2 Days of Boy Band Nostalgia

The History

On September 16, 1990, my uncle took my 2 cousins and I to see the New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) at Compton Terrace in Chandler, Arizona.  As was their target demographic at the time, we ranged in age from 11-13.  My uncle was amazing for being willing to sit through a concert of screaming teenage girls who were absolutely obsessed with this group.  I will forever be grateful he did that for us, even if he made us leave early because it was a school night and he wanted to beat traffic. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was going to be the beginning of a love of live music and a 35+ year fandom of the New Kids that has shown no sign of fading.

NKOTB broke up in the 90s and while I had somewhat outgrown them, it still hurt my heart when it happened. I would still support any project they were a part of: watching TRL to see Jordan Knight’s and Joey McIntyre’s music videos; watching Boston Public, Dancing with the Stars, the Sixth Sense, and Band of Brothers because Joey and Donnie Wahlberg were in them.  I even skipped a night of class to catch VH1s Bands Reunited in 2004 because the show was going to try and reunite them for one more show.  Even though they failed, it was fun to see them on my screen again.

In 2008, the buzz started that they were going to reunite. I was equal parts skeptical and hopeful until they showed up on a morning show and officially announced their reunion, which would include a new album and tour.  Several of my friends were just as excited as I was and we KNEW if their tour came through Phoenix, we WOULD be in attendance.  Since that initial show in Phoenix, I have attended a dozen shows or more and Block Con, their convention held in Chicago in 2023, even braving 100+ degrees for an outside show in July in Arizona.

When NKOTB announced their Las Vegas residency for 2025, it wasn’t a matter of if I was going, but more like when I would be going.  I knew midweek in Las Vegas is much cheaper than weekends and July is even cheaper compared to winter months, so I decided to go July 2^nd and just stay for a night to watch the show.  With Vegas only being a 55-minute flight and not being much of a drinker or gambler, there really wasn’t a need to spend any more time than that in Vegas, until my cousin reached out and said she wanted to come up on July 3^rd and see a show too.  And that is how I extended my trip, and just 10 weeks shy of 35 years later, my cousins and I attended our second NKOTB concert together.  This time we didn’t have to leave early to beat traffic.  

The Right Stuff Residency

Named after arguably one of their most well-known songs, the New Kids on the Block residency did not disappoint!  From seeing the advertisement on the hotel marquee to so many fellow Blockheads walking around and chatting with each other, the excitement was palpable.  Staying at the Park MGM, where the concert venue is located, was a bonus because the show was just an elevator ride away.  There was a great stand-up advertisement in between the hotel and casino (pictured below) that seemingly had a line of people wanting to get their picture taken in it every time we walked by.  Once we entered the Dolby Live Theater, there were banners with the letters N K O T B and each one had a picture of one of the group members.  We all took turns taking pictures by our favorite New Kid; 35 years later and our favorites hadn’t changed!  After all of that was done, it was time to find our seats and wait for the show to start.

 On the surface, it was the same show both nights since the setlist and special effects didn’t change, but sitting on different sides of the venue each night gave us different views of the stage and during Tonight, when they came into the audience, we got different members near us each night.  On the first night, we were less than 3 minutes into the first song, and we knew choosing to attend 2 shows was absolutely the right decision!

The show, which went over 2 hours, started with a life size subway car coming onto stage and five doors sliding open with the New Kids coming out to enough screaming that my Apple Watch gave me a sound warning that my hearing was in danger.  Over the course of the show, NKOTB played songs from every album spanning from the 1980s to the 2020s! It was also great to see Jordan Knight get to perform Give It To You solo because it is a great song; the nod to the music video with a carnival cart flying around the stage was a nice touch.  The entire show was high energy with the group covering the entire stage throughout the night so there was not a bad seat in the house.  At one point, they even got into boxes suspended from the rafters and “flew” up to the balcony seats to get up close with the fans sitting up there. 

The highlight of each night was when they came into the audience during Tonight.  On night one, Jonathon came down our aisle and waved which was exciting for me.  But, let me tell you about night two: Jordan came down the aisle on our right and as we are going crazy snapping pictures, we turn around and Donnie is holding my cousin’s hand and singing to her!  It is so awesome that they come out to the fans like this and create memories that will last a lifetime.

If I had to pick a favorite moment of the show - and believe me, it’s not easy to pick just one - it would be when they showed old pictures of the group, played the talking part of I Wanna Be Loved by You and allowed each member to have a moment in the spotlight.  Any super fan will remember that song, as cheesy at it sounds today, and remember those facts about their favorite New Kid. 

Overall, the shows were amazing! I appreciated them revisiting the deeper cuts and older songs for the diehard fans and playing enough of their well-known songs that someone who may not have followed their career for the past 30+ years could still enjoy the show.  I would absolutely recommend the Dolby Live Theater for any show, as the seats all offer a great view and the acoustics were great.  The only thing missing was a performance of Baby, I Believe in You (iykyk). 

Full Setlist:

1.  Twisted

2.  Block Party

3.   Single

4.   My Favorite Girl

5.   Summertime

6.   Cover Girl

7.   Magic

8.   You Got It (The Right Stuff)

9.  Remix (I Like the)

10.  Click, Click, Click

11.  Full Service

12.  Boys in the Band

13.  Never Let You Go

14.  Dirty Dancing

15.  Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

16.  Valentine Girl

17.  If You Go Away

18.  Please Don’t Go Girl

19.  Games

20.  Get Down

21.  Popsicle

22.  Pop

23.  Give It to You

24.  Tonight

25.  The Whisper/Shout

26.  I’ll Be Loving You

27.  Step by Step

28.  Kids

29.  Hangin’ Tough/We Will Rock You