And Toni Braxton and BoyztoMen

What a phenomenal show. Absolutely beautiful in every way.

Thanks to Joe who's great with being on time, We did amazing with our timing!

We got in line about 6:40, doors opened at 7, ahoe starts at 8.

While we're in line, this guy behind us is fangirling! Which is totally cool. He was telling the lady next to him how his wife is in a wheelchair so he went to take her to the special entrance and they wouldn't even let him stay. He had to go back out in line, now that's ridiculous.

But thankfully that's the only negative of the night 

So he was talking to the lady next to him and just going on and on about all the New Edition facts. His memories of seeing them perform, who started the group, who did this or that, information about Brooke Payne and so on.

Brooke Payne was their first manager. How old Brooke Payne is, who Brooke kin to. This man knew slightly more than me.

I got upset when he spoiled the beginning and said all 3 will be on stage at the same time during the beginning 

I was mouthing to Joe "dang no he just spoiled it"

He was also from my hometown so Joe was like that's par for the course lol.All in all it was still nice hearing the guy so excited and talking about how much he loves them

And yeah totally agree they should have already been in the RocknRoll Hall of Fame so line guy was telling the lady to vote for them.

We got to the point where they check bag size and I was thinking of how glad I was that Joe sent the email about how only clear bags are allowed unless you have like a 5x7, was the largest for nonclear.

They were looking serious and strict, I was like is the jacket okay. So yeah it was a little cool so I was wearing Joe's jacket and had some sweettarts 

As soon as we get in I smell the popcorn and the setup of the arena was very similar in size and color to the arena in my hometown so I immediately flashed back to my story about the drink when my dad took us to my first New Edition concert

Smile/nod to little me 

Lots of food. I felt like hey I will come back to the food line once we sit down but once I sat down I didn't want to move because...

We were high and I was scared. 

I'm scared of heights so it was nothing to other people and to Joe, other folks sitting there eating all calm like we're on the ground floor. I hate the slope, the angle it just looks like if you slip then you're going to go rolling down from row to row. 

I did check the seats online when he first got them and I was unhappy; I wanted to be way closer. Waited a few days before I started whining about the seats and asked if we could get closer seats.

With the way the prices be exploited there wasn't anything realistically affordable or better available. 

So I was like wow this looks exactly like the online photo.

I was looking at people on the ground level or next upper level to the ground and wishing I could be them

But as time went on, I was glad to be exactly where I was.

The show started with a DJ asking the same thing from the RBRM.concert we went to in 2017:

Who is over 30, clap.

35, 40 and up. Then he said this gets the loudest, who is 50 and over

They played snippets from a lot of songs and this helped me tremendously to start taking my mind off the height. All in all it.took about 35 minutes for me to go from pretending I'm not bothered by the height to actually not being bothered.

I started recording myself singing the songs and dancing in my seat even though I was still worried about being up high,.like, you gone fall and roll.

I started to feel better and better.

The women in front of us were wild! They played Juvenile and I was wishing I could be like them, backing that thang up.

I always wished  I could be wild like that and not feel like I look like some type of nerd

Felt a lot less worried about looking like a nerd as time went on though

The DJ kept saying y'all sound so good. Not gonna lie he sounded sexy every time he said that. Y'all sound so good. 

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And here they are.

And the photos are here: (coming soon)

Those hats, the suits, they were in a super straight line. We were facing the side of the stage so I could see how straight that line was.

Everything happened so fast, they took a few steps and I started crying. Joe patted my shoulder and then  turned back to stage and kept singing lol.

I think I was standing up at first like we all did when they made their entrance and then when I got emotional I sat down for just a few. 

Toni Braxton was in the middle and looking like a goddess. BoyztoMen were in the front.

The microphones were sparkling, their outfits were sparkling, it was like watching true royalty!! I'm talking about all 3 acts.

Boyz 2Men was looking amazing in their sparkling white in the front. 

It was fascinating!! I can't imagine had that guy in line not spoiled it, it would have been even more speechless and shocking to see all 3  acts on stage together singing and coordinated.

Amazing. It still was amazing even with the spoiler but thankfully nothing else was spoiled from there on.

I truly thought it would be like Toni Braxton performing first long gap, then Boyz2Men, then long gap and now finally New Edition at the end of the night.

This was a million times better. They took turns performing. It was completely fascinating.

Somewhere during Boyz2Men performance 

I think they were like where were you in the 90s and she said I was just being born.

I turned around and smiled. The girl next to her saw me. I smiled because I thought that was so cute, I was like we have a 90s baby in here. Well the girl next to her looked young too.

Look, I'm even calling them girls lol.

I've always loved Boyz2Men music of course but never had crushes on them. That changed tonight. I was like wow!! Unfortunately it was only 3 and it has been for a long time. I also have been following Wanya kids on FB, WanMor for years.

So the night is going along beautifully and romantically. I also was feeling a lot more comfortable dancing, like this part of my healing journey no way was I going to chicken out. It's not like anyone could see me besides the people directly behind and next to me. 

I asked Joe to put the camera on me when I squeeze his arm so I could make sure I'm on video doing some cute moves. 

Can't wait to see me. Now it was adorable every time there were special lyrics that match us and my beautiful self Joe would already put the camera on me.

Johnny Gill held some long long note and that was the beginning of the energy shift becoming more emotional for me.

Nostalgia, fantasy, sensual, 

The pace was, can't think of the way to explain it yet but there was a shift as we were entering the last phase.

They were holding notes longer or something. WlThey had roses. Toni Braxton gave a beautiful speech and so did Shawn from Boyz2men 

I was starting to reflect more about where I was in life during this phase of the concert. So Boyz2 Men, Ill make love to you, Bended Knee

I was in my early 20s. I remember how I felt then about a guy I went on like 2 dates with. We liked each other, and those songs slightly reminded me of him but mostly reminded me of myself at that age.

So Shawn on his bended knee, baby that was so beautiful. Baby when he let that last note out I cried. 

Ahhhhhhhhh

Women in front of us were going crazy just on various slow songs, the men were singing their hearts out. 

Finale.

It was Boyz2Men and New Edition together, I don't think B2Men ever made an official goodby exit. I can't remember but Bobby.

So I ended up liking the screen because it kept showing back when they were all younger and so was a , young back then.

Knowing the show was coming to an end and the only things left were My Perogative and Poison, it was tense.

And so the screen showed Every Little Step I Take, it was almost the entire song. I kept looking at how young he was, and how he looked now, I mean we love you Bobby we know he been through a lot and I knew this was important timing as my husband was mentioning how he looked and I was like yeah that's why coming was so important.

I just needed to see all 6 of them together as it was during my young days and all the emotions were coming together now:

All of my memories, connections, discoveries in my countdown to the concert. Pair that with the music and crowd and my own energy. I started thinking about ,.kept looking at the screen from when he was young and thought about how I was in 6th grade. 

A sadder, completely different time in my life from just a few previous years with Candy Girl. Few years, big shift, drastic change.

Then thinking of where I am now and then looking at him now, to all of them now...mix and flood of emotions. I started crying so hard, hand over my mouth and everything.

No dancing, singing I knew this was my last don't want to say last chance but felt like the last chance to ever see this again. The images of him being young and healthy, the memories of myself back during those tumultuous years, and all of them on stage and since they came into my life during 1983, my earlier childhood years that is where they live the strongest 

Even if Johnny came later on, it's still like he was with them in the beginning.

That's where they live the strongest.

Seeing him as a young man on the screen and thinking of me and my pain at that age, I felt something go away. I felt some type of release