NKOTBSB Review: Concert Time Machine

By Jenna Dorsi on June 14, 2011

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Last Sunday night, I almost died. I almost geeked-out into oblivion. That’s because last Sunday night, I saw New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys perform live at the Izod Arena in New Jersey! The NKOTBSB supergroup first debuted at the American Music Awards, and announced the combined tour last fall, which began May 25 in Illinois. It also had to be one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen, and a teenybopper dream come true.

I grew up loving both these boy bands, one of millions of fans. I’ve never seen a concert that celebrated their fans more than NKOTBSB. They interacted with the crowds in some way the entire night, played all the old favorites, and did all the little dance moves that made girls swoon in the first place. NKOTBSB opened the show performing together, then each group would alternate performing their own hits, sometimes after just one song, or several, until they all joined together again at the end. This was a great way to do it, especially for someone who only liked one of the bands. I definitely am not one of those people, but this was my first time getting to see New Kids perform live, so it was neat to get to see them separate from their super supergroup.

The stage was perfectly designed for maximum fan appreciation. In addition to the front main stage, which had mini balconies on either end of it for the guys to get closer to the audience, there was a long runway down the front that went through the crowds on the floor. On either end of the runway was a circular platform that sometimes raised the guys high in the air. This layout ensured every seat was a good one. They utilized the entire stage the whole night and always had a special wink, smile, or wave for a lucky fan—during and in between songs.

NKOTBSB didn’t just personally interact with the fans on the floor nearest the stage either. Each group spent a song (“Tonight,” “Shape of My Heart”) going out into the crowds, even the balconies. They sang to fans through the whole arena, and shook hands. There was no chance of keeping my cool when dreamy Joey McIntyre came up to me and took my hand, and after a while I reluctantly let go, and got a nice, gorgeous smile. SWOON. Every fan felt special, and it was great to be included. Although, I’m sure there was a lot of envy going around when each Backstreet Boy plucked an uber-lucky fan from the audience to serenade on stage during “I’ll Never Break Your Heart.”

The guys were also very mindful that they had fans there spanning a few or more decades, and to keep things fresh, there were tons of mashups. Not only were there combined New Kids and Backstreet songs, but there were various songs set over or featuring Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida,” Prince’s “Raspberry Beret,” Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” Dropkick Murphy’s “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” and Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

Especially with the ‘90s sound of New Kids and Backstreet songs, it often felt like you were in a time machine. I especially felt like I was rocking out to MTV (when they played things called “music videos”) in my baggy jeans when surprise guests Naughty by Nature came out and performed their old school hits “OPP” and “Hip Hop Hooray” with the guys. While this show is totally for the fans, it’s not just for them. I know when I was there it wasn’t just women enjoying the performance, but plenty of their boyfriends as well. It’s because this concert is for anyone who just likes a good show… or misses the ‘90s.

Everything about the concert is designed to make the crowd go wild and it worked, if the deafening crowds…and my sore throat and buzzing ears the next day were any indication. This was especially apparent with a “Boyband Off” between each group, as they came towards the center of the stage to face off, while performing an encore of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) and “Hangin’ Tough,” as were all their disappearing shirts, and crotch grabs. However, this last bit would probably be my only criticism of the night. If any other grown men grabbed, thrusted, and rubbed their crotches at women like that, they would have been arrested. It just got a little excessive there for a while, and since the show was already so great, they didn’t need it to get squeals.

Just saying their names sent everyone into a tizzy. Towards the end of the night, all nine guys gathered on stage to say thanks to the fans and give introductions—as if we didn’t know! The cute mini-event saw a New Kid and Backstreet Boy pair off to praise their “big brother mentors.” It was extra fangirl-tastic because they seemed to pair up according to their boyband archetype, with “Bad Boys” Donnie and A.J. leading the pack, as well Danny and Howie, Joey and Brian, and the Knight brothers with Nick.

For those of you interested in the opening acts, first up was newcomer Ashlyne Huff, who I’ve never heard of before. She made a noble effort, but it was hard since no one was familiar with her music. The only highlight of her set were her talented background dancers, who briefly reenacted dance routines made famous by Janet Jackson, Madonna, and “Baby One More Time”-era Britney Spears—which also appealed to the different age groups in the audience. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks also performed her few hits, and new single “I Am Woman.” She was cute, but the performance was bland. In my opinion, she made for a better TV personality than live entertainer.

NKOTBSB was a fun night, and although a tagline from the tour is “One Night. One Stage. Once in a lifetime,” I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll be seeing the NKOTBSB tour come around. This is the kind of show any fan of New Kids or Backstreet or both will just go crazy for, just like me. NKOTBSB was epic and definitely worth it. If you’d like to see about purchasing tickets, visit their official site here.

Complete Set List:

“Single” / “The One” (Mash-up) – NKOTBSB
“Summertime” – NKOTB
“The Call” – BSB
“Dirty Dancing” – NKOTB
“Bye Bye Love” – BSB
“The Right Stuff” – NKOTB
“Larger Than Life” – NKOTBSB
“Blow Your Mind” – NKOTB
“Valentine Girl” – NKOTB
“If You Go Away” – NKOTB
“Please Don’t Go Girl” – NKOTB
“Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” – BSB
“10,000 Promises” – BSB
“I’ll Never Break Your Heart” – BSB
“Inconsolable” – BSB
“Drowning” – BSB
“Incomplete” – BSB
“Step By Step” – NKOTB
“Cover Girl” – NKOTB
“My Favorite Girl” – NKOTB
“Games” – NKOTB
“Click Click Click” – NKOTB
“Tonight” – NKOTB
“Shape of My Heart” – BSB
“As Long As You Love Me” – BSB
“All I Have To Give” – BSB
“If You Stay” – BSB
“Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” –BSB
“I’ll Be Loving You Forever” – NKOTB
“I Want It That Way” – BSB
“Don’t Turn Out the Lights” – NKOTBSB
Encore:
“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” – BSB
“Hangin’ Tough / We Will Rock You” (Mash-up) – NKOTB
“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) / Hangin’ Tough” (Mash-up) - NKOTBSB