Boyz II Men Concert: Motown is Alive and Kicking

Anybody that grew up in the 1990s has surely at least heard of Boyz II Men. They were easily the best R&B group of their time, a time that took place before the onslaught of boy bands. From End of the Road to I’ll Make Love To You, they had hit after hit, topping the charts with each and every offering. And then, they sort of floated off, never to really be heard of again after their Evolution album. Well, contrary to popular belief, the group never truly disbanded and they’re still around doing tours. One of their most recent stops was at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. I caught their show this past weekend, and well, they still have it.

Sure, the sound is a little dated, but the sold-out crowd was much more interested in their older songs anyways. Michael McCary, the “bass man”, was notably missing and this is because he has been suffering through some rather serious health issues. With some songs, the lack of a baritone wasn’t a big deal, but you could really hear the difference with some other songs, most notably Yesterday. The three remaining members — Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, and Shawn Stockman — did perform and they performed well. Unfortunately, the concert itself wasn’t much of a performance. There were no costume changes, no set changes, no backup dancers… not even very much in terms of fancy lighting. The focus was on their voices.

And that Wanya, he’s got quite a voice.

That’s not to say that Nathan and Shawn didn’t bring it. They did perfectly fine as well, but with a lack of a “wow” factor to the show — which started late and was only an hour and a half long — it was hard to really get into it. The only set changes, if you can even call them that, would come when they’d switch from mic stands to sitting on stools. I loved their singing, but the show seemed so low-budget, especially when compared to the much more elaborate show put on my Christina Aguilera a few months ago.

A highlight came about two-thirds of the way through when the boys started to hand out long stem roses to the ladies in the audience. They did this while singing the huge hit, I’ll Make Love To You. Prior to this song, no one tried to approach the stage. During and after the song, there was a steady crowd that formed within arm’s reach of the motown trio.

Their dancing, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as impressive. Here they are performing Please Don’t Go Away:

At the end of the show, the crowd stayed on their feet for a standing ovation, demanding an encore. Eventually, Boyz II Men came back out and sang Motownphilly. Yes, a song from way back in 1991 that they did with Bell Biv Devoe. All in all, I had a good time and it was great to see these boys back on stage.