NKOTB Back on the Block

When it comes to contemporary “boy band” pop music, many believe that The New Kids on the Block started it all. The group first came to be in the mid-eighties, when record executives wanted to create a pop equivalent of New Edition, an all-boy R&B group, who’s music and image appealed primarily to teenagers, namely young girls. After hundreds of auditions, primarily in the Boston area, in 1984, Nynuk, a five-person boy group was formed and signed to Columbia Records.

By 1986, the group had already gone through two member changes and a change to its initial band name. They now became known as The New Kids on the Block and released their self-titled debut album in 1986. Despite several singles including Be My Girl and Stop it Girl however, the album failed to generate mainstream buzz for the band. After failing to get their name out, The New Kids gave it one more try with their second release Hangin’ Tough in 1988. Hangin’ Tough, along with NKOTB’s follow-up album Step by Step, went on to not only sell and succeed, but to do so in record numbers. To date, these two albums account for more than 25 million dollars in worldwide sales and an astounding eight times platinum certification for Hangin’ Tough. The records also produced a frenzy of hit singles, including You’ve Got It (The Right Stuff), I’ll be Loving You (Forever), Hangin’ Tough and Step by Step.

After achieving tremendous success at a very young age in the 80’s, the 1990’s marked a darker era for the group. After a series of run-ins with the law, a lip-synching scandal and a failed album, the group, which now went by NKOTB, decided to call it quits in 1994-exactly ten years after forming.

2008 is a year of reinvention for NKOTB, as after much speculation, on April 3, 2008, Donnie Wahlberg publicly announced that the group is not only reunited, but also is in the process of recording an album and planning a North American tour. The New Kids on the Block’s reunion tour, is set to begin on September 19 in Toronto’s Air Canada Center, 10 days after the release of their new album. The tour will hit various venues in Canada and the United States starting in September and ending in November.

New Kids on the Block Canadian Tour Dates:
September 19, 2008 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Center
September 20, 2008 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
September 21, 2008 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Center
November 18, 2008 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
November 19, 2008 – Calgary, AB – Saddledom
November 21, 2008 – Vancouver, BC – General Motors Place

New Kids on the Block U.S. Tour Dates:
September 23, 2008 – November 26, 2008 – Multiple Cities -

New Kids on the Block tickets available at:
ShowTime Tickets
604-688-5000
1-800-480-SHOW(7469)
www.showtimetickets.com