New Kids on the Block turn back the clock at Amway
posted by JimAbbott on Mar 13, 2009 11:56:10 PM
New Kids on the Block aren’t kids anymore, and neither are the fans, but the used-to-be-boy-band turns the clock back with ease on its reunion tour.
When the group launched into vintage material on Friday at Amway Arena, the screaming sounded like it was 1990. It was almost enough to forget that there weren’t enough fans to require opening the upper bowl and that there were empty seats downstairs, too.
That didn’t bother the fans in the house, and it didn’t affect the exuberant approach of the guys on stage. Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jonathan Knight sang and danced their hearts out for a solid two hours.
And you know what? A lot of the old songs are surprisingly sweet pop confections after all these years.
Wisely, the New Kids realize that. There’s a new album to promote, but the group didn’t make the faithful wait for what they wanted.
The first 30 minutes were packed with favorites: "Call It What You Want," "My Favorite Girl," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," "Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," "Please Don’t Go, Girl."
That opening salvo showcased the vocals of McIntyre and Jordan Knight, the latter showing that his falsetto hasn’t deteriorated with age. Wearing dark shades and a suit, he dominated the spotlight in the early going.
Yet the spotlight was shared fairly equally, with each of the members having solo interludes that also served as time-chewing breaks for costume changes — or maybe an oxygen break backstage.
Just kidding!
Most of the choreography was a nice compromise between back-in-the-day and stuff that would make a 30-something guy look silly. Even so, Wood did look a little winded after whirling around on his head in that break-dance routine.
What was genuinely impressive was that the singers didn’t lean on special effects to keep people amused.
The two-tier stage, with one big metal staircase in the middle, was utilitarian. There were no explosions or moving walkways, just a big video screen to provide close-ups of faces and the occasional booty.
At one point, the guys did go to the far end of the arena floor to do a short set on an elevated circular stage. A nice gesture for the cheap seats.
With the exception of the redundant "Twisted," the new material blended well with the oldies. "Grown Man," with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger singing along on the video screen, was a beat-driven highlight.
Wahlberg did most of the talking, even when he was busy collecting all the lingerie being tossed on stage. "Eighteen years ago, it was teddy bears," he said. "Now it’s this?"
Well, everyone’s older.
"It’s nice to see you’ve grown up so nicely," McIntyre told the screaming fans at one point.
By the time the group had finished the closing "Hangin’ Tough," it was evident that the New Kids have matured gracefully, too.
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