You’re reading a story from Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University. Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring.
This story originally ran in the Feb. 5, 1990, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.
The story has been updated for current basic AP style, but the wording in the story has not changed. Any ideas, perspectives or opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Sidelines.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know more about them than any other pop music lover.
I know their successful 900 number gets an average of 100,000 phone calls a week.
I know about their songs (they only have three LP’s and only so many hits); and I have read (and seen) enough about them in magazines to make a photo album bigger than their parents’.
Who are they?
They are Johnathan, Jordan, Danny Joe and Donnie — The New Kids on the Block.
On Friday, they cruised up to the corner of Tennessee Boulevard and Greenland Drive to pay Murphy Center a visit, without breaking the glass.
Being dubbed as “the hardest working kids in show business” or as street-wise as a “New Edition carbon copy,” they gave their fans — the majority of them having to be home before curfew — plenty of dancing, singing, nice clothes and naked torsos. For non fans — the majority being parents — they gave them headaches, and especially earaches to last them for a long time with never-ending sounds of “EEEEEKKK!”
Being assigned to do this review by my editor, who aid I was “the most qualified to go with an open mind,” I place aside by duties movie critic and traded my favorite seat in the aisles for a hot press box flanked by Murfreesboro’s finest and screaming girls (who were just glad to be there).
I wanted to be all prepared for the show, so I invested in a program (for $12)and sold it at the end of the concert to a little girl (for $6) for two reasons.
One, I do have a good heart, and two, the Kids were definitely putting an outrageous spanking on the parents’ wallets and the fans’ allowances.
All the “eeeekkking” my ears could have withstood filled the sold-out glass house — enough to even make Monte Hale St. (the arena is named for Hale) rise out of his grave and buy some earplugs so he could rest in peace.
The show was definitely for the kids (both on and off stage). Putting aside the live voice, background soundtrack music of the show-opener Bobby Ross Avila, who looked and danced like you know who, (Bobby Brown), the New Kids performed for close to two hours.
Their set began with “Favorite Girl” and ended with their popular “Hangin’ Tough.”
They all had a chance to lead in each song and perform instruments with the live band. While their instrumental talent was not outstanding, the “Eeeeekkk!” fans didn’t seem to notice the difference.
Being fueled by their loyal teeny-bopper fans, the group gave them a nice show to remember and definitely provided the talk of the town on school Monday morning.
As for me, well, despite seeing nothing really spectacular, the kids performed well, and that is “the right stuff” in entertainment.
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