“The Package Tour” has created quite a buzz throughout the country. New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men join forces for a tour that was originally scheduled for a little over 30 dates this summer. But the demand for tickets has been overwhelming, causing second shows to be added in some cities and brand new venues to be attached to the itinerary.
Naturally – the media has had a little fun with the tour name and its popularity. Such headlines as “New Kids on the Block’s Tour Is Now a Bigger ‘Package’” have been popping up, no pun intended, across the Internet. NKOTB’s Joey McIntyre is cool with that; after all, he thought of the title.
“We were having a conference call, and they were like, ‘Once we put the package together…’ and I said, ‘Let’s call it ‘The Package,’” McIntyre told me in Los Angeles. “It has all the proper rock and roll innuendo so it’s perfect.”
The roots of this lineup date back to the last North American tour that NKOTB performed on with Backstreet Boys. During a stop in Orlando, Boyz II Men joined the bands on stage for a surprise cameo.
“The place went ballistic,” McIntyre recalled. “When you see it and you witness it, you’re like, ‘We gotta do this again.’”
The boys from Boston would then link up with 98 Degrees at the Summer Mix Tape Fest in Hershey, PA this past summer. Added dates to the tour include Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, second dates in Uncasville, CT and Beantown, and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.
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