Just announced, New Kids On The Block will be taking over the Las Vegas Strip for a run of epic residency dates in the summer of 2025, starting June 20 through July 5 at the Park MGM as well as headlining tour dates into November as well.

Sitting down with host Chet Buchanan at KLUC in Las Vegas, the NKOTB guys admit it wasn’t just one of the members of the group who came up with the idea for a residency. “First things first, there's no ‘one,’ there's always a group,” says Donnie Wahlberg. “It's one of the reasons we've lasted this long -- we are a true Constitutional Republic of a band. We figure things out together.”

“Vegas has been on our minds for decades,” he adds. “If you want the real truth, Joey [McIntyre]started talking about Vegas the day we met him. He loved Frank Sinatra. He's like, ‘One day we're gonna play Vegas,’ and we've all talked about it through the years. I will say, I think what really kickstarted us becoming more aggressive about it now was, it feels like it's time. We've just done another tour, and our fans travel everywhere to see us -- and sometimes follow us around tour from city to city -- and one place performing felt like a really good idea.”

Another motivating reason to bring their show to Vegas, Donnie reveals, was getting to witness Usher perform at Dolby Live. “It was incredible and it was really inspiring,” Wahlberg says. “I picked his brain backstage about what it's like doing Vegas,” and after getting the invite to do their own, “the whole band was into it -- It's time for us to do it-- and now the hard part starts. We gotta really do the work to make it a spectacular show and live up to the opportunities that Vegas provides for us... We wanna make every weekend an amazing experience for our fans. We wanna make it all worth their while, on stage and off stage.”

For fans wondering what the group has planned to make the events extra special, McIntyre says, “You can watch our Instagram reels from last night acting a fool, driving down a double-decker bus in the strip. We're very excited! I mean, we were very much acting like a bunch of guys who are on a weekend in Vegas, and there's something about this city that people just… it's a license to let go. Obviously, you know, ‘What happens in Vegas stays here'… a little bit of that kind of sauce is a part of the whole thing.”

Keeping things fresh for themselves and their legion of fans is “the constant thing,” says Joey. “We never want to feel like we're doing something we've already done, and we just feel blessed that this kind of opportunity was still available for us. We've been lucky enough to do so much and I just can't imagine to have the stage and have a facility like the Dolby Theater. I think about when we were teenagers and we'd have a show and it was all about, ‘What are we gonna do? What gimmick are we gonna do to win over the show?’ Because we weren't always so lucky. We didn't have ‘Blockheads’ back then, we had to play. And again, to come full circle, the idea is to have people that have never seen the New Kids On The Block come to Vegas and go, ‘What else do we want to see?’ To have that experience, and win them over, and bring them into the fold. To have that facility, to have all the bells and whistles of what Vegas has to offer is gonna be fun to see.”

Getting the chance to introduce their music to an entirely new generation of ‘Blockheads’ has been a pleasure for the guys as well. “It's amazing. We call them ‘Baby Blockheads,’ ‘Husband Blockheads… it's fantastic."

“The last tour we just did this summer was an awesome tour. I mean, it was hot as hell, I can't help but say that, but it was outdoors, you know? So, you had the lawn seats which bring in families and again, people that might not have ever seen you before. You had 12-year-olds going crazy… it's a beautiful mix now.”

Don't miss Chet Buchanan's full chat with New Kids On The Block above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Chet Buchanan

Just announced, New Kids On The Block will be taking over the Las Vegas Strip for a run of epic residency dates in the summer of 2025, starting June 20 through July 5 at the Park MGM as well as headlining tour dates into November as well.
Sitting down with host Chet Buchanan at KLUC in Las Vegas, the NKOTB guys admit it wasn’t just one of the members of the group who came up with the idea for a residency. “First things first, there's no ‘one,’ there's always a group,” says Donnie Wahlberg. “It's one of the reasons we've lasted this long -- we are a true Constitutional Republic of a band. We figure things out together.”
“Vegas has been on our minds for decades,” he adds. “If you want the real truth, <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/joey-mcintyre">Joey [McIntyre]</a> started talking about Vegas the day we met him. He loved <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/frank-sinatra">Frank Sinatra</a>. He's like, ‘One day we're gonna play Vegas,’ and we've all talked about it through the years. I will say, I think what really kickstarted us becoming more aggressive about it now was, it feels like it's time. We've just done another tour, and our fans travel everywhere to see us -- and sometimes follow us around tour from city to city -- and one place performing felt like a really good idea.”
Another motivating reason to bring their show to Vegas, Donnie reveals, was getting to witness <a href="https://www.audacy.com/topic/usher">Usher</a> perform at Dolby Live. “It was incredible and it was really inspiring,” Wahlberg says. “I picked his brain backstage about what it's like doing Vegas,” and after getting the invite to do their own, “the whole band was into it -- It's time for us to do it-- and now the hard part starts. We gotta really do the work to make it a spectacular show and live up to the opportunities that Vegas provides for us... We wanna make every weekend an amazing experience for our fans. We wanna make it all worth their while, on stage and off stage.”
For fans wondering what the group has planned to make the events extra special, McIntyre says, “You can watch our Instagram reels from last night acting a fool, driving down a double-decker bus in the strip. We're very excited! I mean, we were very much acting like a bunch of guys who are on a weekend in Vegas, and there's something about this city that people just… it's a license to let go. Obviously, you know, ‘What happens in Vegas stays here'… a little bit of that kind of sauce is a part of the whole thing.”
Keeping things fresh for themselves and their legion of fans is “the constant thing,” says Joey. “We never want to feel like we're doing something we've already done, and we just feel blessed that this kind of opportunity was still available for us. We've been lucky enough to do so much and I just can't imagine to have the stage and have a facility like the Dolby Theater. I think about when we were teenagers and we'd have a show and it was all about, ‘What are we gonna do? What gimmick are we gonna do to win over the show?’ Because we weren't always so lucky. We didn't have ‘Blockheads’ back then, we had to play. And again, to come full circle, the idea is to have people that have never seen the New Kids On The Block come to Vegas and go, ‘What else do we want to see?’ To have that experience, and win them over, and bring them into the fold. To have that facility, to have all the bells and whistles of what Vegas has to offer is gonna be fun to see.”
Getting the chance to introduce their music to an entirely new generation of ‘Blockheads’ has been a pleasure for the guys as well. “It's amazing. We call them ‘Baby Blockheads,’ ‘Husband Blockheads… it's fantastic."
“The last tour we just did this summer was an awesome tour. I mean, it was hot as hell, I can't help but say that, but it was outdoors, you know? So, you had the lawn seats which bring in families and again, people that might not have ever seen you before. You had 12-year-olds going crazy… it's a beautiful mix now.”
Don't miss Chet Buchanan's full chat with New Kids On The Block above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Chet Buchanan

Interviews, exclusives and more from Audacy

Interviews, exclusives and more from Audacy

Advertisement