New Edition fulfilled a career-long dream with their first-ever Las Vegas residency last year, but despite a string of sold-out shows and the allure of Sin City, the group decided it was time to get back on the road. Following the success of 2022’s The Culture Tour and 2023’s Legacy Tour, both powered by the Black Promoters Collective, NE linked back up with BPC to create something bigger and better. The New Edition Way Tour 2026 was born, and they invited their soul mates Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men to roll with them to 30 cities across the United States. This legendary lineup of ’80s and ’90s R&B icons rolled into Washington, D.C. in March and treated concertgoers to a nostalgic hit parade that felt like your favorite mixtape or playlist come to life.
Fans of all three acts packed the Capital One Arena, and the energy inside was electric with anticipation while we awaited the start of the show. The lights went down, and the audience’s screams went up as video montages of each artist played on screens above the stage. New Edition arose from beneath the rear stage in shadow before the lights came back on to illuminate Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe and Johnny Gill all dressed to impress in bedazzled powder blue suits. The screams never stopped and only got louder once they stepped to the mics to start singing “We’re Going Out Tonight,” a new song written by Bell, and hit their choreography with the precision of a surgeon.
The opening performance soon turned into a group project with NE’s tourmates. Flanked by her dancers, Toni Braxton emerged from below the middle stage looking every bit the diva she is in a baby blue gown. She sang the next verse with her signature contralto filling the arena.
Finally, Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris sprung up onto the front stage to join in on the fun in their sparkly sky blue ’fits. They added their vocal harmonies and energetic dance moves to the mix to get the crowd even more amped up as all the acts sang the chorus together. Wanya, who had undergone knee replacement surgery weeks before the tour was announced in October, was dancing the hardest of all on his new knee.
The trio within the sextet, Bell Biv DeVoe, got some time to shine during the opener when Ronnie and Mike walked down to the front to join BIIM to perform more of the song. They reuinted with Ricky on the middle stage, and he sang the bridge before the BBD members rejoined NE for the song’s big finish.
The explosive opening number was just a sample of the good music and feel-good vibes on the way. We’ve never witnessed a brand new song that virtually no one had heard before go so hard live and have everyone in a venue singing along like it was their favorite song by the end of it. The show was on and popping from there with the superstar acts taking turns on stage to perform classics from their vast catalogs.
Boyz II Men set it off ’90s style with “Motownphilly” with an assist from Mike Biv, who spit his rap verse. Toni turned up the heat in a sexy mini-dress on “He Wasn’t Man Enough” with her dancers as they performed the viral choreo from the music video while the song got mixed with Burna Boy’s “Last Last.” D.C. didn’t get a surprise pop-out from influencer Kayla Nicole like Los Angeles did, but Toni and co. were more than enough.
New Edition came back to the stage with a bang to perform Heart Break jams “If It Isn’t Love,” complete with its iconic choregraphy, and “You’re Not My Kinda Girl.” Bobby was absent for those songs, but he made a grand reentrance for “Hit Me Off” from their 1996 reunion album Home Again, before exiting again when the rest of the group sang “N.E. Heartbreak.”
- Advertisement -Boyz II Men returned and slowed things down a bit, giving audience members a chance to catch their breath after dancing like maniacs during the first set of songs. Nate, Wanya and Shawn sang a trio of their slow jams — “Please Don’t Go,” “Uhh Ahh” and “Seasons Of Loneliness” — that had many in attendance swooning to their crooning and nayhoo-ing along with them.
After they took a bow, Braxton and her dancers transformed into Las Vegas showgirls with plenty of feathers, sequins and rhinestones. The petite powerhouse picked up the pace with “You’re Making Me High,” “Hit The Freeway,” “Please” and “How Many Ways” during her performance block.
- Advertisement -She turned over the stage to fellow DMV native Johnny Gill who turned up on “Fairweather Friend.” He then passed the mic to Bobby who turned it out with a lively rendition of “Don’t Be Cruel.” Ricky accompanied him on backgrounds and held it down with all of the background dancers before Ronnie and Mike came out and divided the rap verse between them. Bobby started pop-locking and busting a move then quipped, “Y’all want to see me dance? Google me!”
Since Bell, Biv and DeVoe were already on stage, it was only natural that they performed next. The fellas broke us off with “Do Me,” and the crowd went bananas. After working up a sweat, the cool down came with “When Will I See You Smile Again,” and Ricky was singing like the rent was due.
- Advertisement -Ralph Tresvant’s solo spotlight was up next, and he kept the mood chill. He invited Boyz II Men to join him on background vocals on “Do What I Gotta Do,” and they all did what they had to do.
It was clearly the Quiet Storm portion of the night, and Toni tore the house down with “Just Be A Man About It.” She brought the drama with her vocals and with the flowy golden cape she wore that billowed with every movement she made. She took a beat to speak to the audience, reflecting at one point, “Doctors told me I would never perform again.” Despite her struggles with lupus over the years, the songstress didn’t look or sound like she was headed to the retirement home anytime soon. She dedicated her next selection, “Breathe Again,” to her sister Traci Braxton, who passed away in 2022, and was visibly emotional. “I miss her so much,” she mused, a few tears finally breaking free.
- Advertisement -Boyz II Men understood the Quiet Storm assignment and sang their quintessential slow jam “I’ll Make Love To You.” Decked out in red blazers, crisp white shirts and black slacks, all three members came equipped with long-stemmed red roses that they threw out to some lucky fans in the first few rows.
DJ Shakim, New Edition’s longtime DJ, played some party jams to get the audience lit for the rest of the show. Not that we needed any encouragement, especially when Bobby Brown hit the stage to perform “Roni” and got everyone on their feet swaying and singing along.
- Advertisement -We went from “Roni” to Rizzo when Ralph Tresvant came back to sing “Sensitivity” surrounded by dancers in lacy white robes and blonde wigs. Ralph didn’t miss a beat as he broke us off with some fly dance moves from the song’s music video.
Once he exited the stage, Johnny Gill reappeared while the first notes of his side quest LSG’s “My Body” were heard. The arena went up again and people broke out into spontaneous body rolls as the sultry groove played, and JG sang from the depths of his soul. He kept that same energy for “My, My, My” and had everyone mesmerized while throwing out long-stemmed white roses. He really made attendees go wild when he stepped down from the stage to walk around to greet fans on the floor.
- Advertisement -Toni came back with a little something for the steppers to sing her 2018 single “Long As I Live” and cut a rug with her dancers. She disappeared for a spell, but instead of one of her fellow headliners coming out, a violinist dresssed in all white played an instrumental interlude. Braxton returned in dramatic fashion in a white gown with a long train and angel wings attached to her back. This stunning look was for her last song, “Unbreak My Heart,” which sounded incredible backed by a chorus of thousands in the audience.
New Edition reconvened to give the people one of their signature cuts “Can You Stand The Rain.” Johnny and Ralph took turns singing lead before Ricky came through in the clutch on the bridge. Not to be ourdone, Johnny ended the song with an extended set of notes that got some of the biggest applause of the night for the hometown hero.
- Advertisement -Boyz II Men popped back out to join New Edition on stage. Everyone was dressed in all-white ensembles, and the camaraderie and brotherhood between the groups was quite evident beyond their attire. Mike Bivins briefly shared the widely known story how they met Shawn, Wanya, Nate and then-member Michael McCary on The Heartbreak Tour and the rest is Black history. “This is all the work of God’s timing,” Stockman said before BIIM got everyone in their feelings with “Water Runs Dry” and “On Bended Knee.”
New Edition returned as Boyz II Men exited, and the hits and joy just kept coming. NE dug deep into their crates to take concertgoers back to the beginning of their storied career. They kicked off this old-school set with “Mr. Telephone Man” followed by “Candy Girl” and “Cool It Now.” Everyone’s voices had long matured, but they were still agile and light on their feet like the teens they once were when they started out in the 1980s.
- Advertisement -Boyz II Men came back out and took everyone back to the 1990s to sing two of the biggest tunes from their songbook. Folks in the arena caught feelings all over again during their “One Sweet Day” performance, which featured a video showing Mariah Carey and the song’s lyrics that encouraged everyone to sing along. This very emotional moment segued into Wanya, Shawn and Nate’s final song of the night, their ultimate closer “End Of The Road.”
That wasn’t the end of the concert, however. Though they were getting close to wrapping up, the members of New Edition — now all dressed in customized New Edition Way leather jackets — still had a few major jams left in their arsenal, and they whipped them out one by one. Johnny Gill was up first to sing a spirited version of “Rub You The Right Way.” He was a ball of energy and enthusiasm as he hit every note, spin, kick and dance move.
Once Johnny lit the match, Bobby Brown started the fire. The King of R&B lived up to his name and sang his massive hits “Every Little Step” and “My Prerogative.” Bobby told us earlier in the night that he wasn’t doing all that dancing, but his NE brothers held him down with the choreo for each song, on supporting vocals and as his hype men.
Once Bobby started the fire, BBD poured gasoline on it. The arena erupted when Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe stepped up to perform “Poison.” Boyz II Men even came back out to partake in the festivities, with Shawn and Wanya taking over for Ricky to sing the pre-chorus and chorus at times. The assist was dope, but it was all about Bell Biv DeVoe who performed the song with zeal. The trio, their bandmates and BIIM ended the concert like a championship team, and the audience’s exuberant response to their truly grand finale was their trophy.
New Edition, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men put on an epic show that surpassed all expectations. Three concerts in one, this show was a masterclass in live performance, showmanship and concert production. We’ve seen these acts perform live numerous times over the years, but this seamless mixtape format was the perfect showcase for all of their talents and took the concert to another level.
Now that the tour is over, is this the end? It appears not; this looks to be just the beginning! An official announcement is pending, but the Black Promoters Collective has already hinted that a second leg is coming.
We don’t think it’s too early to call, but The New Edition Way Tour 2026 is one of the best concerts we will likely attend all year. When — not if — the tour reconvenes, just buy the tickets. Don’t even think twice.
