OK, we’re back in the nineties and we’re back at school. A lot of the kids in class are excitedly chatting away because they’ve got tickets to the New Kids concert in London as part of their Magic Summer Tour to promote their new studio album, Step By Step. I’m one of the kids who unfortunately won’t be going, so for me it’s anything but magic! As per usual, I’ll have to make do with seeing Jordan, Donnie, Jon, Danny and Joe via the poster-covered walls of my room, and playing the Step By Step album until it annoys my parents (It doesn’t usually take long for that to happen!)
Now fast forward to 2024, and here I am with a slightly better hairstyle; a bit taller (only a bit!) and I’m a fully-fledged adult (who still finds ‘adulting’ - not a word back in my day - mega hard!) But one of the few things that hasn’t changed, despite me no longer being a teenybopper, is my devotion to New Kids on the Block. Or New Kids. Or NKOTB. Though one other considerable difference is that instead of annoying my parents, it’s now my husband who gets fed up of hearing New Kids’ tracks being blasted out ("I thought I was marrying a rock chick. I can’t believe you’re actually a Blockhead!") So there’s no chance of him getting on the floor and doing the New Kids dance! But when the New Kids announced their Magic Summer Tour for 2024 - 34 years after they first promised us a Magic Summer, well - there was no way I was missing out for a second time!
The Magic Summer 2024 Tour was to promote their latest album Still Kids, but it still promised to be a nostalgia-fest and a trip back to the late eighties/early nineties, from the #wearneon hashtag to the announcement of Paul Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff as support acts. Massive perms, frosted eyeshadow and iridescent lip gloss were optional! It promised to be a nostalgia-packed journey back to the days of scrunchies; LA Gear trainers, and questionable dance moves. As a life-long Blockhead, I couldn’t wait to finally attend a Magic Summer concert (albeit a slightly different one!) relive my tween dreams, and break out those old-school dance moves!
Step One: We Can Have Lots of Fun!
We initially wanted to go to the Boston gig seeing as Boston was the home of the New Kids and it was the venue that was closest to us. But due to schedule conflicts, we ended up going to the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut which ended up being a lot further away than we initially thought but still worth the effort (I would say that - I wasn’t driving!) On arrival - and getting into free parking (yes, thank you!) we could see that the place was heaving with excited fans (who said New Kids’ days were over???) many of whom looked as though they’d been transported through time from the late twentieth century to the early twenty-first century - and OK they got a little older on the way over! Everybody was ready to party as though it was 1989; the atmosphere was buzzing, and the air was heavily fragranced with the sweet scent of nostalgia. Or maybe it was The Body Shop’s Dewberry perfume courtesy of eBay! But whatever it was - we were all ready to get busy!
Even before we’d got to the entrance, there was no denying we were in the right place - the mix of neon and New Kids on the Block t-shirts kind of gave it away! Back in the day, the predominant group of fans you’d find at a New Kids concert would have been tween-teen girls. But now New Kids fans are a mix of ages, from the band’s ‘day one’ fans (like me!) to the younger crowd who grew to like the New Kids since their 2008 reunion. And not forgetting the actual kids who hear NKOTB played a lot at home, courtesy of their mums, and who were probably bemused at their mothers shrieking ‘Jordan, I love you,’ every two minutes! Oh and let's not forget the husbands and boyfriends of those 'day one' fans who were very easy to spot - they were the guys who looked as they they were wishing they could be anywhere other than at a New Kids concert (The Fella was one of them!)
Forever Your Girl
The New Kids often collaborate with other big name artists for their tours. In the past, they’ve toured with En Vogue, Naughty By Nature, Rick Astley, and Boyz II Men to name just a few. This time they were supported by DJ Jazzy Jeff (Hey - where’s Will?) and Paula Abdul. Paula opened the show with a beautifully choreographed, story-based half-hour dance routine to some of her hits which included flamboyant costume changes and where she generously allowed her dancers to take centre-stage. NKOTB may have been the headline act but it was clear that Paula did indeed have a lot of fans out in the crowd. She may been known these days for having been a judge on American Idol, but many of us remember Paula Abdul for her string of hits back in the eighties and nineties when she was a very popular recording artist, and I was reminded of just how awesome she was - and still is!
Don’t You Know That The Time Has Arrived!
Oh goodness, the moment we’d all been waiting for! If the atmosphere was buzzing before we’d even entered the venue, it was positively crackling now. The screaming started as soon as the lights dimmed. Then we saw five silhouettes rising from the floor of the stage - cue mass hysteria. Then the lights shone brightly and there stood Donnie, Jordan, Joey, Danny, and Jonathan right in front of us. A venue full of born-again fourteen year olds absolutely lost their $#!+ - and who could blame them!
The New Kids kicked off the show with Magic - the tour’s official anthem. There were slick dance moves, smooth vocals, and Donnie and Jordan flashed their abs more than a Magic Mike dancer (eat your heart out, Channing Tatum!) Well, you’ve got to give the fans what they came to see!
I Can Remember When
Back in the day, all the cool kids got tickets to New Kids’ concerts. I clearly wasn’t a cool kid (nor am I now!) Cinderella may have wanted to go to the ball and meet Prince Charming, but I wanted to go to a Magic Summer Concert and see the five bad brothers from the Beantown land perform! Back then my family weren't exactly rolling in it, so there wasn't much money left over for luxuries such as concert tickets for the hottest pop act du jour. Furthermore my parents didn't really get the infatuation us kids had with certain pop artists (seriously Mum - you had David Cassidy and the Bay City Rollers!)
So while Cinderella got her wish, I wasn't so lucky so had to live vicariously through my classmates who were fortunate enough to go. I was of course disappointed that I wasn't lucky enough to see my future husband Jordan, Donnie and co. in the flesh... But if someone had told me back then that I would finally get my wish and bag a ticket to a Magic Summer gig and I'd only have to wait around three decades, maybe I'd have cheered up a lot sooner! I mean what’s three decades, right?
Got a Funny Feeling…
Seeing the band perform on stage was a case of goosebumps galore, and my mind was cast back to a time when life was all about the New Kids - and nothing else! I would buy anything and everything that had their faces on it. I would watch every show I knew they’d be appearing on. My best friend went one better and hung around the BBC studios near her home (she was lucky enough to have her big sister take her) when the New Kids were there (I think they were appearing on Wogan!) In short, I was a typical Blockhead (but without the concert tickets!) And like millions of other girls, I was convinced that I was going to marry Jordan Knight!
Because of the New Kids on the Block, I developed a real fascination with New England. I read up about it as much as I could because I was certain that once I became Mrs. Knight, I’d be setting up home in New England. Well a good couple of decades later, I did get married and I did move to New England. But I’m not Mrs. Jordan Knight and that’s totally fine with me, which I’m sure will be music to the ears of the real Mrs. Knight - and of course my husband!
I wonder what my tween self would have made of all that!
Get Down
Haha! OK, this is where I have to admit to something I really didn't want to but seeing as The Fella has been telling everyone who'll listen, I kind of don't have a choice! Haha! So the guys were on stage performing an extended version of Tonight - extended because this was the part of the show where the boys were mingling with the crowd. The Fella and I were seated in the third level of the amphitheater - where we were right at the front of our section - but naturally I was very envious of all those who were in the standing pit who got to hi-five the New Kids.
Donnie Wahlberg - the reason for my downfall
I could see on the big screen that the New Kids were practically being mauled by all those die-hard fans. But when I peered over the barriers and looked into the standing area, I couldn't see the boy anywhere. I suspected that they were more towards the back and out of sight.
Next thing I knew a big group of people rushed down the walkway right in front of me. I just assumed they were on the hunt for the bathroom or desperate to buy a drink. But then amongst the crowd, I spotted the emergence of a sparkly cap.
"Oh that looks like the cap Donnie was wearing," I thought. And then the realization dawned on me...
"Oh my gosh, i-i-is that Donnie?" I asked the man.
"Yeah, that's him," The Fella replied, flatly.
Oh my goodness! Donnie was only a few feet away from us and that was the closest I've ever been to one of my idols. As we were right at the front of our section, I knew he would see us. While hyperventilating, I whipped of my glasses like a secretary in a budget movie, and started to smooth down my hair and look somewhat presentable for the arrival of Donnie Wahlberg.
And then it happened... I got weak in the knees, my legs turned to jelly and I collapsed! That's right I collapsed, with The Fella catching me just before I hit the ground. Goodness only knows what the people around me thought. Donnie, totally oblivious to the chaos that was occurring just a few feet away and that he had just put my marriage in jeopardy, turned around and headed back to the stage.
Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time?
Oh they absolutely did! I waited thirty four years for a Magic Summer and it goes without saying that it was worth the wait. From the moment the guys rose up on stage until the time they took their final bow, it wasn’t like Magic - it was Magic! It’s difficult to say which was the stand out moment for me because everything was amazing. I sang my little heart out as though I was a New Kid myself, and tried to do the New Kids’ dance as best as you can while you’re in the stands - you don’t want to kick anyone! A teacher from Connecticut got up on stage with the guys and rapped along to Summertime (Will Smith’s version, funnily enough, not the New Kids’ one!) and there was even a proposal up on stage, where a guy asked his Blockhead girlfriend to marry him. Luckily for him she accepted. That was a brave thing for him to do considering they were surrounded by his fiancee's teen idols!
“Why couldn’t you have done something like that?” I asked The Fella.
“Because you’d have been too busy gawping at Jordan while I’m trying to get the words out,” he replied.
He may have a point!
The main purpose of this tour was to promote their latest musical offering Still Kids which is absolutely brilliant. But you can’t be a New Kid, put on a show, and not perform the hits that made you the legends that you are. So there was a great mix of old and new hits to make long-time and new Blockheads very happy.
I did get a little emotional though when Donnie talked about how good it was to be home and how a short trip down I-90 takes him back to where they all started. I realized then that one of my little tween dreams did come true - I had made it to New Kids Land and I get to call it home. How many people get to have a dream like that come true? It was all the more poignant because moving out here - even though it had been a long-held ambition of mine - wasn’t easy and I was homesick like you wouldn’t believe. But the last few years have got a little better and I know how lucky I am to be here.
I’ll Be Loving You Forever
As the final notes of Hangin’ Tough echoed through the arena, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. Sure, my feet were killing me, and no doubt I was going to pay for that two-hour dance marathon the next day, but it was worth every second. The New Kids may have a few more years on them (don’t we all!) but they’ve still Got It (The Right Stuff) - and so do we Blockheads! I tried to capture the moment as best I could with my phone (something that wouldn’t have happened at Magic Summer 1990) but it’s hard to get great shots on a frankly, rubbish phone, while you’re jigging around and trying to snap the guys mid spin. It would have been even harder if they were still break dancing like they were back in the day! But my out-of-focus snaps still serve as a reminder of a great night out - and a dream come true.
Leaving the concert, I couldn’t help but think about how music has this incredible ability to transport us back to simpler times. I’m already thinking about the next NKOTB concert - and I can’t wait! I’ve been on a nostalgia high ever since, playing NKOTB practically on repeat (not exactly something new!) The Fella is not so amused by this but then - he knew what he was getting into when he married a Blockhead!
My journey as an NKOTB fan continues... To steal a fellow Blockhead's quote, I definitely chose the right boy band to love.
Glad you had fun, Angel. It sounds like you had quite a night. So did your husband! 🤣
I do remember the New Kids when they were first famous even though I was a real little kid. But I wouldn't say I was a fan. As I grew older I became less and less interest in mainstream pop music.
I think I was about 2 maybe when New Kids first hit the big time, and about 4/5 when they split. I remember them making a brief comeback when I was about 8. I was never really a fan but I know a lo of the girls who were a lot older than me loved them. So much about popular music goes way over my head because it's not really my thing but I do have my memories of them. The concert sounded great though and I'm sure the fans loved it.
I too was a New Kids On The Block fan when they were first around. There had been similar bands before them but they were the biggest pop act ever that we could remember. I think I heard it said that there hadn't been that much hysteria since The Beatles and I can believe that. But when they quit and Take That came along, I became a Thatter and have been ever since. For me there's never been a pop band like them. But glad you had a great time at the gig, Angel. 😊
Oh gosh, I am so so jealous! I don't need to announce that I'm a New Kids fan. And a massive one at that. Sadly they don't seem to tour outside of the States now so those of us who don't live in America are missing out. As a family we holiday a fair bit in America but the New Kids are never touring when we are there. Or they're not playing where we are holidaying. It's disappointing but hopefully one day. Though that said, I can't see my husband or kids happily tagging along! Hehe! Glad you had a fab time. And I didn't get to go to a Magic Summer tour back in the day either.