All good things must come to an end, and so New Kids on the Block are gearing up to wind-down their The Right Stuff residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. More than a year after kicking off the stay-put on June 20, 2025, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight,Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood will take the stage again on Friday (Oct. 2) for the last eight performances, wrapping it all up on Oct. 17.
And, as you can imagine, they have a lot of feelings about it.
“I think every New Kids experience can be very emotional,” member Donnie Wahlberg told The Hollywood Reporter. “I do think the last run of shows is going to be super emotional. Knowing our fans and what they bring every night into the building, and knowing the guys, It’s not the end of anything, but it’s the closing of a chapter. And I think it was a very meaningful chapter in the book of our shared New Kids and Blockheads experience.”
Wahlberg predicted a “lot of tissues and tears” celebrating the show that THR said rained down more than four million pieces of confetti on Blockheads, while employing 7,000 rhinestones, 80,000 streamers, 1,000 stage lights, four giant disco balls, one 1971 Buick Le Sabre convertible and “40 unforgettable evenings with NKOTB.”
The 57-year-old singer and Boston Blue star said he will remember a lot of things about the run, but one of his most cherished memories is the time he spent with his bandmates right before they go on stage. “Being in the same place every night, in the same hallway, we gather every night in the same hallway with our team and the dancers and friends and family, and we all have a moment and have a little circle,” he said, noting that the consistency of that feeling and looking around at each other to recognize how far they’ve come over the past four decades every night was priceless. “We’re still healthy, we’re still having fun, we still love performing for our fans, we still are blessed with the greatest fans ever, and it’s a very overwhelming experience,” said Wahlberg.
Earlier this year, Billboard reported that the boy band was completely revamping their show for the final 16 residency shows, launching “The Right Stuff Remixed,” with all-new song selections, “enhanced fan experiences” and special surprises. And now, Wahlberg teased, they have an even more special surprise in store for the final push, though he was coy about letting the cat (or reindeer) out of the bag.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but we never tour in the winter,” he said. “So there’s an album that we never get to perform because it’s a winter album, and we’re going to try to get some of that into the show. And I’m working on some stuff there and a couple more songs and a few little surprises. It’s going to be super emotional for us.” While he didn’t get specific, Wahlberg seemed to be suggesting that Blockheads can expect to hear some songs from the group’s 1989 Merry, Merry Christmas album, which featured the original single “This One’s for the Children,” as well as classics “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” “The Little Drummer Boy” and the Wahlberg-penned “Funky, Funky Xmas.”
NKOTB have been back in peak form since reuniting in 2008 after a 14-year hiatus. In 2024, they released their first album in more than a decade, Still Kids, which reached No. 56 on the Billboard 200.
Wahlberg said as much as the guys love the stability of Las Vegas, they know not every Blockhead can make it out there, so he’s pretty sure they’ll hit the road again. “I would love to tour the world one more time, at least. We are a touring act,” he said. “We’re grateful that people want to show up and see us in arenas all around the country and hopefully the world.”
from Billboard https://ift.tt/k5AY8IG
