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Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky And Mike: New Edition Members In Boston

BOSTON (CBS) - They were kids, and they were stars.

Now Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell and Ronnie DeVoe are middle-aged men and their place among the stars has dimmed.

But they still are bringing smiles to the faces of fans including at a recent concert at the Wang Theater in Boston.

Four of the five original members of New Edition have kicked off a new tour.

"It's just amazing, to be in Boston, at the Wang Theater. There's no better magic than to get on stage and perform for our family," said DeVoe.

rbrm Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky & Mike
RBRM (Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky & Mike) perform in Boston, September 2018. (WBZ-TV)

Brown said the group "gave away more tickets than people bought."

"That's the magic of what we do. We love entertaining," he said.

At the show, you never saw the words "New Edition", instead it was R-B-R-M which stands for Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike.

Ralph Tresvant skipped the latest reunion as did Johnny Gill.

rbrm Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky & Mike
RBRM (Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky & Mike) perform in Boston, September 2018. (WBZ-TV)

Ralph and Johnny bought the trademark for "New Edition" hence the R-B-R-M moniker for the tour.

"We look at it like we aren't using new edition because we are using R-B-R-M, but I don't think I would ever ask for permission," Bivins said.

That's just the latest dose of drama for a group that most famously kicked Bobby Brown out.

"We wouldn't kick anyone out of the group today, but if that didn't happen, we wouldn't have Bobby Brown and his success. You wouldn't have Bell Biv DeVoe" said Bell.

Bell Biv DeVoe was huge and Bobby Brown became a household name for his triumphs and his tragedies. Brown lost both his wife, singer Whitney Houston, and his daughter, Bobbi Christina.

bobby brown
Bobby Brown. (WBZ-TV)

"I know I've been through a lot of things but someone has my back, it is probably the people I've lost in my life and my friends. I just stay positive" says Brown. "I've just learned to respect what has been my life and respect that I'm here and to correct anything I didn't do right."

They are all focusing on what they have, rather than where they've been or what they are missing.

The tour is the latest edition of four friends from 40 years ago.

"My wife and kids, they are like 'What's the tour like?' and I'm like, 'Daddy is having the time of his life,'" Bivins said.

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