Break out your vintage homemade signs and t-shirts, the Package Tour kicks off this week. And with the New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men ready to belt out some of their biggest hits, it’s bound to be every fan’s dream.
It all kicks off Tuesday (May 28) in Uncasville, Connecticut, and will circle around North America, before wrapping up August 4 Indianapolis, Indiana. 98 Degrees are pretty stoked to be in the middle of a BIIM and NKOTB sandwich night after night.
“Well, we like to say, if New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men had a child, it would be us,” Drew Lachey told MTV News of playing second every night. “We kind of, in a lot of ways, took our inspiration from Boyz II Men — their harmony sound and things like that — [and] obviously New Kids On The Block, the way they pioneered the genre. So it really is just an honor to be on this tour in general. We said this tour is all about the fans coming out, giving them a fantastic show. It’s gonna be basically three hours of hits. It’s our job to come out and make sure you leave with a smile on your face.”
Nick Lachey added, “We feel like we’re part R&B [group] and we ended up being part boy band. We were kind of caught in the middle, so it’s almost symbolic that were sandwiched between these two groups on this show.” (Each night BIIM will take the stage first, followed by 98 and then NKOTB.)
If you think the fans are just in the audience, think again. The guys are also looking forward to watching the sets from their tourmates. “But that’s the great thing about this particular show; even being a part of the show we appreciate how cool it is to be a part of the show. We’re huge fans of both those groups,” Nick said. “Boyz II Men, we can’t emphasize enough, is literally the biggest inspiration we had. So to be on a tour with them, and New Kids for that matter, is kind of surreal for us.”
What Kind Of Surprises Are NKOTB Planning For The Package Tour?
Sure, the guys want to bust out newer 2.0 tunes like but know that they also have to include hits like “The Hardest Thing” and “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche),” so Drew notes, “You find a balance. It’s like a recipe. How much of each ingredient do you put in? More like a casserole, hot and steamy.”
Justin Jeffre joked, “It is going to be tasty,” with Nick continuing, “There’s enough for everybody.”
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