98 Degrees
Date: December 5, 2025
Location: Lynn Auditorium, Lynn, MA
After seven years, 98 Degrees finally returned to Massachusetts. The last time they were in Massachusetts was in December 2018. I previously saw 98 Degrees at Foxwoods last year. This concert is actually my third time seeing the guys this year. And my fourth time seeing Drew. I saw his and his wife, Lea’s company’s show, Label-less in NYC in March. In May, I attended their “Full Circle” album signing in NYC. I also saw 98 Degrees in Los Angeles when they appeared at an event hosted by the Wish Radio Station.
Lynn was the final stop of their mini US tour. The sold-out show took place at Lynn Auditorium. I thought the location is unusual because the building is also part of Lynn’s City Hall. Despite that, the acoustics are still excellent. My friends and I luckily managed to snag front row seats.
VIP
On top of the ticket, I added the Ultimate VIP to my itinerary. For 98 Degrees, I always opt for a VIP tier. The VIP is totally worth the money because you not only get a photo opportunity but you get to spend more time with the guys. Ultimate VIP included soundcheck, Q&A, a photo opportunity, and Champagne toast with the band in their dressing room. The next VIP tier below includes soundcheck, Q&A and photo opportunity. The lowest VIP tier only includes a photo opportunity.
After arriving at the venue early, the VIP team led me and the other fans to inside the auditorium. 98 Degrees later appeared onstage and performed soundcheck to two of their songs: “Got U” and “Invisible Man”. After soundcheck, the guys answered fans' questions.
Then, the fans lined up to take a photo with the guys. I wanted to be unique and do a “team huddle” photo versus the normal “put arms around shoulders” photo. Fortunately, the guys were open to do the pose. Dre, their security guard, took my phone and took the pictures. Which I much rather prefer over a professional photographer.
After photographs, the Ultimate VIP fans group joined them in a very small dressing room for champagne. Drew popped open the bottles. The room was definitely crowded because more fans came to Ultimate than they did at Foxwoods.
There was not as much time to chat with them. But I was still able to spend time with Drew, Justin, Jeff and Nick. And take selfies. Well I took selfies with Drew and Nick because they are the best selfie takers. I had Justin take the picture of me and Jeff and vice versa.
Another reason I do VIP with 98 Degrees is they always remember the fans that come back. And show their appreciation for the returning fans! The guys definitely recognized me. Jeff even started singing “Come On Eileen” at me. He and BBMAK and Chris Kirkpatrick are the very few people who can sing that song to me.
The Show
The concert started after 8 pm with no opener. 98 Degrees opened the show with their upbeat song, “Can’t Get Enough” from 2.0 album. The song not only energized the crowd, but Jeff also showed off his high falsetto. To keep the momentum going and wanting to leave their fans on a high note, 98 Degrees closed the show with their famous up-tempo song, “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)”.
The setlist included “My Everything” “Heat It Up”, “Invisible Man”, “Because of You” and “Fly With Me”. They performed a medley of songs that celebrate the MTV/TRL era including Britney’s “Baby One More Time”, NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and BSB’s “Larger Than Live”. 98 Degrees also performed a medley of Divas songs including Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, Adele’s “Rollin In The Deep” and Destiny’s Child “Say My Name”. In addition, they performed their number one single with Mariah Carey and Joe, “Thank God I Found You”. Jeff’s voice truly shines when singing Joe’s vocal parts.
Since it was December, 98 Degrees also sang “This Gift” from their first Christmas album, “This Christmas”. The song definitely got the fans into the holiday spirit. I wished 98 Degrees sang more of their Christmas songs like “Season of Love” and “Christmas Wish”. I also wished they added more songs from the “Full Circle “ album like “Tremble” and “Mona Lisa Smile” to their setlist. Furthermore, their setlist should include songs from 2.0 like “Impossible Things”, “Lonely” and “Microphone”. Jeff did mention they plan to change up their show’s setlist for 2026.
I am glad that 98 Degrees did perform “Got U” from Full Circle. It’s one of my favorite new ballads from them. The song’s lyrics touch the heart and hit the soul. Nick and Jeff’s voices deliver a lot of emotion during this beautiful song.
Throughout the show, I can tell that the brotherhood and friendship still remains strong amongst Justin, Jeff, Drew and Nick. Especially after 30 years as a band. The guys still banter and joke with each other onstage. They all acknowledge their individual roles in the group. I also noticed that Justin has become more confident onstage. He is definitely talking more in between songs. Usually, Justin stays quiet and lets the other three guys speak.
My favorite part was definitely the acoustics session where the guys slow the show down and sit on barstools. They turn off the background music and Drew plays the guitar. I love this section because the show becomes more personal and intimate. The connection between 98 Degrees and the audience becomes closer. Nick’s tenor voice definitely stands out during “She Knew” and “Still” and “True To Your Heart”. Of course, his voice is significantly spotlighted on their wedding hit song, “I Do (Cherish You)”.
Before closing the show with “Una Noche”, 98 Degrees sang their classic hit song, “The Hardest Thing”. Nick’s tenor vocals again shines. The song actually makes me sad, not so much the sorrowful lyrics, but it signals that the show is almost over. I wanted the show to keep going!
