Time to break out your baggy pants and old bottles of Drakkar Noir and Obsession again: New Kids on the Block are heading up what could be one of the best-received late-'80s/early-'90s nostalgia pop package tours yet next summer, and it's coming to Xcel Energy Center.
The "Hangin' Tough" hitmakers are hanging onto their "mixtape tour" concept of 2019 and bringing Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley and En Vogue with them to more than 50 cities starting May 10.
The St. Paul date falls halfway through the trek on June 14 and is bookended by nearby Midwest dates in Lincoln, Des Moines and Milwaukee. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 8, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.
Boasting all five original members, NKOTB has — like fellow mousse-headed boy band Backstreet Boys — enjoyed something of a comeback in recent years as Gen X parents have re-embraced the breezy pop of their youth and passed it along to their own kids. The fellas of NKOTB are hyping the tour with a "takeover" of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" on Monday.
Both Salt-N-Pepa ("Push It") and En Vogue ("Free Your Mind") have also been steadily riding this nostalgia wave on tour in recent years. British singer Astley ("Never Gonna Give You Up") is a bit more of a surprise and could add intrigue to the tour, especially after he's been stirring music-news headlines of late by paying tribute to the Smiths in concert and having his biggest hit prominently used in an episode of "Ted Lasso."
