Review: New Kids on the Block still have the 'Right Stuff'
New Kids on the Block had 10,000 mostly female fans screaming at the top of their lungs on Saturday at Acrisure Arena as part of the 2024 "Magic Summer" tour.
The five members of New Kids on the Block — Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood — are all in their 50s, and the beloved early '90s boy band delivered on all the songs, rocked the choreography and was elevated by the prodigious stage production.
The majority of New Kids on the Block fans, also known as "blockheads," are women aged 40 to 55. This demographic was predominantly present at Acrisure Arena on Saturday, with very few men attending without female company.
Like any boy band, New Kids on the Block is expected to deliver high-energy performances and continues to impress with intense choreography and vocals. Some of their older songs are modified a bit to give them a modern and funkier feel, like the live version of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)."
Do the New Kids on the Block still have the same sex appeal they had back in the day? It certainly seems like it. Throughout the show, some of the singers, especially Wahlberg, weren't shy about getting loud cheers from the mostly female audience by quickly lifting their shirts to show off their midriffs. Jordan Knight also excited the crowd late in the show by performing in an unbuttoned shirt, revealing his muscular chest during "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)."
So basically, the New Kids on the Block still have that "Right Stuff."
Full setlist: Here's what New Kids on the Block performed at Acrisure Arena on Saturday
New Kids on the Block bring the '90s nostalgia
New Kids on the Block kicked off the two-hour set with "Magic" from the 2024 album "Still Kids," which is the band's first album in 11 years and performed the song in front of a digital screen with a backdrop featuring the boxes of each member's toy doll from 1990.
"Summer Love" featured video production animating some of its '90s graphics on t-shirts, posters commercials and fan magazines and set the tone of nostalgia throughout most of the set that included lots of confetti, neon on the stage decor and the costumes, arcade games and other things from the period. Some highlights from the early part of the set were the 1988 songs "My Favorite Girl" and "Cover Girl."
In 1990, the band decided to include their own birthday song, "Happy Birthday," on the album "Step by Step." Four lucky fans who were celebrating birthdays on Saturday, including one dressed in a cake costume, were invited on stage during the performance of the song. The New Kids also surprised the crowd by venturing into the audience during "Block Party" and "Tonight." Each band member sang from platforms arranged in a line across the floor, before walking up into different sections of the concourse amid the fans.
The later part of the show featured hits such as "Please Don't Go Girl" and "Step By Step." Before the Boston natives performed the 1988 hit "Hangin' Tough" toward the end of the set, the band donned Boston Celtics jerseys in celebration of the team winning the 2024 NBA Championship, and Wahlberg said the team will be "Hangin' Tough" again next season.
Interview: New Kids on the Block member says ‘we feel like kids’ ahead of Palm Desert show
New Kids on the Block special guest: DJ Jazzy Jeff
Also during the latter part of the show, New Kids on the Block members were joined by DJ Jazzy Jeff, who is one half of the now defunct DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (rapper and actor Will Smith). Wahlberg told a story about how the band was the opening act on pop singer Tiffany's 1988 tour, which got some laughs from the crowd until he said "No Tiffany, no New Kids on the Block," then continued about the band going on another tour with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.
"It was one of the most influential and important times in our career," Wahlberg said before thanking DJ Jazzy Jeff for "all the inspiration and all the love you showed for us back then."
DJ Jazzy Jeff's opening performance was reminiscent of a DJ performing at a high school or college pep rally, or between plays at a basketball or hockey game, with songs such as House of Pain's "Jump Around," The Bee Gees' "Stayin Alive," DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat" and the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Strangely enough, the song he seemed to breeze through without encouraging much crowd participation was "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme.
Paula Abdul opened her show with an oxygen tank
Former "American Idol" judge and pop singer Paul Abdul started her 30-minute opening set with an energetic performance of the 1988 hit "Straight Up" singing and dancing all over the stage accompanied by backup singers. But at the end of the song, she walked over to a member of her road crew who brought out an oxygen tank and mask.
"Are you kidding me? This is 62, OK?" Abdul told the crowd.
Whether or not it was a just a prop and part of the show or not, Abdul mentioned she had 30 minutes to perform as many highlights from her career since her 1988 debut album "Forever Your Girl." It fit the theme of a '90s concert with her black and silver costume and backup dancers in black long-sleeved sheer shirts and parachute-style pants.
Her set included songs such as "Cold Hearted," "Rush Rush" and "Forever Your Girl." At one point, the oxygen tank came back out on stage and Abdul waved the road crew member away.
New Kids on the Block 'Magic Summer' tour heads to Phoenix, Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas
The New Kids on the Block tour has a few more stops in the Southwest before heading to Texas:
July 9: Phoenix, Talking Stick Ampitheatre
July 10: Albuquerque, New Mexico, Isleta Amphitheater
July 12: Austin, Texas, Germania Insurance Amphitheater
July 13: The Woodlands, Texas, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 14: Dallas, Dos Equis Pavilion
Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Review: New Kids on the Block still have the 'Right Stuff'
