“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.