BOSTON — Judging by their ecstatic homecoming on Sunday, New

Edition are primed, pumped and ready for next year's 20th anniversary

celebration.

"No more 'fans,' " Michael Bivins told the FleetBoston Pavilion crowd of

about 3,000, which remained on its feet throughout the 90-minute set on this

anniversary warm-up tour. "Now you're New Edition family."

There was plenty of family already on hand, as the Roxbury-bred singers gave

shout-outs to their aunts and uncles. But others in the diverse if largely

30-something audience felt their own measure of closeness (including P.

Diddy, who made a surprise cameo to introduce the group).

"I grew up with them," said former Roxbury resident Jaque Furtado, 37, of

Jamaica Plain. "I'm here to support them. I like their style and their

songs, and they dance well." Her husband, Roger, 40, added an observation

that was echoed by many in the audience: "They're the original boy band."

But boys become men. Nineteen years since New Edition broke out of Roxbury's

Orchard Park projects, and five years since their last tour, the group (with

Washington, D.C., recruit Johnny Gill still in the fold, but not Bobby

Brown) displayed a maturity that balanced the nostalgic harmonies.

Dressed in loose, snazzy dark outfits that stood out against their simple

white backdrop and five-piece band, the singers exuded confidence and

camaraderie. They launched into opener "Word to the Mutha!" (from early '90s

side project Bell Biv DeVoe) with enthusiastic steps, and built on a

communal vibe by remaining together onstage through later solo showcases.

Nostalgia was fueled early by a medley of 1983-84 pop-soul hits including

"Candy Girl," a percolating "Popcorn Love" and crisp "Mr. Telephone Man,"

with Ralph Tresvant taking a smooth vocal lead, as he did on much of the

group's repertoire. The ballad "Lost in Love" proved awkward when the

singers shared a single, five-spoked microphone stand. But soon they were

back to roving the stage and mixing it up, with Tresvant passing the lead to

Ricky Bell during "Is This the End."

In a solo-based segment, Bell also tackled "When Will I See You Smile

Again?," the suave Tresvant crooned "Sensitivity" and Bell, Bivins and

Ronnie DeVoe donned Red Sox caps as they got the crowd grinding and singing

along to "Do Me!"

But Gill stepped from the shadows to virtually steal the show with his R&B

loverman's tour-de-force treatment of "My, My, My," working into a lather

with his gruff-voiced exultations and falsetto yodels and whipping off his

shirt to reveal a firmly chiseled chest and nipple rings.

"If It Isn't Love" capped the show, with Dorchester resident Licia Pitts and

her friends mimicking the singers' graceful dance gestures. "Coming back

after so long, they were really good," said Pitts, 31. "Nice energy. But

they needed a dancer to back them." And she was ready to volunteer.