Skip to main content

Birmingham Mail: Review: New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys at Birmingham's LG Arena


By Christina Savvas /Apr 28 2012
DURING a recent spring clean I came across a video tape labelled with child’s scrawl; Christina Savvas, aged nine. It was my treasured New Kids on the Block video, so you can imagine the childhood memories which came flooding back when the US band announced they were to join forces with the other huge band of the 90s - Backstreet Boys to form supergroup NKOTBSB - catchy!
As the nine members took to the stage - at Birmingham’s LG Arena - the crowd of mainly females in their 30s, took a trip down memory lane.
Surprisingly the night started with a version of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, before each group performed a series of their own huge hits.
NKOTB – made up of Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Jon Knight and his brother Jordan - my childhood crush - got the crowd going with The Right Stuff, Step by Step and Cover Girl.
Backstreet’s Howie D, AJ Mclean, Nick Carter and Brian Littrell, belted out Quit Playing Games, I’ll Never Break Your Heart and I Want It That Way, to name just a few.
There were some fashion faux pas which you might expect when a group of forty-something men, attempt to rekindle their youth; one or two should have ditched the leather ensembles, and someone should have told Jon not to tuck in the bling T-shirt into his high wasted skinny jeans.
Despite the odd move of uncomfortable ‘dad dancing’ and one or two off notes, no-one in the crowd really cared. Both groups were fantastic and they had obviously been working hard to keep their bodies in shape. They were keen to show off their efforts and the ladies of Birmingham lapped it up.
The night ended in an epic Glee style mash-up. Backstreet’s Back and Hanging Tough in an on-stage battle with the guys dressed in tracksuit tops emblazoned with England and caps, Joey wearing his to the side he always did.
When I spoke to Howie D before the gig, he promised more than two hours of high energy entertainment and they delivered.
For two hours we partied like it was 1999 or 89 for the hardcore NKOTB fans and once again I was a young girl with a very big crush.
SOURCE:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Step by step: The childhood home of the Knight brothers

It's not listed in any tourist guide, but NKOTB fans flock to the house where the Knight brothers grew up By Johnny Diaz Globe Staff / November 15, 2008 When Kari Lusso and her trio of girlfriends flew from Seattle to Boston for the New Kids on the Block concert, they had to make a quick detour. On a rainy Saturday night, the friends drove their rental car to 10 Melville Ave. As they stood in front of the Victorian house, they shrieked and giggled like little girls. The commotion? They were at the former home of the band's brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight. When they rang the bell, they got a quick tour. "It was going from 31 to 13," Lusso said. "We took pictures of their stove. We took pictures of their floor. We took pictures of the banister, the living room, and their bedrooms. What a dream come true to see such an...
Post a Comment
Read more

NKOTB Step By Step 35th Anniversary Reissue!

Blockheads! We're excited to announce a special 35th anniversary edition of STEP BY STEP featuring bonus material, unreleased tracks and remixes! Out June 13th! PRE-ORDER available now in multiple formats including Digital, CD and Vinyl. 🤖♥️ Pre-save and pre-order today.… pic.twitter.com/M9ZBUOglDP — New Kids on the Block (@NKOTB) April 24, 2025   New Kids On The Block | Step By Step 35th Anniversary Web Exclusive Step By Step Picture Disc:   https://nkotb.store/products/web-exclusive-step-by-step-picture-disc Step By Step LP:   https://nkotb.store/products/step-by-step-lp Step By Step CD:  https://nkotb.store/products/step-by-step-cd
Post a Comment
Read more

NKOTB's Joey McIntyre Gives Update on BSB A.J. McLean in Rehab

New Kids on the Block singer Joey McIntyre has been in the music business for over 24 years and has seen some friends battle with addiction in the limelight, including Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean who recently made the decision to enter rehab. "A.J. is a sweet kid, good kid and extremely talented, so we're all there for him," said Joey. AJ admitted himself earlier this month before heading on the huge NKOTB/BSB tour. Young star Aaron Carter is reportedly seeking professional help as well to deal with some unknown "emotional and spiritual issues," and Joey commended Aaron for making that step. "To me it's usually a good thing when someone can take some time and retreat from it all and, you know, just get a little bit more centered," Joey said, encouragingly. Justin Bieber has managed to stay clean in his career thus far and Joey gave some advice to the star for staying on the right track. "Hopefully, kids like Justin… there...
Post a Comment
Read more