ARGUING THAT NEW EDITION IS ONE OF THEM. THE BOYS FROM BOSTON ARE STILL GOING STRONG 40 YEARS
LATER, AND THEY WILL BE IN
DETROIT THIS WEEKEND AHEAD OF
THEIR CONCERT TOMORROW NIGHT AT
LITTLE CAESARS ARENA, AND I HAD
A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH THE
MEMBERS RONNIE DEVOE AND RICKY
BELL. HERE’S OUR CONVERSATION.
GUYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
TALKING WITH US AHEAD OF YOUR
SHOW IN DETROIT. NOW YOU GUYS
HAVE BEEN TOURING FOR A REALLY
LONG TIME. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE
PART OF BEING ON THE ROAD? IS IT
THE FANS SINGING ALONG? IS THAT
THE ENERGY? WHAT IS IT? YEAH
YEAH, EXACTLY THAT. I MEAN, I
THINK ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS
IS WHEN THE LIFE GO DOWN AND YOU
START FEELING THAT ENERGY FROM
THE CROWD, AND THEY SAY LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN, NEW ADDITION AND
IT JUST ERUPTS IN THE PLACE THAT
RIGHT THERE, THEY’VE BEEN
POURING INTO US THOSE ANY FOR
LIFERS FOR 40 YEARS NOW, RIGHT,
SO THE PRAYERS, THE SCREAMING
THE DANCING, THE SUPPORTING AND
ALL OF THE ABOVE. THAT’S ONE OF
MY FAVORITE PARTS OF BEING ON
TOUR FOR SURE. DO YOU HAVE A
FAVORITE NEW EDITION SONG? AND
WHAT IS IT? MAN THAT’S THAT’S UH
, THAT’S A HARD ONE. IT’S A HARD
ONE BECAUSE MAN. IT’S LIKE WHERE
DO YOU GO? IF IT IS IN LOVE? CAN
YOU STAND THE RAIN? I MEAN, WE
RECENTLY STARTED PUTTING OTHER
SONGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN
PERFORMED IN YEARS BACK IN THE
SHOW, AND I DON’T WANT TO GIVE
HIM AWAY RIGHT NOW. BUT JUST,
YOU KNOW, EVEN HAVING THOSE
SONGS BACK IS, UH, IS JUST AS
EXCITING AS IT WAS BACK THEN.
OKAY YOU’RE NOT GETTING OUT OF
THIS QUESTION. YEAH YEAH. YEAH,
THAT’S A TOUGH ONE RIGHT THERE.
UM IF I HAD TO CHOOSE ONE, I
WOULD SAY, CANDY GIRL, THAT WAS
THE BLAST OFF FOR US. I THINK
THAT’S WHAT ALLOWED US TO REACH
A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE, AND WE
STILL DON’T KNOW HOW MANY
RECORDS THAT SONG SO TO THIS
VERY DAY, BUT WE’RE GRATEFUL AND
APPRECIATIVE FOR EVERYONE THAT
JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON. YOU
KNOW, AT THE TIME. TIME THE
YOUNG UPSTART IN 1983. WHO ARE
THESE GUYS? NEW ADDITION FOR
BOSTON, SOUNDING LIKE THE
JACKSONS AND 40 YEARS LATER,
WE’RE STILL DOING WHAT WE LOVE
TO DO. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT
PERFORMING IN DETROIT?
SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OUR
AUDIENCES ARE ON A DIFFERENT
LEVEL. YEAH ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW
WHAT IT’S LIKE FOR AS MANY YEARS
AS WE’VE BEEN TOURING, YOU KNOW
, AND WE GO A LOT. WE GO AROUND
TO A LOT OF THE SAME CITIES, OF
COURSE, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE’S
NEVER BEEN A BAD SHOW IN DETROIT
, NO MATTER WHAT, LIKE WHETHER
WE HAD A HIT RECORD OUT AT THE
TIME. WELL, WE DIDN’T. WE CAN
ALWAYS WE GET SO EXCITED GOING
ON STAGE IN DETROIT BECAUSE IT’S
LIKE IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU JUST
KNOW. YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF
ENERGY YOU KNOW YOU’RE GONNA GET
. AND SO THAT’S THAT’S JUST
SOMETHING TO JUST LOOK FORWARD
TO, AND WERE CONSISTENT. WE’RE
HYPED ALL THE TIME. SO WHETHER
IT’S FIRST TIME, SECOND TIME
10TH TIME YOU’RE GONNA GET THE
SAME ENERGY. BUT WHAT DO YOU
GUYS LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU COME TO
DETROIT? AT THIS POINT. WE’RE
ALSO, UM, MYSELF AND RICKY WERE
BOTH SITTING AT A DOUBLE NICKEL
. SO WHERE WE WOULD HANG OUT AND
DO VARIOUS THINGS YOU KNOW, AND
TWENTIES, THIRTIES AND EVEN
FORTIES. NOW IT’S ABOUT A PILLOW
AND THE REMOTE IN YOUR HAND AND
GET SOME REST AND MAYBE A MALE
OR TWO. THERE’S SOME AMAZING
RESTAURANTS, OF COURSE. GREAT
TOWN IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT PLACES
. UM IN THE CITY HARD IS IT FOR
YOU TO GET THE DANCE MOVES
TOGETHER? ARE YOU STILL
REHEARSING A LOT, OR IS IT LIKE
SECOND NATURE AT THIS POINT? I
MEAN, UM, THE REHEARSALS ARE
PROBABLY THE MOST GRUELING THE
HARDEST PART OF ALL OF IT. UM
YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO
COORDINATE DIFFERENT SEQUENCES
OF SONGS AND WHERE TO PUT THEM
OUT IN THE SHOW. SO WHAT WE DO
IS WE JUST TRY TO REALLY PUSH
OURSELVES AND GET THROUGH ALL
THE ACHES, THE PAINS, THE MUSCLE
SORENESS AND ALL OF THAT, SO BY
THE TIME WE HIT THE STAGE FOR
REAL, WE CAN JUST HAVE FUN WITH
IT. AND YOU KNOW WHEN I THINKING
ABOUT WHAT WHERE WE HAVE TO BE
ON THE STAGE, AND WHAT MOVE
COMES NEXT, WE CAN JUST ENJOY
JOYCE OURSELVES, SO GIVE US THE
DETAILS OF THE PERFORMANCE. I
CAN’T GIVE YOU THE DETAILS. YOU
HAVE TO COME BACK THAT OUT LIKE
, NO. I MEAN, WHEN IS IT GOING
TO BE AND ALL OF THAT DETAIL
LIKE COULD GIVE YOU IS WHERE
COMFORTABLE SHOES BECAUSE YOU’RE
GONNA BE ON YOUR FEET ALL NIGHT
. OKAY YES. WELL I WANT TO THANK
YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE
TIME TO TALK WITH US THIS
MORNING. GIVE DETROIT A BIG
SHOUT OUT BEFORE I LET YOU GO.
OH, THE DAY WE’RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO COMING THERE ON THIS
LEGACY TOWARDS THANK YOU ALL FOR
CONTINUING TO SHOW UP AND SHOW
OUT. IT’S IN LIFE. DETROIT.
THAT’S RIGHT. IT GOES DOWN AND
WE WILL BE LIVE IN THE D COMING