LAS VEGAS — Whereas New Kids on the Block would possibly look like an ideal match for Las Vegas, the veteran boy band had one way or the other by no means discovered themselves with a Sin Metropolis residency — till Friday night time (June 20).
The Proper Stuff residency kicked off night time 1 at Dolby Stay at Park MGM, with NKOTB gracing a stage beforehand headlined by Usher, Bruno Mars, Girl Gaga, Mariah Carey and extra superstars. However when the Boston boys had been getting began 40 years in the past, that they had a special notion of Vegas than the leisure vacation spot it’s turn out to be.
“Whenever you’re younger, you suppose you’re actually cool,” Jordan Knight informed Billboard on Friday forward of the residency kick-off. “And if any individual stated, ‘You guys are going to be doing Vegas in your 50s,’ my thought most likely again then can be like, ‘Oh no, no. That’s so corny. … That’s the place acts simply retire.’ However us doing this proper now, I really feel like we’re being true to ourselves, actually. I don’t suppose we’re promoting out to commercialism or Vegas or no matter it might be. I feel we’re simply being actually true to ourselves. Sure, now we have some bells and whistles, however I feel we’re simply utilizing it actually tastefully.”
There have been positively bells and whistles — just like the high-flying second that noticed all 5 members hoisted up among the many rafters in particular person phone cubicles to get as shut as doable to each fan within the 5,000-capacity venue — however at its core, this was the New Youngsters present that their Blockhead superfans have come to anticipate. That’s, the once-teenybopper pop stars (now ranging in age from 52 to 56) left each drop of power, enthusiasm and love that they had on the stage to placed on a enjoyable, escapist present of their new dwelling of Vegas, with dates by way of February. That included the megahits, in fact — “Step by Step,” “Hangin’ Powerful” and the residency’s namesake “You Received It (The Proper Stuff)” — however it additionally included gems from each one of many band’s seven non-Christmas studio albums, all the way in which again to their 1986 self-titled debut.
For his half, Jonathan Knight is discovering that he’s in a position to take pleasure in issues at this stage of the band’s profession greater than these chaotic early days. “Once we began, we had been simply children,” Jonathan informed Billboard simply earlier than the present. “I feel after we look again at that, no person prepares you for this. I imply, I might by no means suppose at 56 years outdated, I might be in Vegas, after I was 20. Simply having the ability to, for me personally, simply being right here, being within the second, I imply again then, it was simply such a blur.”
To maintain Friday night time’s present from changing into a blur, Billboard has rounded up the 5 finest moments from New Youngsters’ nonstop enjoyable opening night time.
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Utilizing Each Inch of the Stage — And Past
Between the large major stage that opened with a life-size duplicate of a Boston prepare atop a grand staircase and a shortcut by way of the pit of followers to a catwalk lined with barstools of concertgoers, there was a whole lot of floor to cowl for the New Youngsters — they usually made positive to make use of each sq. inch. There was additionally a Jamiroquai-evoking conveyor belt on the center of the staircase that made for some eye-popping choreography and even a functioning convertible that drove the quintet out for “Youngsters.” Every member by no means stopped transferring all through the present to verify they had been reaching all angles of the venue, together with once they all made their method into the gang for Hangin’ Powerful‘s “Tonight,” with Joey McIntyre even plopping down in a single fortunate fan’s lap. All these touches made it clear this was a particular live performance.
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Taking to the Skies
Picture Credit score: Billboard Oh yeah, they weren’t at all times contained to the stage or the gang both. The night time’s first aerial second got here when Jordan Knight carried out his Billboard Sizzling 100 high 10 solo hit “Give It to You” and, impressed by the music’s carnival-themed music video, he buckled himself right into a Ferris wheel gondola that floated excessive throughout the stage. All the fellows obtained in on the motion for “The Whisper,” from 2013’s 10 album, they every stepped into particular person telephone-booth-like pods and had been lifted above the gang. At first, it seemed like they had been solely going to make it above the 100 and 200 sections — however then they stored elevating till they had been eye to eye with the ecstatic followers within the balcony.
The precarious nature of the flying pods was not misplaced on the fellows, as all of them embraced as soon as they had been again on the stage and signed, “We made it!”
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A Quickie Vegas Marriage ceremony for the Followers
When the instrumental of Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” began enjoying and the phrases “NKOTB Chapel” flashed on the large display screen, Donnie Wahlberg requested the gang who amongst them thought they could marry a member of New Youngsters on the Block in the future. After a string of screams, the display screen shared social media posts from the numerous followers who had been beneath the impression they’d be Mrs. McIntyre, Knight, Wooden or Wahlberg sometime. (Although Wahlberg identified that his spouse Jenny McCarthy was not among the many posts: “She thought she would marry one of many Mötley Crüe,” he laughed.) So the boy band did the following neatest thing and married all their followers without delay on Friday night time.
“Do you, New Youngsters, take these Blockheads to be your endlessly followers, as long as we each shall reside?” Wahlberg requested his bandmates, to which all of them responded: “I do.”
“Do you, Blockheads, take these New Youngsters to be your endlessly boy band, forsaking all different boy bands — which means *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, O-City, One Path, all of them — as long as we each shall reside?” Wahlberg cheekily requested the screaming crowd, who apparently had no bother abandoning all these different teams to decide to New Youngsters on the Block as soon as and for all.
Along with the quickie wedding ceremony, another Vegas-specific touches included the boys’ Rat Pack-inspired second act, with coordinated fits and a basic New Youngsters on the Block on line casino signal, plus a mash-up of Britney Spears’ “Poisonous” with Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” throughout their notorious fast change backstage digital camera section.
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Donnie Will get Choked Up Thanking Followers
Talking of these followers, they had been entrance and heart fairly a number of instances all through the live performance. (As McIntyre informed us forward of the present: “We’re gonna care for our excessive rollers, you already know what I’m saying? We gotta care for our die-hards first.”) And nowhere was that love clearer than when Wahlberg obtained choked up reflecting on the 4 a long time this fandom has caught by their sides. “It’s been forty years [as a band], 37 since all of us discovered one another on numerous radio stations and MTV,” Wahlberg stated, wiping away tears. “And also you by no means stop to amaze us. Wow. Thanks. We love you. We recognize you, we respect you, and we thanks.”
The followers confirmed that appreciation proper again, particularly once they screamed and applauded for 2 straight minutes after the boys completed “You Received It (The Proper Stuff)” because the unexpectedly early eighth music of an eventual 27-song set.
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40 Extra Years?
Rather a lot was made all through the night time of the boy band’s longevity, and it doesn’t look like they’ve any plans to decelerate quickly.
“We’ve been hanging powerful for 40 years,” Wahlberg stated earlier than the ultimate efficiency of (you guessed it) “Hangin’ Powerful,” the Sizzling 100-topping title monitor from their 1988 breakthrough album. “Can we hold powerful for 40 extra?”
Judging by the opening night time crowd’s enthusiasm, that shouldn’t be an issue.
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‘The Proper Stuff’ Night time 1 Setlist
Twisted
Block Social gathering
Single
My Favourite Woman
Summertime
Cowl Woman
Magic
You Received It (The Proper Stuff)
Remix (I Like The)
Click on Click on Click on
Full Service
The Boys within the Band (Boy Band Anthem)
By no means Let You Go
Soiled Dancing
Didn’t I (Blow Your Thoughts)
Valentine Woman
If You Go Away
Please Don’t Go Woman
Video games
Pop
Give It to You (Jordan Knight solo)
Tonight
The Whisper
I’ll Be Loving You (Ceaselessly)
Step by Step
Youngsters
Hangin’ Powerful -
‘The Proper Stuff’ Residency Dates
2025 Performances
June 20, 21, 25, 27, 28
July 2, 3, 5
November 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 152026 Performances
February 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27, & 28
