New Kids on the Block + Nathasha Bedingfield - Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, WA; Nov. 22, 2008)

I had been looking forward to this concert for a very long time. Not just since last May when New Kids on the Block announced that they would be touring the U.S., but for about twenty years to be exact. Being too young, I missed out on their Seattle concerts back when NKOTB had hit major fan pandemonium (of which NSync and the Jonas Brothers have yet to see the likes, if you can believe it). I was still in elementary school at the time, but I had memorized all their music videos, bought their biographies, read every Big Bopper magazine I could find with them on the cover, and always dreamed that Jonathan would come to my house and whisk me away to the song “Valentine Girl.”

But now, twenty years later, it was finally happening and I was SO excited.

When I reached the (appropriately) outdated Tacoma Dome, I noticed how the minivans were no longer being driven by moms dropping off their young fans, but the moms were the fans. There were the misguided concert-goers barely in their 20s who thought it would be “cute” to dress like they were attending a NKOTB concert circa late 1980s/early 1990s, but they came across a little too stylish in their leg-warmers and big neon earrings. For any true NKOTB fan, we know there was nothing cute about those years and would not be caught dead reliving it. I know I would rather not be seen in actual time period garb: stirrup stretch pants, long t-shirt, overlapping neon socks, and a nice perm job shellacked with gel and held up by a bejeweled scrunchie. No thanks, I’ll pass.

Anyway, back to the show.

Obviously, I had not been paying attention to anyone other than the headliner because when Lady Gaga stepped onstage I was totally surprised, having only been aware that Natasha Bedingfield would open. The little platinum blond retro waif rocked it like the slave to glam pop that she is. She and her backup male dance squad gave it all they got to such hits as “Poker Face” and “Just Dance.” She kept it short, sweet and packed with energy, the kind of opening act that I like and a perfect start to the evening.

Next up was Natasha Bedingfield who looked strikingly similar to Deborah Harry during her “Heart of Glass” days. Now, it is totally understandable if you do not care for her songs because they have the tendency of being overplayed to the point where you want to tear your ears off. But you have to give the woman some props for her amazing vocal cords. Her set was by far the least visually stimulating of the three acts of the night. She had no fireworks or team of dancers but she hit every note with pitch-perfect precision. She belted her hit single “Pocketful of Sunshine,” and despite its irritating repeating lyrics, “Take me away, a sweet escape,” I was so impressed with the beauty of her voice that I almost didn’t notice how many times she sang that one phrase. Almost.

But then what everyone had been waiting for. Though I have an undying devotion to my first music crushes, I was feeling a little apprehensive for the New Kids on the Block’s performance. Earlier in their tour, I had seen a concert broadcast on TV (yes, people I am in THAT deep) and sort of watched in horrified merriment. I was hoping their performance had gotten a little more polished since that time.

The group (for those of you who don’t know or claim not to know) are Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, and Joey McIntyre. They came out in their middle-aged glory to a deafening response. No longer in tattered pants and sporting rat-tails, the boys have now matured into a more fitted metrosexual look, which is so not my type, but YOWZAH my boys looked darn good. I have to admit, I screamed like a little girl. Especially when they moved from the stage to a platform in the middle of the main floor for three songs, and all of a sudden I went from row 29 to row 2.  It was awesome.

Though a bit older, a bit slower, and maybe a tiny bit less confident, the New Kids on the Block can still make me swoon. They twirled, they swiveled their hips, and they mischievously unbuttoned their shirts all to the wild cheers of their adoring fans.

Jordan Knight could still hit some of the unnatural falsetto notes in “I’ll Be Loving You Forever” and Danny could still bust out a breakdancing move or two. It was quite the extravaganza with dancers, pyrotechnics, and big screens that showed clips from their old music videos. With the exception of a couple songs performed from their current album, The Block, the group’s set was mainly made up of their old hits which included, “Step By Step,” “Hangin’ Tough,” and “The Right Stuff.” Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre certainly carried the show vocally, neither having ever left the music industry, and both had a chance to perform their individual solo hits released after the New Kids on the Block had disbanded. All in all a fun, good show.

But as you might’ve noticed, I am not the person that would give an unbiased review of any New Kids on the Block show. I could care less if they missed a note or two or they didn’t move quite as fast as they did 20 years ago or that their songs are just a little silly. Their show was all about nostalgia and I have no trouble making a fool out of myself.
And I am not embarrassed to say that I still wouldn’t mind if Jonathan Knight were to come to my house and whisk me away . . . .

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