Boy bands reunite to set female hearts aflutter again

By Kevin Joy

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

Nearly three decades ago, a novelty pop act of five boys started out playing to sparse crowds in New England shopping malls and ended up as a global force selling 70 million records and paving the way for scads of copycat "boy bands."

During their heyday, the New Kids on the Block enjoyed prime placement on 1980s MTV, neon-splashed magazines and even commemorative pillowcases. Their vocal chops, upbeat songs and ever-so-slightly edgy personas were a given.

Dreamy looks and rhinestone-studded denim? Like, duh, totally, you guys!

Joey McIntyre, now 38 but still the youngest member of the reunited quintet, harbors a different theory for the group's success.

"I think being from Boston comes to mind," said McIntyre, a native of the suburb of Needham, Mass. "For better or for worse, there's a lot of character that comes out of that city - a lot of attitude, a sense of what's right and what's wrong, taking care of one's own.

"Maybe it would have worked if we were from Columbus, Ohio."

But Beantown was where the local youths auditioned in 1984 for producer Maurice Starr, who had previously assembled the Boston urban-pop act New Edition.



Impressed by the rap skills and street-tough manner of Donnie Wahlberg and the vocals of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Starr signed the boys plus their pal Danny Wood and Donnie's little brother, Mark. (The younger Wahlberg left the group early on and was replaced by friend Jamie Kelly, who was later dismissed in favor of McIntyre - a 12-year-old who could hit the high notes.)

Their self-titled debut fizzled, but follow-ups Han-gin' Tough (1988) and Step by Step (1990) caught fire, unleashing a slew of hit singles and widespread adoration by girls of a certain impressionable age.

Cue the screams.

Do you still have your NKOTB lunchbox? The fanny pack? Remember the hot line (1-900-909-5KIDS; $2 for the first minute, 45 cents for each additional minute)?

"They were my first crushes," said Rachel Ailing, 27, a medical technician from Whitehall who saw the band perform in 1989 at the Ohio State Fair - and hasn't since surrendered her New Kids-branded dolls, playground marbles, bubblegum dispensers and multiple homemade scrapbooks.

"They were always down to earth, good to their fans."

Such appeal may have outshined merchandise potential.

"You had five guys with a lot of spirit and a working-class background. . . . a little co-dependent and a little crazy," said McIntyre, the youngest of nine children who grew up pursuing musical theater until the New Kids "ripped me from my path of legitimacy."

"We had a little something to prove and a little chip on our shoulders. I think the fans fell in love with that."

Present-day New Kids devotees, mostly women in their late 20s and early 30s who listened to the young singers as tweens, will squeal for their idols tonight in Value City Arena - the ensemble's second central Ohio arena showing since their 2008 reunion.

"You feel like you're 10 years old again," said Lancaster resident Tanya Brand, 32, who has seen the New Kids in concert three times - and paid $200 apiece for two VIP seats at the Columbus concert. "It's as awesome today as it was back then."

Joining the lineup will be the Backstreet Boys (minus Kevin Richardson, who left the quintet in 2006), a Florida pop outfit that formed in 1993 and has since become the best-selling boy band of all time. The groups recently joined forces on the greatest-hits album NKOTBSB and will perform some selections as a single unit.

The New Kids called it quits in 1994 amid declining record sales and allegations of lip-syncing.

Rumors of a comeback simmered for years.

"It was always about some TV show or award show," McIntyre said. "It never came from us."

Holding out the longest was Donnie Wahlberg, who had established a respectable acting career including roles in The Sixth Sense and the Saw horror series and, currently, as detective Dan ny Reagan on the CBS police drama Blue Bloods.

Wahlberg finally consented, McIntyre said.

"I think I would have been willing to get together and do the old hits, but Donnie was pretty adamant that he wanted to make some new music. . . . We did one song, and it just kind of took off. The vibe was great. We treated each other with kid gloves."

Working in 2008 with chart-topping songwriters such as Akon, Ne-Yo and the up-and-coming Lady Gaga ("a performer and very uninhibited," McIntyre said), the boys produced a fifth studio album, The Block.

"We hadn't really seen each other for a long time," McIntyre said. "It kind of seems cliche, the nostalgia act coming back, but it really didn't feel that way."

Rehearsing for a full-blown tour was another story.

"It was fun at first, but then it got a little stressful with everyone trying to get their groove back," said McIntyre, who released six solo albums after the breakup.

"I'm a song-and-dance man - Jon and Danny, not so much. Jon wanted out of the whole thing, but it wouldn't have worked without him. We certainly hit some bumps in the road."

The gamble, however, paid off handsomely. The Block made its debut at No. 1, the first round of tour dates sold out in minutes, and a three-year run of New Kids cruise-ship vacations were filled to capacity with adult disciples.

With rabid Twitter fans, gossip blogs and paparazzi stalking underage stars, would McIntyre want to be a teenage New Kid in 2011?

"I don't know," he said. "We had our pressures. But there were no camera phones back then. There was no proof. To me, it was way more romantic. The world was smaller. It feels like a blessing now."

For those curious about whether the Kids have still got it, McIntyre offered assurance.

"We've stayed in shape and taken care of ourselves. And we're singing better than we ever have."

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