With ‘No More Fighting,’ Bobby Brown Says New Edition Is Stronger Together

The classic R&B group brings its “Legacy Tour” to Enterprise Center on April 15.

Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe debuted as a boy band with its 1983 hit “Candy Girl.”

Over much of its time together — with albums including “New Edition” (1984), “All for Love” (1985), “Heart Break” (1988), and “Home Again” (1996) — fans have seen changes to the group’s membership.

Brown, Tresvant and Johnny Gill (who joined in 1987, replacing Brown at the time) have had thriving solo careers. Side group Bell Biv DeVoe racked up a number of hits including “Poison.” RBRM (featuring Bell, Brown, Bivins, and DeVoe) and Heads of State (featuring Tresvant, Brown, and Gill) hit the stage when New Edition wasn’t working out.

Natural evolution fueled some of the offshoots. Infighting and disputes, including over a trademark, also prompted the change.

When the band’s “Culture Tour” played Enterprise Center in 2022, it was the first time in eight years that all six singers were together for an extended trek. There had been doubts over whether the group would tour together again.

“We’re definitely stronger together than apart,” Brown says. “That’s the whole thing about New Edition. We can break up and go into five different genres of music and still be considered a part of New Edition.”

Grammy-winning Brown was the first from New Edition to go solo and is the most successful. His hits include “My Prerogative,” “Rock Wit’cha,” “Roni,” “Every Little Step” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

He’s also the most high-profile member of the group. Last year, he starred in an A&E reality series, “Bobby Brown: Every Little Step,” and was depicted in the big-screen biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” about his late ex-wife, Whitney Houston.

The various New Edition offshoots are “just fun to do,” Brown says. “When someone wants to take off, you get a chance to perform as a three- or four-man group, which is also special.”

Ultimately, Brown says, the group’s “stackability” keeps the members together and allows them to resolve their issues.

“The brotherhood of New Edition is like no other,” he says. “We’re brothers to the end, and we don’t take that for granted. It’s holding each other accountable for our actions and our moves and talking it out.

“There’s no more fighting. It’s about loving each other and praying.”

Brown imagines New Edition will remain a six-member group while members continue to perform solo or with Bell Biv DeVoe, as timing and opportunities allow.

“There’s no reason to separate the group anymore,” he says. “Conflicts have been resolved. We’re older now. We’re in our 50s. There’s no more time for arguing, fussing, and fighting. We’re grown, men. It’s about the business.”

That outlook bodes well for the group, which is enjoying renewed popularity, thanks in part to the BET miniseries “The New Edition Story” (2017) and its follow-up, “The Bobby Brown Story” (2018).

Brown wants fans to know that this year’s “Legacy Tour” will offer a new experience from “The Culture Tour.”

“It’s a whole different thing,” he says. “It’s more of us playing songs that we didn’t do on ‘The Culture Tour.’ It’s also us interacting with the crowd a lot more. Though it’s different from ‘The Culture Tour,’ it’s just as exciting.”

Though the previous highly choreographed tour included all the staples fans could want — from “If It Isn’t Love” and “Poison” to “My My My” and “Every Little Step” — Brown promises there are more songs to give.

“I want people to be surprised,” he says. “I don’t want to give the surprises away. But they’re songs from Bobby Brown albums, from Bell Biv DeVoe, from Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant that we didn’t do before.”

He says the tour is going well, and the shows keep getting better.

“Fans are coming out, and everybody is just slamming,” he says. “We’re giving the people what they paid for. We pride ourselves on being as great as possible. Being here 40 years later is a blessing.”

While New Edition may seem like a legacy act that can coast on its classics, Brown says new music is in the works. The group’s last album was “One Love” in 2004, featuring “Hot 2Nite.”

“We’re looking forward to getting into the studio to do new music,” he says. “It will be special when we do. It’s our 40th anniversary, so look for something special.”

What New Edition, Keith Sweat, Guy • When 7:30 p.m. April 15 • Where Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Avenue • How much $59-$129 • More info ticketmaster.com