The Candy Girl Tour was a concert tour by the boy band New Edition, launched to support their first album Candy Girl.
Background New edition dropped their first single Candy Girl in February 1983. The song was played by local radio stations around Boston and later became a smash hit, this marked an opportunity for them to perform professionally.
In the beginning, they started doing track dates in nightclubs and Skating rink parties in the Northeastern region on weekends performing few minute sets on a pre-recorded tape. When summer came, they performed at some festivals, the Indiana Black Expo and by august became an opening act for Rick James on his four-month Cold Blooded Tour. It is on this tour in Prividence that Rick James thought it would be better for them to perform their set with a live band, providing them with his own musicians, the Stone City Band.
August also marked their first trip oversea, as the group appeared on TV Show performing live version of their hits "Popcorn Love" and "Candy Girl" on Switch in England and Vorsicht, Musik! on August 15 in Germany lip-synching "Candy Girl". During the trip in London, they shot the videos for Popcorn Love and "She Gives Me a Bang" on the same day. Coming back to the United States, New edition received their first royalty check for an amount of $1.87 each. Frustrated by this situation, they acquired new management in September and parted ways with Streetwise by November. Two months later, they crossed paths with Jerhyl Busby who signed them on MCA Records. They spent the rest of the year opening for Rick James and other R&B acts like the Gap Band and Stacy Lattisaw.
In 1984, the group was headlining 45-minute concert backed by the Q-Band in theaters around the country. While the group was performing in the Bahamas in February, Jheryl Busby invited Ray Parker Jr. to attend one of their concert, Parker met the group members who explained to him that they were already including the cover of "Mr. Telephone Man" by Junior Tucker on their show and wanted to record a studio version of it. In the spring, New Edition were part of the line-up of the "Kool Jazz Festival" with Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, and others artists.
Setlist Songs are not in order: December 1983 - 1984 Popcorn Love Should Have Never Told Me The Jackson 5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save Jealous Girl Is This the End Mr. Telephone Man (by Junior Tucker) Pass the Beat Candy Girl
Personnel Musicians The Q-Band (Questarr Band):
Drexel "BOOTS" Anderson – guitar/MD/Bkrd vocals Robert "Suave Bob" Cepeda – percussions Ralph "Da Phunky Drumma" Vargas – drums,Bkrd vocals Anthony "T-Bone" McEwan – bass and keyboards, Bkrd vocals Carl T. "The Smooth" Smith – keyboards John Steiner – keyboards Rick Roberts – band manager
Tour dates 1983 Date City Country Venue Act(s)February 5New York City United StatesCopacabanaMarch 11New York CityBond International CasinoMarch 26New York CityHarlem WorldApril 2New York CityRoseland BallroomMadonna, DJ Chuck LeonardApril 23BrooklynThe SaturnApril 23The BronxSkatin' PalaceKurtis Blow, Cold Crush Brothers, Undefeated 3, Finesse 4, Sophisticated 4 with Love Bug StarskiApril 29New York CityDisco FeverApril 30New York CityStudio 54June 19Atlantic CityClub HarlemJune 24Los AngelesMemorial Sport ArenaGrandmaster Flash, Melly Mel, Junzun Crew, The System, D.TrainJuly 3MiamiCasanovasJuly 4MiamiNorth Shore Beach Space ParkJimmy HornJuly 9TampaCurtis Hixon HallJuly 10IndianapolisMarket Square ArenaThe Bar-Kays, Lakeside, Mtume, Jonznn Crew July 21 Tarpon Springs Astro Skate Roller RinkAugust 3West WarwickWarwick Memorial AuditoriumRick James, Mary Jane GirlsAugust 8Garden City Long Island Children's MuseumAugust 9Warwick Warwick Music Theater Rick James, Mary Jane GirlsAugust 24New York CityPier 84Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Grandmixer DST, Rockers Revenge, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic ForceAugust 27ShreveportHirsch ColiseumAugust 28NorfolkScopeStacy Lattisaw, Trouble Funk, Slim & Arcade FunkOctober 1LandoverCapital CenterOctober 5PeoriaPeoria Civic CenterZapp, The Gap BandOctober 10Delray Beach Carver Community Middle SchoolOctober 14New York CityThe Fun HouseCrash Crew, Pure Energy, Love Bug Starski, The Rockatron Boogie Dancers, DJ Jellybean BenitezOctober 22PeoriaPeoria Civic CenterThe Gap BandOctober 27SavannahSavannah Civic CenterRick James , Stone City Band, Mary Jane GirlsNovember 3Chattanooga UTC ArenaThe Gap Band, Midnight Star, ZappNovember 5ChampaignAssembly HallStacy Lattisaw, MazeNovember 12GreensboroGreensboro ColiseumThe Gap Band, S.O.S Band, Midnight StarNovember 17Chicago UIC PavilionRick James, Mary Jane GirlsNovember 25New York CityThe Fun HouseLove Bug Starski, Crash Crew, Shannon, The Rockatron Boogie Dancers, DJ Jllybean BenitezNovember 25Hartford Hartford Civic CenterRick James , S.O.S BandNovember 27Buffalo Buffalo Memorial AuditoriumRick JamesDecember 16 Tampa Curtis Hixon Hall 1984 Date City Country Venue Act(s)January 16SpringfieldUnited StatesSpringfield Symphony HallFebruary 4ElizabethThe Ritz TheaterThe Fearless Four, Run-DMC, The BreakersFebruary 6PatersonDreamland Roller RinkThe Fearless Four, Run-DMCFebruary 25DavenportDanceland BallroomAppealFebruary MinneapolisDuffy's DoorMarch 2New York CityBeacon TheaterShannonMarch 3March 4 BuffaloShea's Performing Arts CenterMarch 10DaytonDayton Memorial HallRun DMC, ShannonMarch 11DevonValley Forge Music FairGrandmaster Flash, ShannonMarch 31GainsvilleSun Skate CenterApril 7PhiladelphiaUptown TheaterNewcleus, Run-DMC, The Amazing BreakersMay 25Einfield190 East LoungeJune 1San DiegoJack Murphy StadiumTeena Marie, Cameo, Ashford & Simpson, Kool & the GangJune 20Upper DarbyTower TheaterJuly 7Atlanta Fulton County StadiumLuther Vandross, Patti Labelle, Bobby Womack, KC and the Sunshine BandJuly 28CincinnatiRiverfront StadiumBobby Womack, Patti LaBelle, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Luther Vandross
References