NKOTB owned the night at Mohegan Sun on Tuesday, the first of three shows at the Connecticut casino
New Kids On The Block UNCASVILLE _ New Kids on the Block (a.k.a. NKOTB) emptied its bag of arena concert tricks in the first 10 minutes of a nearly two hour performance at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday night. It was the first of three nights at the casino for the once and again popular boy band from the late 80s and early 90s.
Before the first shrieks of a re-invigorated fan base had even begun to fade, the NKOTB crew had worked overtime to deliver streamers, confetti, balls of fire, rotating stages, smoke (no mirrors), and giant white beach balls floating around the hall.
While the frills and shrills are all staples in arena concerts, especially ones that emphasize “act” over artistry, an interesting thing occurred the longer the five members of New Kids stayed on the stage. The “show” devolved (evolved?) from arena bombast to acoustic sing-along, with the group getting more stripped down and organic as the night went on (and on).
The set opened with “We Own the Night,” as Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Danny Wood, and Joey McIntyre made their way from a standard stage at one end of the building to an “in-the-round” set up at the other end.
That second stage became a rising, rotating contraption bounded on each side by smoke machines and individual rising platforms for the five stars.
Wahlberg rapped through “Block Party” before Jordan Knight’s slick falsetto took over for “Summertime” (cue the beach balls). The group then rewarded the faithful with the 1988 hit “You Got It (The Right Stuff).”
At the point they began to run out of gadgets, the NKTOB performance began to gel into something more than pomp and circumstance. The ballad “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind)” was subtly accompanied by fedoras and soft shoe dance steps as was the ballad “If You Go Away.”
The singers performed with a live band and brought the musicians to the center stage for acoustic renditions of “Single,” “Tender Love,” and “Click Click Click.”
Sticking with the acoustic vibe, the group showed an appreciation for the era in which they were spawned, with two tried and true covers of George Michael’s “Faith” (Joey McIntyre) and Jordan Knight’s rendition of Prince’s “Kiss.”
The band plugged back in and the group went retro with “Step by Step” and Donnie Wahlberg’s crowd favorite “Cover Girl.” Wood took center stage for some old school break dancing before the members dispersed into the crowd for an up-close-and-personal take on “Tonight.”
The encore was memorable, with the performers donning Bruins jerseys, all with the 617 area code on the back and “Boston Strong” nameplates as they sang “Hangin’ Tough.”
The night included well-received opening sets from era-sharing boy bands 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men.