The New Kids on the Block are about to rock Las Vegas, but they’ve got to get there first, right?
Bandmates Jonathan Knight and Joey McIntyre decided to make an event out of getting there, with Jonathan agreeing to join Joey in the iconic drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in Joey’s 33-year-old convertible!
Joey posted a video of the pair’s adventure on his Instagram account, writing, “The road to Vegas… Literally. Me and my guy @jonathanrknight make the trek to our @nkotb #LasVegas Residency at @mgmgrand @dolbytheatre.
It was his first time making the iconic drive from LA to LV. It was hot as hell but so are we right?😉”
At the beginning of the video, Jonathan is recording on his phone, saying “It’s a road trip y’all, it’s a road trip heading to…?” He pans to Joey, who tells the camera, “Vegas baby!” Jonathan then shows himself and says to the camera, “Wish us luck.”
Joey then narrates, telling followers, “I was so flattered when Jon Knight said he’d drive with me from LA to Las Vegas. He had never made the iconic drive from LA to Vegas, and it’s kind of a rite of passage.”
In the video, Jonathan Knight and Joey McIntyre stop during the four hour drive at the Mad Greek restaurant in Baker, California. That’s a little more than halfway into their journey. Joey explains, “Anyone who knows anything about that drive knows you have to stop at the Mad Greek. And it is as good as it’s always been. It really holds up!”
New Kids On the Block Are About to Kick Off Vegas Residency
Jonathan Knight and Joey McIntyre’s destination: making NKOTB history.
For the first time ever, the band is bringing the block to Sin City with “New Kids On the Block: The Right Stuff Las Vegas Residency.“
The residency at the Park MGM kicks off Friday, June 20, with dates running through next February.
Jonathan Knight told Country Living magazine that he’s excited to do something different.
“It’s really cool because it’s not a traveling show, so we can have stuff that doesn’t have to go on trucks and be set up,” said Jonathan. “We’re all really excited to be in Vegas. We’ve been around for decades, so this is one more thing in our legacy and just feels good.”
“And we went to fans and asked them, ‘What songs do you want to hear that we don’t usually do?’” adds Jonathan. “So, we have a lot of songs on the set list that we haven’t done in a long time and it’ll be totally new and unexpected. People are going to be blown away.”
Donnie Wahlberg agrees, saying in a statement, “We cherish every opportunity that we get to perform for our fans. But a Las Vegas residency gives us an opportunity to take our performance, and interaction with our fans, to the next level.”
Band Members Post Sneak Peeks at Rehearsals
The New Kids are in Vegas now busily rehearsing. Donnie Wahlberg posted a video on Instagram of the band in their rehearsal space. Donnie explained that in addition to shows, the band will also have special after parties with fans. In the post’s caption, he wrote, “The Official Right Stuff NKOTB Residency After Party’s are here! Join me & DJ D-NICE on June 28, and KAYGEE & VIN (of Naughy by Nature) feat. Illtownsluggaz on June 21 & July 5, at ON THE RECORD — located just steps across the hall from the DOLBY THEATER.”
According to PEOPLE, the residency shows will be tailored specifically for Las Vegas. And they will be designed to “immerse attendees in a heart pounding night of hits, spectacle, celebration and showmanship,” according to a press release by the band.
And the surprises may not stop with the shows.
According to Country Living, Jonathan Knight thinks it’s very likely that celebrity friends will turn out for the shows. And some may even participate!
Knight points out that New Kids on the Block ends its first run of shows just days before the Backstreet Boys kick off their “Into the Millennium” residency at Sphere Las Vegas.
This has fans hoping for a revival of NKOTBSB, the supergroup formed by the two bands in 2010.
“We’re there around the same time,” teased Jon. “Maybe we’ll cross over!”
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Jonathan Knight & Joey McIntyre’s Epic Road Trip