When people couldn’t find the words to express how they felt, they played Boyz II Men.
For the better part of 30 years, this legendary trio of harmonizers has had its love ballads on lock, producing some of the most iconic tracks in R&B, songs people get married to. So it’s no wonder the crowd was full of heavy-lidded lovers on opening night, as Boyz II Men kicked off its four-night engagement at The Chelsea.
After piloting a residency at The Mirage for nearly eight years, the trio wasted little time adjusting to their new surroundings. The soft spoken and incredibly disarming Shawn Stockman took point on the microphone, steering the night’s banter, while Wanyá Morris gave us all the snake hipped dancing we could handle. The energy of these men could tip the shingles off a roof. And perhaps it had something to do with their friends in the stands. Vegas-bred comedian Jo Koy and R&B hitmaker Babyface, who wrote many of Boyz II Men’s jams, including “End of the Road,” were both in attendance. Stockman expressed extra gratitude to the latter star, saying “We would not be Boyz II Men if not for that man.”
Signature songs like “Water Runs Dry” and “On Bended Knee” blew a few dozen minds, as people swayed to the harmonies, cradling their chests and visibly feeling these lyrics in their bones. Morris sank to his own knees at one point, eyes screwed shut, as though reliving the recording for the first time. The boys assumed such a visceral swagger to them, especially Nathan Morris and Stockman, who took his earpiece out for “Hey Lover,” dazzling the women in the front row with his candied vocals. But the full weight of those harmonies didn’t fully hit until “4 Seasons of Loneliness,” when they pulled up stools and sang together in close proximity.
The night took another pleasantly surprising turn when Stockman and Nathan grabbed their guitars, backing Wanyá on a series of covers that evolved into a full-blooded rock show. Never did we expect to hear Boyz II Men shredding to Lenny Kravitz’s “American Woman” or The Beatles’ “Come Together” but it happened. And boy, were we happy it did.
Toward the end, romance was visibly in the air, and in the trio’s hands as they suavely passed out roses for “I’ll Make Love to You.” Talk about knowing their audience.
Love could be seen and felt on so many different levels here. Fans in the crowd engaged with total strangers, elated by their favorite songs and unafraid to pass the excitement along. There were certainly some cell phones in sight, but for the most part, people were truly living in the moment. And that’s clearly what Boyz II Men enjoyed seeing.
“This is a new era for us in Las Vegas,” Stockman told the crowd. “You guys pretty much let us know that beautiful people like yourselves will fill up rooms like this. Hopefully, we’ll be back again and again and again. We truly love Las Vegas.”
Boyz II Men August 30-31, $119-$365+, the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com
