Joey McIntyre at Cape Cod
Date: Friday, August 4, 2023
Location: Hyannis, MA
Last August, Joey McIntyre returned to his home state of Massachusetts to Hyannis, Cape Cod. Hyannis was the last stop of Joey’s Solo Joe Summer Tour on the mainland USA leg before he headed off to Hawaii.
Since NKOTB announced they were not touring this year and only performing a small number of shows, I wanted to catch Joey’s live solo show.
Traveling and Staying in Cape Cod
Originally I planned to spend two nights in Hyannis. But, Cape Cod in the summertime gets significantly expensive. Instead, I decided to spend one night at Hyannis since it’s 1.5 hours away from Boston. I purposefully left early that Friday morning to avoid the infamous Cape Cod summer traffic.
I ended up staying at Seacoast Inn, one of the cheaper options and closer to Hyannis town. However, the walk from the hotel to Melody Tent was almost 30 minutes. While the walk was nice and calm in the late afternoon/early evening, the walk felt longer and exhausting going back to the hotel post concert. I had no cell phone service so I wasn’t able to call an uber. Fortunately Hyannis nightlife was still happening with other people walking around and eating at the outdoor restaurants at around 10 pm. Also, I was walking out with other fans so I felt safe. I should have taken my own concert tips, though, and stayed in a hotel closer to the venue.
Melody Tent
When I arrived at Melody Tent, the line outside the doors was long and filled with Blockheads to see Joey. The show definitely sold out! It was also cool to meet up with Blockheads from Facebook and Instagram.
Melody Tent is an actual tent resembling a Circus Top. The venue is definitely smaller than TD Garden and Crypto Stadium. But the tent provided a more intimate setting with excellent acoustics.
The main stage is a circle in the middle of the venue with surrounding seats. During the show, the stage rotates so each audience member gets an almost equal viewing of Joey’s front and back.
Solo Joe Highlights
The show started a little after 8 pm without an opening act. Joey McIntyre ignited the show with a mashup of Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk” and NKOTB’s “Tonight”. He wore a sparkly red suit with matching glasses. No shirt I might add. He was accompanied onstage by fellow singer Sean Thomas on guitar.
His setlist contained a mixture of NKOTB songs, his solo albums, Broadway, George Michael and Frank Sinatra songs. The setlist included “Where Do I Go From Here”, “Here We Go Again” , “Father Figure” and “Supergirl”.
The major highlighted performance for me was definitely “I Love You Came Too Late”. The song is one of my favorites from Joey’s debut solo album, “Stay The Same”. “I Love You Came Too Late” just brings nostalgia and happiness despite the song being about heartbreak. I remember watching the music video constantly on TRL back when MTV played music videos. I was so excited to finally see Joey sing the song live.
My other favorite performance was “All The Way”. Joey sitting on a stool, slowing the show down with the spotlight on him and just showing his vocal range made the performance so pure. I also enjoyed his rendition of Lonestar’s “Amazed By You”, a song he dedicated to his wife Barrett.
His rendition of the classic Eagles song, “Desperado” really tore my heart strings. Joey played and sang “Desperado” on the piano. The performance was incredibly beautiful and emotional.
Guest Stars
While he is a fantastic solo performer, Joey ensures to make room for guest performances.
Bill Burr
Bill Burr was not someone I expected to see at a Joey show. However, his comedic stand up was a hilarious fill in between Joey’s costume changes. He mostly joked about Bostonians, massholes and elite society, giving the audience a good laugh.
Carol Gallagher (Joey’s Sister)
Joey’s sister, Carol later joined him onstage and they sang “I’d Do Anything For You” from the Oliver! Musical. The performance was sweet and special. Singing definitely runs in the McIntyre family. Carol has a beautiful voice and complements Joe’s well. It was like watching a family singing in their living room.
Griffin McIntyre (Joey’s son)
Joey also brought his son, Griffin to the stage. Griffin, honestly, is a talented star in his own right. And clearly knows his music. He performed a lovely rendition of KC and Jojo’s “All My Life” on the piano. Griffin also sang Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” , playing the guitar with the blockheads cheering him on from the crowd.
Father and son later sang a duet of Joey’s first solo single “Stay The Same” with Griff on the piano. The duet made the show extra special. I could definitely feel the bondage and love between them.
Donnie Wahlberg
Of course the biggest and most pleasant surprise guest appearance was fellow New Kids member, Donnie Wahlberg. The entire crowd (including myself) went absolutely wild when Donnie entered the Melody Tent. Joey and Donnie erupted the stage singing New Kids songs “The Remix (I Like The)” and “The Right Stuff”.
My favorite performance of the night, though, was their slowed down version of “Cover Girl”. Normally when Donnie and Joey sing this song with the other guys, it’s a big upbeat dance production. So it was nice to hear “Cover Girl” in a ballad format. The atmosphere was filled with so much love. I could definitely hear and feel Donnie and Joey’s passion in their performance. I forgot how soulful and vulnerable Donnie’s voice is when he’s usually rapping or singing the fast tracks.
The long friendship and bromance between Joey and Donnie aka Mac and Cheese was also evident on stage. While Donnie usually is the leader during NKOTB concerts, he willingly stepped back and supported Joey’s lead this time.
Encore
Joey closed the show appropriately with “Please Don’t Go Girl”. Though I’ve seen Joey perform the New Kids’ first hit multiple times, the song always touches my heart. With the fans singing along, Joey consistently puts his heart and soul into “Please Don’t Go Girl”. He takes us on a journey as he sways on stage. He effortlessly hits those high notes and engages the audience.
Overall, Joey McIntyre is a true showman and entertainer whether he is a solo artist or with the New Kids. He carries such charisma and energizes the crowd. He knows how to balance the show with uptempo songs and ballads. I truly enjoyed the entire show and didn’t want the show to end. Joey could just sit there and keep singing.
If you are a Joey McIntyre/New Kids fan, I highly recommend checking out Joey’s solo shows whenever he is in a town near you.
