It seems no one has more fun entertaining than the New Kids on the Block. And of the New Kids, no one seems to have more fun than Donnie Wahlberg.
They could just be great actors, of course. But if they were that great, they would be doing more acting.
The still-rowdy boy band closed its latest run of shows at Dolby Live on Friday night, with a return to the Las Vegas Strip set for Oct. 2. There was scant reference to the Independence Day holiday. Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Danny Wood and Jonathan Knight brought some pyro to the party and made the hearts go boom among their Blockhead fans.
Noteworthy moments included a halt in the music track during “Hangin’ Tough.” This was corrected in about 10 seconds. We’d say it was a halt in the show, too, but not so: The guys kept singing and grooving through the pause. Wahlberg and McIntyre, especially, smiled and seemed to welcome the challenge.
Wahlberg also found time for some conjugal activity. The NKOTB co-founder made it to his wife, Jenny McCarthy, in the VIP section. The two embraced and kissed and everyone got the feels, especially Wahlberg, who loves every moment in the spotlight.
The band had many show-stopping moments — it could be called “ShowStoppers” if that title hadn’t already been trotted out years ago at Wynn Las Vegas (that noble effort ran from December 2014 to September 2016).
As if in freeze frame, guys posed in what McIntyre calls the “Christmas Card” moment, assembled onstage in a victory configuration. This gives fans time to take pics for their Christmas “send” list.
We also witnessed the five members suspended over the crowd in their LED-trimmed, phone booth-style pods for “Shout.” In the revival of “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” the guys summon a 1971 Buick LeSabre convertible, same as the one from the 1988 video.
The quasi-intermission shows the New Kids backstage, mugging, cavorting, changing shirts and (in McIntyre’s case) even shaving.
There is comparatively little production for this segment. But you have to laugh. The five New Kids sure are, and they will be back at it in the fall.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source neon.reviewjournal.com ’
