The 1990s came back to glorious neon life as New Kids On The Block continue to be kids for one more magic summer.
On Sunday, July 28, 1990, the New Kids On The Block brought their Magic Summer Tour to Raleigh, NC. Actually, that’s incorrect. It was the year 2024 but it surely felt like 1990 with a sea of fans in neon clothing, big hair, and crazy sunglasses taken out of the “college stuff” box hidden in the back of the closet. Everything about the venue, the stage, the audience, and even the venue workers unapologetically brought the 1990s back to life in glorious excess. Gen X reliving their teenage years filled Coastal Credit Union Music Park with color, excitement, and an incredible sense of let’s just have fun tonight.
DJ Jazzy Jeff opened the show with his special knack for weaving classic 1980s and 1990s radio hits with his DJ skills. Cool and reserved on stage, DJ Jazzy Jeff’s music was upbeat and hot and brought everyone to their feet to dance their way through his set.
Many fans in attendance were as equally as excited to see Paula Abdul as they were New Kids On The Block. Provided only a brief 30 minutes to perform, Paula Abdul raced through outfits, dance classes, and a dizzying number of radio hits that were sung equally as loud by the audience as from the stage. Paula Abdul canceled her appearance just a few days earlier due to sickness. If that had not publicized, it would have been impossible to know Paula Abdul might still be recovering.Paula Abdul and her talented dancers delivered a highly choreographed, high-energy performance that allowed for Paula Abdul to show she is still a smooth and sexy dancer worthy of respect and admiration. Montages of video clips and photographs provided necessary breaks in between hits such as “Cold Hearted Snake” and “The Way That You Love Me” for Paula Abdul to catch her breath. Paula Abdul expressed at the start of her show that she had far too much music and dancing to fit into 30 minutes, so several songs were shortened or turned into medleys. That decision disappointed many fans who were ready to sing the next verse but couldn’t, but this small criticism did nothing to diminish the excitement fans expressed from start to finish of Paula Abdul’s set.
New Kids On The Block released a brand new album, Still Kids, in May. Songs from this album including “Magic” and “Summer Love” were interspersed throughout the setlist, but clearly, fans came to hear the old songs that turned New Kids On The Block into a legendary 1990s band. To open the show, brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood spread across the width of the stage and remained motionless under colorful spotlights. The band knew their presence in the room was equally as important as their songs. They knew they were heartthrobs for many in attendance and to be in the same room, reliving youthful memories, that brought just as much joy as singing along to the music. From the very start until the end of the show, every member of the band interacted directly and freely with fans throughout the venue and kept the screams of joy and excitement loud and piercing all night long.For two hours, New Kids On The Block performed fan-favorite songs such as “Hangin’ Tough,” “I Believe In You,” and “You Got It (The Right Stuff.)” The stage was a page from Teen Beat Magazine come to life; a constant kaleidoscope of neon colors, close-up video shots of Donnie or Jordan singing with their shirts off, and flanking both sides of the stage were fans who bought a Magic Ticket to dance, sing, and scream throughout the show as close to the band as possible. Repeatedly fans were brought up onto stage to be serenaded as they held hands and locked eyes for a few moments. In one situation when DJ Jazzy Jeff joined the band on stage, a fan rapped a perfect rendition of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s mega-hit “Summertime.” The band clearly enjoyed the interaction with fans, it wasn’t a gimmick to relive their boy band superstardom. Every interaction appeared totally genuine and seemed to bring the band as much joy as the fans they delighted.
Five men in their 50s, thrusting their hips and shaking their asses like they did when they were 20 could easily become an embarrassing train wreck of a performance if they took themselves too seriously. Jordan Knight’s voice was still seriously good, all five men were still seriously excited to be on stage, but no one was trying to pass themselves off as their twenty-something self. As Donnie Wahlberg said, the Magic Summer Tour is a celebration of the 1990s, an era in which we were all kids. This tour is a reason for everyone to still be a kid and pretend it’s still 1990 for a little while. The Magic Summer Tour reconnects band members and fans through music, emotion, dress, and touch because, after all, we were all kids reliving our youth for a few hours.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
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PAULA ABDUL
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