnny sang, my cousins said "he sounds so good because of your tea" to which I maturely replied, "yes, that's my tea"! Good times.... good times I tell ya but my story does not end there.
I was lucky enough to have been invited to a mic check for Heads of State which was Ralph, Bobby, and Johnny. Only Ralph and Johnny was there and I had no complaints. I had the chance to speak to Ralph and thanked him for being so gracious to me way back when. He in turned thanked me, gave me a warm embrace, and a lingering kiss on the cheek. From that moment on, he moved up and became a favorite member... hehe. I didn't get to talk much to Johnny but he not only sang for us but sang directly to me twice which had me melting.
Once again all six members are on tour, (two of the shows I have seen) and what a blessing it is to see that they are doing the damn thing. Looking around, all you see are us 30+ aged women hollering and going crazy like we all did when we were teenagers. Whenever life gets me down and I need that extra boost of happiness, I can look at pictures/videos or play their music and I am A-O-K! Thank you New Edition for teaching me that (dare I say it?) I CAN STAND THE RAIN!!
