Bobby Brown Does Broadway



Whether you hate him, love him, or are simply confused by him, if Robert Barisford Brown is booked to perform at a venue in your area, you should run, not walk, to go see that man. Yes, we've seen the VH1's Behind the Music specials, and every interview done with his former bandmates dealing with his dismissal from New Edition. We've seen the Whitney Houston interview with Oprah where she detailed what a horrible husband he was. We were all witness to the train wreck that was Being Bobby Brown on a weekly basis four summers ago, where Bobby and family redefined the word dysfunction. However, what we rarely see is BBrown in performance mode, outside of his huffin' and puffin' during some ill-fated NE reunions and the Essence Fest fiasco. Which should make seeing him live a priority. It was for me, as the former icon stormed Broadway last Friday night, performing to a sold-out crowd at midtown Manhattan's BB King Bar & Grill. To say it was breathtaking was understatement. I was prepared for anything. Except, well, for Bobby to actually be good. He was. Join me after the bounce as I break down the highlights of his hour-plus performance, by song title.

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6. "Don't Be Cruel"-- Only being there in person would allow you to see B-Squared in all of his raw and uncensord glory. Only, he was surprisingly calm as he entered the stage to the prelude to "Cruel." Rocking a Yankee fitted cap, blue jeans, white tee and leather jacket, he playfully took in the crowd before letting out a confident "Girlll." And thus, albeit an hour later than the ticket showed, the show officially began. Oh, and while calm, he was still Bobby. His demonstrative "tongue flicker" was the highlight of his raunchy side, which stayed under wraps for most of the evening. Well, until...

5. "Roni"-- Remember back in the 80s when Bob would go on tour, bring
young ladies on stage and do things that would literally get him
arrested? Well, ladies, the man is once again single and ready to do
some humpin' around. Well, not quite, if the young lady he brought on stage last Friday is any indication. Aside from crawling over to her, the King of Stage was very PG-13 compared to a few decades ago. Maturity? Maybe. Also, his daughters were in the building.

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4. "Every Little Step"-- There's no way he could re-create the moves
in his classic videos, right? Too much mileage on his body, right? You'd be correct. However, he was still as rambunctious as a teenager while the band played, prancing across the stage as the crowd gave him love. Sure he had to ad lib a bit, but so would we at this point in life.

3. On Our Own-- How
deep would the irony be if Bob was wheezing his way through this, or "Mr. Telephone
Man" as one of his entourage stood next to the stage gripping a
phone, ready to dial 911 in case something happens? No dice. In fact, nothing even close to that happened, as the former Round Brown Mound has been been in training mode for the past six weeks since joining the cast of the upcoming season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. So, um, no huffin' and puffin' this way.

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2. "The Man"-- The man did a country song. Called, "The Man." And while the song did seem a bit R&B-ish, you could tell it was country by the lyrics, where he admitted to messing up, and proclaimed that he was ready to be the man he was supposed to be. There's no telling who the song was directed to, as it could've served as an apology of sorts to his ex, his daughters, or his fans. Most likely, all three. Whatever the case, you could clearly tell he meant it, as the somber tune hit him hard, causing him to break down and weep after the last note. No, he couldn't hit the high notes, but still... this portion was a highlight.That's why you need to be there. In person. And not
miss a moment. If Brown's in town, you gotta be down. Got it? Good.

1. "My Prerogative"-- It was here, during his encore, that Bobby shined. You could tell when the classic refrain shattered the crowd, "Why you wanna talk about me?" that he was ready to give the audience all he had before saying goodnight. His middle son even came out to give dad an assist with the "Prerogative" dance moves. A perfect way to wrap things up. It seemed like his mind is clear, and he's got his performance mojo back. That's why you need to be there. In person. And not
miss a moment. If Brown's in town, you gotta be down. Got it? Good.

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