I thought I had said all there is to say about Boyz II Men in previous posts but last night proved that they’re the masters of reinvention.
The previous show I attended was very chilled, the kind of show that you would expect with their music. Most people were seated throughout, it was mellow and felt like you were in your room listening to their cassette or CD. Not last night, no. Last night was electrifying in ways that I didn’t expect and I welcomed it with open arms.
When we arrived, Mr Phix It was on stage playing mostly 90’s R&B and hip-hop, which was the perfect vibe for the evening. Next up was Lunga Mavusa and I have to admit that I’ve never listened to his music. That is something that I will definitely rectify after last night as his voice and stage presence is absolutely mesmerizing. I didn’t know any of his songs but recognized Intliziyo, which he did with Lloyiso. The feedback that he received from the crowd throughout was amazing as, though I didn’t know his music, others clearly did.
The moment Boyz II Men walked on stage, dressed in all white, the crowd went crazy, in the best possible way. They opened with Motown Philly and boy oh boy, did it bring back the best of memories. Next up, Bended Knees had us singing (read: screaming) along, and after that, we had a little chat with the group. Shawn started off by thanking us for our continued support throughout their career as they had been around for 38 years! He ended off by introducing Wanya, who was having the time of his life as he was always dancing, just purely enjoying himself. He introduced Nathan as the founder of the group with the amazing bass that had us screaming our lungs out as soon as he opened his mouth. Nathan hailed Shawn and Wanya as the greatest vocalists he had ever known and the love and respect that they have for each other is palpable and warms the heart.
Next up we had It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday and 4 Seasons of loneliness, with the latter being one of my absolute favorite tracks. They surprised us by bringing in some instruments with Nathan and Shawn showcasing their skills on an electric and bass guitar respectively. They did the interlude for Born by the river by Sam Cooke and transitioned into We Jamming by Bob Marley, which was such a vibe as I’m a huge fan of anything reggaeton. They also covered Locked out of heaven by Bruno Mars and Come together by The Beatles, which ended with Nathan shredding on the bass guitar to end it off.
When I tell you that I didn’t sit down once during their set I’m not kidding. They add a little flair to every single one of their hits and it definitely wasn’t the expected chilled, sit-down concert. They sang Doing just fine, Water runs dry and of course, were handing out roses when belting out I’ll make love to you. One lady who was seated close to me managed to snag a rose and was screaming for a straight minute or two. They also sang One sweet day and asked the ladies to cover Mariah’s part, which I loudly croaked along to. They aptly ended off with End of the road, which helped them gain international success in the 90’s. They did 14 songs in total and I absolutely loved the fact that they took a collective bow to the audience after every single song.
Miss_Pretorius 