New Kids On The Block
Saturday, OCtober 4, 2008
Allstate Arena/Rosemont, IL.

Review and Photo By Andy Argyrakis

Long before Justin Timberlake went solo from 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys whittled down to a foursome, Boston's New Kids on the Block were the sole stars on the boy band scene and the subject of every screaming girl's fantasy. Though the group comprised of Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood took fourteen years off from recording and touring together, they've jumped right back into the teen pop craze's epicenter, selling just as many tickets as today's chart toppers Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Granted, the group's audience is now comprised of twenty and even thirty-somethings hoping to relive junior high, though members aren't just coasting on nostalgia during this reunion trip. The brand new The Block (Interscope) is loaded padded with plenty of relevant guest stars (Ne-Yo, Lady GaGa, The Pussycat Dolls and Akon), while pop radio has been fairly kind to the project's lead single "Summertime." The current cut "Single" kicked off the concert as a soulful dance club grinder, that had one closed their eyes, could've been fooled into believing it was Ne-Yo or Eric Benet.

But as old school staples "My Favorite Girl" and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" set in, it was apparent yesterday would overpower today when it came to audience reaction, even if the guys' fairly well preserved harmonies were practically identical in both eras. However, the group's subject matter has certainly changed with age, graduating from the innocent crush of "Please Don't Go Girl" to the sexually charged "Grown Man," "Dirty Dancing" and "Twisted." Though these tracks came off as cheesy attempts to force a rougher image, they were augmented with legitimately mature solo selections, such as Jordan's "Give It To You"
and Joey's "Stay the Same."

Still, the man band was better as a whole, joining forces for the ballad "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" and the neo-soul shuffle of "Click Click Click." Nonetheless, the encore truly brought down the house, unashamedly recalling the retro pop candy "Step By Step" and "Hangin' Tough" (dance steps and all) beefing up the latter with samples of Queen's "We Will Rock You." It was enough to whip the sold out stadium into the time warp they so desperately yearned for, while pointing out to first time attendees the frenzy they missed the first time around.