New Kids on the Block The boy band still knows what its fans want Concert Review

The typical reaction I got when I told someone I was going to see New Kids on the Block in concert was, You’re kidding. Why?

Why wouldn’t I go? I have extremely fond memories of NKOTB, listening to their cassettes while on family vacations and watching a televised concert on video over and over and over again.

The new kids are clearly not kids anymore –– the youngest member, Joey McIntyre, is 36 –– but they still know how to bring their overwhelmingly female fans to their feet, as evidenced by the Indianapolis stop on their Full Service tour at Verizon Wireless Music Center.

The show opened with “Full Service,” one of a handful of songs from the group’s 2008 release, The Block. The crowd moved and grooved to the newer songs, but they didn’t exactly get full-on crowd “participation” with those.

Unsurprisingly, it was the “classics” that really got the crowd moving and shaking, songs like “Please Don’t Go Girl,” “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Step by Step” and “I’ll Be Loving You Forever.”

The group also paid tribute to Michael Jackson with an audience sing-a-long of “I’ll Be There.”

“Hangin’ Tough” ended the show on a rowdy note.

McIntyre, Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg were clearly the vocal leaders, with McIntrye and Knight sharing the bulk of the lead vocals. Danny Wood had a brief vocal –– as well as breakdancing –– solo, and Jonathan Knight often looked like he’d rather be scrubbing a toilet than being on stage. As a result, it was easy to forget he was even there.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good the “kids” still sounded. On some songs, it was difficult to tell if they were lip synching or not, especially when the venue’s big screens showed graphics instead of them singing. I’m not sure if crowd members, many of whom were decked out in buttons, T-shirts and neon leggings, cared either way.

America’s Best Dance Crew’s Jabbawockeez and pop singer Jesse McCartney held their own as the show’s opening acts.

by Laura Kruty