“Who knew that in this place, on this stage we would get the loudest and greatest crowd in the world?!” Donnie Wahlberg recently told the capacity crowd at Merriweather Post Pavilion. And loud is an understatement, as the cheers from fans nearly matched the massive sound system. 

The Magic Summer Tour is the first headlining tour for New Kids on the Block in 10 years. The band just released their eighth full length record, Still Kids. The Magic Summer was named after their 1990 tour of the same name. This time, though, heavy hitters Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff opened the evening — but more of that in a moment. 

Making our way into Merriweather Post Pavilion, I saw a sea of neon pink, yellow, and green as fans of not only New Kids on the Block but of late 1980’s dance pop turned out in droves to unwind, have fun, and celebrate the end of Summer in style. 

At Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 15, living legend DJ Jazzy Jeff took the stage to spin several tracks along side Dayne Jordan, including DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat,” “Super Mario Bros Rap,” and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s theme song. 

Following that was a brilliant set by pop icon Paula Abdul leading a talented group of dancers through hits like “Ain’t Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Forever Your Girl.” She even brought out the animated MC Skat Kat for “Opposites Attract” which had fans singing along. 

In the way only the New Kids on the Block can, silhouettes of the five boys from Boston appeared on the stage. Each member with their own color — red, yellow, blue, green, orange — danced their way to the front of the stage. 

“Do you mind if we come a little closer to you right now,” Wahlberg asked before each member of the group made their way up each aisle and back to where the lawn starts at the back of the venue. “Welcome to the Magic Summer Tour… and welcome to THE BLOCK PARTY!” With everyone dancing in their seats, Donnie, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny, and Jordan sang in small raised stages surrounded by neon tubes as they sang with fans, high-fiving and sharing mics. 

Donnie, taking over as the unofficial MC of the set, encouraged fans to sing along, but, quite honestly, we would have been singing along whether he asked us or not. This was especially true with a very extended version of “Tonight” with Walhberg calling out “Let’s bring it back one more time…” 

It must be said that the entire production — from the stage design, to those neon light cages, and let’s not forget the massive amount of confetti — made it more an experience than just a concert. 

Taking turns as the lead, each member of New Kids had a turn at the microphone. Joey took over with the 1990 classic “Where Do I Go From Here?” as he started on the piano before the rest of the group joined on stage. Danny took over with “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.” And Jordan as he took center stage for “I’ll Be Loving You Forever” in all white while he hit that impossible high note while riding a raised platform high above the main stage. 

Watch the official music video for “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids on the Block on YouTube:

And then there were the medleys of “This Is How We Do It” and “Stay With Me Baby” or “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” before the song incorporated some of the Guns N’ Roses hit, “Paradise City” that kept things moving like a jukebox. But the kicker was when New Kids brought out DJ Jazzy Jeff for a string of songs, culminating in the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince hit, “Summertime.” 

But it was near the end of the night, as the group went from “Step by Step” to “Hangin’ Tough” as Danny, Donnie, Joey, Jordan, and Jonathan came back out in Boston Celtics green that had the biggest reaction in this packed venue. 

New Kids on the Block did something Friday night that many acts who get back together struggle with doing. They made us feel like we were seeing something new and exciting. It wasn’t going through the motions. The clock wasn’t just turned back. It felt like these were five guys who really believed in the magic they were making on stage. And that, in turn, made us believe in that magic.

The setlist for New Kids on the Block included:

Magic
Summer Love
My Favorite Girl
Cover Girl
Dirty Dancing
You Got It (The Right Stuff)
Remix (I Like the)
Block Party
Tonight
Where Do I Go From Here?
Treat Me Right
Call It What You Want
Popsicle / Games / This Is How We Do It / Stay With Me Baby
Baby, I Believe in You
Never Gonna Fall in Love Again / Paradise City (Guns N’ Roses cover)
Happy Birthday
Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) / Valentine Girl
Please Don’t Go Girl
Get Down w DJ Jazzy Jeff
Dance With You / A Love Like This
In the Night / Long Time Coming
Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince cover)
Kids
I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)
Step by Step
Hangin’ Tough / We Will Rock You (Queen cover)
These are the Better Days

The setlist for Paula Abdul included:

Straight Up
Vibeology
Cold Hearted Snake
Opposites Attract
(It’s Just) The Way That You Love Me
Rush Rush
The Promise of a New Day / Knocked Out / Ain’t Never Gonna Give You Up / Forever Your Girl

Here are more photos of New Kids on the Block performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 16, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.

And here are more photos of Paula Abdul at Merriweather Post Pavilion:

And here are more photos of DJ Jazzy Jeff opening the evening at Merriweather Post Pavilion: