Bobby Brown gave an emotional tribute to Whitney Houston during a New Edition concert in Maryland last night ... and then he totally RUINED the moment.

The tribute was nice ... with Bobby thanking his fans and his family for support and saying, "Life is life ... you have to move on sometimes."

And then he said this, "I love [Whitney] like I love God ... my name is BAD ASS Bobby Brown."

You stay classy.

Bad Ass Bobby will continue the concert tour tomorrow night -- hitting the stage at an Indian casino in Connecticut just hours after Whitney is laid to rest in New Jersey.

Stay tuned ...