R&B group New Edition gets special surprise from City of Miami – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – A legendary R&B group added a new addition to their long list of accolades during their South Florida stop.

Fans flocked to see New Edition perform over the weekend. Before leaving town, the boy band got a special surprise.

New Edition is still in love with Miami, and they’re certainly not standing in the rain.

“The energy, the weather, the people, it’s just always been one of my favorite places, all of ours,” said New Edition’s Johnny Gil.

After nearly 40 years, the men are still together and on the road again and closing out their “Culture Tour” at FTX Arena Sunday night.

City of Miami Chairwoman Christine King gave them the keys to the city Monday morning. The ceremony took place at the historic Lyric Theater in Overtown.

“Miami is at the top of the list when it comes to our favorite cities to perform in,” said New Edition’s Ricky Bell, “even just to visit, you know, a lot of times, so this is a real honor for us. Like Mike said, we don’t take it lightly for us, whether we’re receiving a Grammy or a key to the city, Miami is right there at the top of the list.”

“I thought it would be appropriate to recognize New Edition for their accomplishments in our historic black theater, where black entertainers were hosted for many, many years, as you can see with the banners here, so where else, where better to recognize black excellence, New Edition?” said King.

The boy band said as they came up on their 40th anniversary together, they will have more projects to come and something special for the community.

“We’re going to do some things in anticipation of a residency, and so many other things next year, new music,” said New Edition’s Ronnie DeVoe. “A city like this, Miami, it’s just going to feel good to pour back into it. Kike, being in this building right now is amazing. We were just talking about potentially doing a few things here to make sure we’re pouring back into the community, and that’s what the culture tour is all about.”

The key to the city came as a surprise to the group, symbolizing trust and acknowledging them as friends to the city.

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