NKOTB Are Taking Their 1990 Magic Summer Tour Back on the Road 34 Years Later: 'It's Redemption' (Exclusive)

• The New Kids on the Block are touring this summer — and it’s a bit of a repeat
• “I want to make the Magic Summer Tour our best tour instead of our worst,” Danny Wood tells PEOPLE
• The original Magic Summer Tour ran from April to September 1990 and was one of the 10 highest grossing tours of that year

The New Kids on the Block hope this summer will be full of magical moments for their fans.

The group — comprised of bandmates Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight — will soon embark on The Magic Summer 2024 Tour, a nostalgic reference to their record-breaking 1990 stadium tour of the same name.

But this time, says Jordan, “we want to do it again and do it right.”

The original Magic Summer Tour ran from April to September 1990 and was one of the 10 highest grossing tours of that year.

“For me, there’s just not a lot of great memories wrapped up in that tour,” says Danny, who is featured with New Kids on the Block in the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now. “Things just got too big with the stadiums. We were so far away from the crowd and we felt disconnected from their reactions. It felt like we were going through the motions.”

Donnie says: “We thrive on the energy of our fans, we always have been, and we were completely disconnected from them. We were on this huge stage. We probably looked like ants to the audience and they were mostly invisible to us, I just couldn’t relate to fans and I don’t think that helped.”

Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg and Donnie Wood of New Kids On The Block perform during a concert in 1990.

Kevin Mazur/Wireimage

The band — which recently released Still children, their first full-length studio album in 11 years — says it was a feeling that extended beyond the stage. “It was our biggest tour, but as a group we weren’t as connected to each other as we were,” says Jordan. “Everything became so big – the stadiums, the fame, the madness – that we kind of retreated into ourselves.”

During the frenzy of New Kids mania in the late 80s and early 90s, the band toured non-stop, playing across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America – with concerts almost every night.

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“In the early incarnation of the New Kids, they had us on the road all the time,” says Jonathan. “We would go on the road 360 days a year and just go and go. You wouldn’t see your family, you wouldn’t see your friends, you wouldn’t sleep in your own bed. I don’t want it to sound like I’m complaining because we had such an amazing experience and really we are thankful and grateful for that, but it was also a lot to go through, especially when we were such little kids.”

As the tour progressed, the non-stop rhythm began to take its toll on the group as they dealt with growing up within the confines of the band, which came together in 1985 when Joey was 12 and the others were young teenagers.

New Kids on The Block in London on April 25, 1990.

Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

“We didn’t feel like we were at our best, I think, or the circumstances weren’t the best for us to progress,” Donnie says. “I think most of us look back and say we were drifting apart, but we were stuck together every moment of every day 24 hours a day.”

Donnie continues, “In 1988 we went on a one-bus tour, and it was one for all and all for one. We were just kids living our dream. And by the middle of that tour, the beginning of the next tour, we were all growing up , we were trying to find our own space and autonomy, and find our own voice in life as young adults.”

In 1994, the band decided to take a break to pursue individual projects and passions, before reuniting in 2008 with the release of their comeback album City quarter, district.

New Kids on the Block thank ‘Blockheads’ for their support in a video announcing the release date of their upcoming album

Nearly 34 years after the first Magic Summer Tour, Jordan says, “it’s redemption” as they reimagine the tour as a reunited group of friends and artists.

“The sweetness is that we can say all those things because we’ve had time to revisit it and look back on it with tender hearts and say, ‘Wow, those were amazing times, but let’s do it again a little differently. Let’s take all the good parts and leave all the stress and craziness behind us, and just bring in the fun,’ says Joey. “We want to do it with about a thousand percent more presence. This time we will be present with mind, body and soul.”

Joined by Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff, NKOTB will kick off the tour at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on June 14th. The group then heads to more than 40 shows across the country, with stops in Phoenix, Dallas and Philadelphia before wrapping up in Noblesville, Indiana on August 25th.

NKOTB recreates group photo from over 35 years ago: ‘We really couldn’t stop laughing’

BMG

Along with performing in some of the same open-air venues as they did in the early days, the band also say they will incorporate several elements from the original tour into their new production.

“We haven’t performed outside in these amphitheaters for a long time,” says Joey. “There’s an energy that comes with it that’s exciting. I remember playing those venues under the summer night sky, that juice and that energy you can only get from those kinds of concerts. I know that’s going to be part of the chemistry this summer.”

Danny says, “It’s a little more personal. It’s all about nostalgia and getting out with our fans, and connecting with our fans the right way. I want to make the Magic Summer Tour our best tour instead of our worst.”

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Source: HIS Education