If you thought your chance to see New Kids on the Block in concert died with the demise of acid-washed jeans, think again.
After 15 years of rejecting pleas from MTV, VH1 and die-hard fans (dubbed Blockheads by the media), the Kids announced their reunion to a frenzied crowd of 25- to 35-year-old women clad in NKOTB gear on NBC’s Todayin April.
Next month, the tour stops in Cleveland, where Blockheads can expect to hear all the oldies but goodies (think “Step by Step” and “Hangin’ Tough”) they had playing on their Walkmans 15 years ago, in addition to new songs from the group’s untitled and yet-to-be-released album.
The first single, “Summertime,” is reminiscent of NKOTB’s old-school tracks, tamed by a Backstreet Boys pop sound, but other songs have a hint of hip-hop.
But it was the Kids’ vintage sound that launched nine Top 10 hits and sold more than 70 million albums during the group’s roughly four-year reign as pop icons and teenage heartthrobs. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and Donnie were everywhere: lunchboxes, magazines, bed sheets and beach towels. For the girls who couldn’t sleep without kissing their NKOTB posters good night, the New Kids’ fall into the boy-band abyss was more tragic than Brenda and Dylan’s breakup onBeverly Hills, 90210.
This time around the block, everyone is a little older and a little wiser. With production credits under many of their belts, the Kids have more input about the new record. Now that fans across the world have a second chance to see their childhood crushes live, we hope they leave the acid-washed jeans at home.
KK
After 15 years of rejecting pleas from MTV, VH1 and die-hard fans (dubbed Blockheads by the media), the Kids announced their reunion to a frenzied crowd of 25- to 35-year-old women clad in NKOTB gear on NBC’s Todayin April.
Next month, the tour stops in Cleveland, where Blockheads can expect to hear all the oldies but goodies (think “Step by Step” and “Hangin’ Tough”) they had playing on their Walkmans 15 years ago, in addition to new songs from the group’s untitled and yet-to-be-released album.
The first single, “Summertime,” is reminiscent of NKOTB’s old-school tracks, tamed by a Backstreet Boys pop sound, but other songs have a hint of hip-hop.
But it was the Kids’ vintage sound that launched nine Top 10 hits and sold more than 70 million albums during the group’s roughly four-year reign as pop icons and teenage heartthrobs. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and Donnie were everywhere: lunchboxes, magazines, bed sheets and beach towels. For the girls who couldn’t sleep without kissing their NKOTB posters good night, the New Kids’ fall into the boy-band abyss was more tragic than Brenda and Dylan’s breakup onBeverly Hills, 90210.
This time around the block, everyone is a little older and a little wiser. With production credits under many of their belts, the Kids have more input about the new record. Now that fans across the world have a second chance to see their childhood crushes live, we hope they leave the acid-washed jeans at home.
KK
