NKOTB Still Brings The Right Stuff

Magic Summer Tour Brings The Party To Charlotte

There’s nothing like summer and with summer comes summer concert season. This year has been amazing so far and one of the highlights has been the Magic Summer Tour featuring everyone’s favorite boy band New Kids On The Block along with 80s icon Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The tour recently made a stop right here in the Queen City playing to a packed house of fans at PNC Music Pavilion bringing a little magic right here to Charlotte.

The concert brought out fans known as Blockheads in droves and the theme of the evening was neon which led to a sea of neon pinks and yellows across the venue. Everyone came ready to have a great time and let me tell you that New Kids On The Block did not disappoint. This was a party in every sense of the word and it was spectacular in every way.

Kicking off the festivities was none other than DJ extraordinaire DJ Jazzy Jeff who did his best to get the crowd pumped up spinning all their favorite 80s and 90s dance tunes and singalongs. It always surprises me which songs get the biggest reaction from the crowd and tonight I think “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees may have been the clear winner. Fans were dancing in the aisles and singing along to their favorite tunes getting ready for the party that was still to come.

After a short break, it was time for none other than Paula Abdul to take the stage. The super-talented Abdul is multi-talented and is an amazing singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, and producer among I’m sure a zillion other things. Her set was planned out to the tee with amazing dance routines and perfectly planned choreography to go along with all her popular hits.

Abdul sounded great and looked amazing. There’s absolutely no way she is 62 years old because she doesn’t look a day over 30 and she is in incredible shape allowing her to move with precision and ease as she danced and glided all over the stage. She had a full troupe of dancers accompanying her and the interaction between Paula and her dancers was top-notch. They lifted her, spun her, and even helped her get dressed during “Vibeology” which featured racks of clothing on the stage as Abdul rode the garment racks and tried on various outfits and accessories. If you’re a fan of Broadway-style performances, lots of dancing, and of course amazing music, Paula is definitely “Forever Your Girl.”

This was such a fun start to out night of musical magic. Be sure and get there early enough to check out Paula Abdul and her amazing team of dancers. You won’t be disappointed.

After a short break, it was time for the main event of the evening and you could feel the atmosphere in the venue rife with anticipation as the crowd got more and more pumped up for their teen idols to bring the right stuff right here to us in Charlotte.

The stage was set with a Magic Summer marquee at the top and soon the words Magic Summer Tour and the NKOTB logo were lit up in brightly colored neon. The rear of the stage revealed a series of five doors with each band member’s name written above it. One by one the band members made an appearance before coming together in the center of the stage to start the show off in fine fashion with a little bit of “Magic.”

Boom! Only one song in and so far it’s an incredible show, but there was more, so much more to come. Jordan, Jonathan, Donnie, Joey, and Danny wowed the crowd with not only their silky smooth voices but with their off-the-charts dance moves. The five have such tremendous chemistry between them and are such great friends that it’s easy to see their joy as they perform and it translates back to the fans.

That’s one thing that really is true about NKOTB. They love their fans and appreciate them! It’s not just an act or something you see on television. Some lucky fans received special passes that allowed them to watch the show from the stage for the first few songs, a vantage point that most of us will never get to experience. The band came out to engage with the audience during the “Block Party” with each member singing from a small riser about midway in the venue right near the soundstage. They even walked out into the crowd taking selfies and shaking hands as the ladies screamed and shouted for more. The love goes both ways it seems and the energy was palpable. NKOTB even gave a shout-out to Team Waffle House as they held up a Team Waffle House teeshirt paying homage to the old days when an after-show visit to a Waffle House restaurant was the norm. I’m sure a few local Waffle Houses saw an uptick in Saturday night traffic from fans hoping that the guys would pay a visit.

The production for this tour was awesome and we had a wide variety of brightly colored lights, lasers, and plumes of smoke to enhance the visuals. It was one heck of a party atmosphere, but NKOTB also brought the romance with Jordan rising from the stage on a pedestal to perform with a spotlight and wind blowing his open shirt all over with a real Fabio kind of vibe and possibly causing a few gals to swoon as a result. Danny got into the mix as well bringing a fan to the stage to sing a little “Valentine Girl” directly to her.

After that, it was back to the party, with everyone on their feet dancing and DJ Jazzy Jeff joining the band on stage for “Summertime.” That would have been more than enough to satisfy everyone, but NKOTB wasn’t done with Charlotte yet. They had to take us “Step By Step” before letting us go home.

What an incredible night! NKOTB gave the fans exactly what they wanted, a night full of fantastic music, dance parties, and a little nostalgia to boot.

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.

Tour Dates:

August 2, 2024 Hartford, CT XFINITY Theatre

August 3, 2024 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium

August 4, 2024 Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater

August 8, 2024 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

August 9, 2024 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion

August 10, 2024 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center

August 11, 2024 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC

August 15, 2024 Philadelphia, PA TD Pavilion at the Mann

August 16, 2024 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion

August 17, 2024 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage

August 22, 2024 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Amphitheater