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ASSOCIATED PRESS / NOV. 21
Jonathan Knight, from left, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block perform a medley last year at the American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The band will play at Blaisdell Arena this summer.
COURTESY PHOTO
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC will perform with New Kids on the Block this summer at Blaisdell Arena.
New Kids on the Block, one of the original boy bands, is returning to Hawaii this summer for two concerts.
Promoter Rick Bartalini is bringing the band, which had the hits “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” and “Step by Step” in the late 1980s and early ’90s, to Blaisdell Arena at 8 p.m. on Aug. 5 and 6. Joining them will be ’90s R&B girl group TLC.
New Kids on the Block originated as a group of high school friends from the Boston neighborhood of Dorcester in the early 1980s. With their high-energy performances and R&B-inflected vocals, they had crossover hits like “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Cover Girl,” “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” and “Tonight.”
The group gave their only performance in Hawaii in February 1991, disbanded in 1994 and then reunited in 2007. Last month, they released a single “Bring Back the Time,” a nostalgic tongue-in-cheek pop song.
“We are so excited to finally be heading back to Hawai’i, as a group, after over 30 long years. So what better moment to ‘Bring Back the Time’ than now! We look forward to seeing our wonderful fans in Hawai’i and to once again experience the aloha spirit!” said original member Donnie Wahlberg in a statement.
In its heyday in the ’90s, TLC had four No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “Creep,” “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty.” The group is now a duo consisting of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in 2002.
Tickets will first be made available to fans with credit cards with Hawaii ZIP codes at 10 a.m. Saturday, with sales limited to eight tickets at a time. Tickets will then be open to mainland ticketbuyers 24 hours later. Ticket prices range from $69.50 to $399.50; they are available at ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000 or at the Blaisdell box office.
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