98 Degrees and Bell Biv Devoe

Location: Foxwoods Resort Casino

Date: Saturday, November 23rd, 2024

When 98 Degrees announced that they were joining the Bell Biv Devoe concert at Foxwoods, I thought it was an odd combination. While I am a fan of both groups, 98 Degrees and Bell Biv Devoe cater to different audiences. This aspect was definitely obvious when BBD fans would enter the venue later and miss 98 Degrees’ setlist. Also, fans of 98 Degrees would leave the concert early once 98 Degrees left the stage and miss Bell Biv Devoe.  Despite those setbacks,I still had a great time and enjoyed the concert. 

 I had previously seen Bell Biv Devoe with NKOTB in 2021 and at a Benefit concert in 2018. Last time I saw all four members of  98 Degrees was at the Eat The Beat concert in 2022.

VIP with 98 Degrees

The last time I did VIP with 98 Degrees was the Christmas show in 2018.

I was so glad that this time around 98 Degrees offered VIP options again in addition to the concert ticket. Since I am a big 98 Degrees fan, I had to snag the highest VIP option available, Champagne Toasts. And it was totally worth it! 

VIP fans first get to enter the venue early prior to the general admission. VIP fans also get to  watch the 98 Degrees’ soundcheck and do a Q and A with the guys after. They sang “Because of You” and debuted their new song “I Got You”. “I Got You” will be released next January as part of their next album, “Full Circle”. Nick co-wrote the song. And I just want to say “I Got You” is a beautiful song. The song has so much heart and soul. Both Nick and Jeff’s vocals really shine on the song.

Finally, it was time for the photo ops! Unlike the VIP in 2018,  I was happy that the VIP team asked us to use our own camera phones instead of a professional photographer. So that I have more control of how the photos stand out. And the VIP team was willing to take more photos if the photos didn't turn out to my liking. 

And it was wonderful to reunite with the guys, especially Jeff! I haven’t seen Nick since 2022 Eat the Beat at DisneyWorld. Still, they gave some of the best hugs. 98 Degrees were also good sports (though a bit confused) about posing for the photo I wanted. I asked Drew and Justin to form a heart. Jeff and I were going to be the couple in the heart with Nick as the third wheel wondering what’s going on. The photo turned out to be funny and cute!

After photo ops, Drew popped open the champagne bottles. The fans toasted, cheered and clinked the wine with Jeff, Justin, Nick and Drew.  Unlike BBMAK, the boys didn’t keep topping up the champagne. For Champagne VIP, I was happy that we ended up having a small group of just five fans. That gave me more opportunity to talk to the guys individually. Though I forgot to ask Nick and Justin for their autographs.  Justin revealed that the guys do see themselves performing till they physically can’t.  We also took individual selfies with the boys.  

98 Degrees - The Main Show

At 8 pm, 98 Degrees kicked off the show with a medley of their upbeat songs  “Heat It Up”, “Do You Wanna Dance”, and “Fly with Me”.  Moving around the stage, the guys definitely boosted the crowd’s e\nergy and excitement and got us on our feet and started dancing. 
They followed up with a Divas’ song medley with Drew covering Adele’s “Rollin’ In The Deep”. I thought the song was a surprisingly excellent fit for Drew’s baritone voice. I was happy the song allowed him to stand out. 98 Degrees also sang  “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Proud Mary”. In addition, the guys performed a medley of MTV/TRL songs including Britney’s “Oops I Did It Again”, Sisqo’s “Thong Song”, and BSB’s “Larger Than Life”. They also covered Nsync’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart”. I’m a bit biased because I prefer NSYNC guys singing the song. However, 98 Degrees’ coverage is not so bad. 

While that segment was great and did provoke nostalgia, I much preferred 98 Degrees performing their own songs. Instead of the Divas and TRL medley, they could have filled the setlist with songs from their catalogue like “Dizzy”, “The Way You Want Me To”, “Still”, and “Where Do You Wanna Go”. 

Which is why my favorite part of the show was when the guys sang their own ballads. Especially when they sang “I Do (Cherish You)” and “Because of You”. I am confident that I have recorded 98 Degrees performing “I Do (Cherish You)” a dozen times. The song is just so beautiful. I hope 98 Degrees will sing that song in my future wedding (in the far future) one day. Jeff promised me he would! 

Moreover, I particularly loved their performance of “Because Of You”. Jeff’s tenor voice highlighted strongly. I swear he looked at me mid song. The performance definitely got better when Jeff took off his jacket and showed off his muscles. 

98 Degrees finished their setlist fittingly with their major hit, “The Hardest Thing”. Nick consistently sings that song like the passionate and emotional crooner he is. Honestly, that song always makes me sad not just because it’s a heartbreaking song but the song also signals their show is almost over. Even though 98 Degrees had an encore performance of “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)”, I wish their setlist was a bit longer. 

98 Degrees’ setlist was shorter because Bell Biv Devoe was the main headliner.  

Bell Biv Devoe

At 9 pm, Bell Biv Devoe took to the stage.Their setlist was a mixture of their original songs and New Edition songs. The songs include “Do Me”, “BBD (I Thought It was Me)” and “Act Like You Know”.  Bell Biv Devoe undeniably boosted the crowd’s enthusiasm during their action-packed performances. And they continued to feed off the crowd’s energy. 

I really enjoyed their performances of “Cool It Now” and “Candy Girl”. Those songs definitely ignited that 80s/90s Boyband nostalgia. I honestly became a fan of New Edition and Bell Biv Devoe when their movie miniseries premiered in 2017. The years-long brotherhood and friendship definitely played well into the  chemistry onstage amongst Ricky, Mike and Ronnie.  

My other favorite performance was “Run” where Ronnie got to highlight his talented rapping skills and Ricky’s smoothness truly stood out.  Ricky also shone during their performance of “When I Will See You Smile Again”. He has such a soulful voice. Ricky is definitely a crooner.

Appropriately, the boys closed the show with their megahit, “Poison”, reigniting the crowd’s energy. While BBD also had professional backup dancers, they also invited fans to join them onstage and show off their best Hip Hop moves. I thought that was pretty special and a great ending to the show. Made the crowd feel they are part of the show. 

Verdict

Overall, I had a great time at the concert. I thought both groups delivered action packed setlists. However, I don’t think 98 Degrees and Bell Biv Devoe should be placed in the same line up. The vibes for both groups are completely different. While 98 Degrees is more pop, Bell Biv Devoe is more Hip Hop and R&B. If these groups were to be in the same concert, there should be a third boyband like NKOTB or Boyz II Men that can balance the vibes and provide a smoother transition.