NKOTB 2008 Reunion Tour
New Kids On The Block Reunion Concert
Concert Date: November 26th, 2008
Location: Nokia Theater (Now Microsoft Theater), Los Angeles, CA
I literally grew up listening to NKOTB since I was a toddler! Yup my cousins and babysitters made me an early blockhead! I used to be Joey girl but now Jon is my favorite. Like every blockhead, I was devastated when they broke up. Obviously, I was too young at the time to know why. But now that I am older, I have a better understanding of their disbandment decision. I am now grateful that NKOTB’s breakup so each guy can take a break, have families and explore other ventures and stay out of the spotlight. During that time, I also needed to grow up and mature so I can appreciate New Kids more. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. That couldn’t be more true for my gratitude for New Kids when they reunited in 2008. Obviously I had to go to their reunion tour! And I was glad that I got to go to the concert with my mom.
The Venue
The date of the reunion tour actually worked out perfectly for me because the Los Angeles concert fell on my Thanksgiving break. Originally, the concert was going to be at Staples (now Crypto) Center. But, because of the basketball game schedule conflict, the concert relocated to Nokia (Now Microsoft) Theater. Looking back, I thought the concert relocation was the best decision NKOTB ever made! The new location was smaller but more intimate and the acoustics were phenomenal. We had to also move seats because they were filming the concert so my mom and I were actually closer to the stage than we would have been at Staples Center. We could see NKOTB in full view.
The Opening Act
This was the tour where Lady Gaga and Natasha Bedingfield were the opening acts. I was actually more excited to see Natasha Bedingfield because I wasn’t familiar with Lady Gaga and loved Natasha’s music.
At the time, Lady Gaga had just released Just Dance. She had not hit pop mainstream yet. When Lady Gaga appeared on stage, she had worn a big spikey head gear that covered part of her face with a white dress and high stiletto boots, what would be signature Gaga fashion in the years to come. I was quite impressed with her talent when Lady Gaga performed; how she can dance, sing and play the piano. She was a great opening act in getting the crowd energized. Though, I kept thinking hmm how far would this woman make it in the music business? Obviously I was very wrong!!
Then Natasha came on the scene and she did not disappoint! She sang most of her songs including “Pocketfull of Sunshine” and “Unwritten” with her lovely voice. She even engaged the audience by having them sing “Pocketfull of Sunshine” to her. I also found Natasha being very humble as an opening act because she had already made a name for herself in the States and NKOTB had just reunited.
The Main Event
New Kids On The Block finally appeared on the scene and they did not disappoint! And the show started and ended on time! (a very rare occurrence for a concert). NKOTB put so much love, energy and dedication to each song. Despite having not performed together in 14 years, the boys sounded amazing when they sang. Their choreography was well crafted in the way they danced around the stage especially when they transitioned between songs. And the way the boys engaged the audience was just so touching.
They performed a mixture of their classic hits and songs from their reunion album, The Block. My favorite performances were definitely the ballads - “I’ll Be Loving You Forever”, “Single”, and their medley of “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind/Valentine Girl”. I also enjoyed “Grown Man” and “The Right Stuff”. The show was non-stop adrenaline.
I also loved the moment when Joey McIntyre sang his solo song, “Stay The Same”. That song actually helped me a lot growing up through tough times. And He just sang the heart out of “Stay The Same”. Jordan also performed his solo hit, “Give It To You” along with “Baby I Believe In You” with his shirt unbuttoned of course.
The concert was just magical. And I loved how the New Kids, especially Donnie and Joey are so down to earth on stage. So many emotions were exposed that night because it had been so long since all five of them had performed together on stage in front of their fans. We also got to sing Happy Birthday to my favorite, Jon since the concert date was close to his birthday. I was especially happy to see Jon enjoy himself more this time round and have fun.
I knew from that moment that this was not my last NKOTB concert!
Takeaway
One lesson I learned from this concert and for future concerts is to NOT take too many photos or videos. My mom even called me out for it! On reflecting back, I was focusing too much on capturing every moment. I need to stop, pause and just be present in the moment. That way, I will remember and enjoy the concert better. And I can always check videos of the past concert, filmed by other fans on YouTube!
