NKOTB Announces Summer Shows

How popular is the New Kids On The Block reunion tour? It’s soooo popular the group has put together a new show for the summer leg, scheduled to launch on May 28 in Atlanta at Lakewood Amphitheatre.

Photo: AP Photo / Canadian Press
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario.

Surprised? You’re not the only one. When rumors of a NKOTB reunion tour first surfaced last year, more than a few concert industry professionals shook their heads in disbelief, claiming members of the boy band that sold out every arena in existence during the early 1990s were way past their prime.

Now the joke is on those who refused to recognize the drawing power of New Kids. Just about anybody who saw them back in the day wants a second chance at reliving those teenage years. Furthermore, venue operators are quickly learning that all those teens from NKOTB’s heyday are now adults, as in legal, alcohol-imbibing adults. Can you say, “bar profits?”

The tour includes just about every major amphitheatre known to man, although we suspect the boys would personally build a few more sheds if it meant more shows on the schedule.

After the May 28 opener in Atlanta, dates for the “Full Service” tour include May 29 in Birmingham, Ala., at Verizon; May 30 in Tampa at Ford Amphitheatre; June 2 in Charlotte, N.C., at Verizon; June 7 outside D.C. in Bristow Va., at Verizon; and Pittsburgh at Post-Gazette Pavilion on June 11.

Other stops include W. Palm Beach, Fla., Raleigh, N.C., Virginia Beach, Va., Camden, N.J., Scranton, Penn., Boston, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas before rolling into Houston for the last day on the schedule – June 18 at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

The boys promise several surprises on the summer run, including chances to participate in shows and opportunities to sign up to receive prizes onstage.

Photo: AP Photo
NBC’s "Today" show, Rockefeller Plaza, New York City.

Tickets go on sale in select markets starting Friday, April 3. NKOTB has teamed up with I Love All Access for special fan packages. It’s a Live Nation tour, so you probably should start at the company’s Web site for more information.

Said New Kid Donnie Wahlberg:

“We have put everything we have into the making of this summer tour. We have strategized and we are on a mission to THANK OUR FANS IN A BIG WAY! This tour is going to be a party like no other! Wet, hot, wild, fun! We owe it to our fans.”

Visit Live Nation’s Web site by clicking here.

Visit I Love All Access by clicking here.