In what Sunday night’s American Music Awards called a “Battle of Boston, the New Edition and New Kids on the Block faced off as each legendary boy band performed their biggest hits.
After a video intro, the two Boston-formed bands — who’d, until last night, never performed together onstage — took turns in the spotlight, singing teases and hooks of their respective hit songs.
Following NKOTB opening with their signature cut “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” nailing all the choreography (complete with the pendulum swing) the New Edition answered with “Candy Girl,” employing their own array of legendary dance steps.
What was rapid-fire nostalgia, with the non-stop medley touching on the New Kids’ “Step By Step” and “Hangin’ Tough,” along with New Edition’s “Can You Stand the Rain” and “Mr. Telephone Man,” the two groups tackled a couple tracks together, including New Edition’s ballad “Is This the End,” before wrapping with celebratory hugs and cheers.
“It’s a brotherhood from Boston,” New Kids’ Donnie Wahlberg told The Boston Globe. “That’s how we see it.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Ibolya Nyikos