Battle For Boston: New Kids on the Block and New Edition

The Battle for Boston was a new segment on the American Music Awards where the New Kids on the Block and New Edition took the stage together for the first time. It was like watching two of the greatest sports teams face off against each other. Here is more about the battle for Boston.

The two groups engaged in Battle for Boston as part of the award show’s new hometown segment. This segment takes fans down memory lane highlighting where their favorite artists come from. Both NKOTB and New Edition hail from Boston and were mentored by songwriter, producer Maurice Starr. They are both a big part of the city even the Red Sox posted pictures with group names on the Fenway Park scoreboard. As both bands and the Boston sports teams have worked together in the past.

Battle for Boston

New Edition has been considered R and B royalty since the mid-80s thanks to hits like “Candy Girl”, “Mr. Telephone Man”, and “If It Isn’t Love”. They were the original boy band and helped create the foundation for boy bands today. They are still one of the most successful groups.

NKOTB has taken up constant residence on the pop charts from the late 80s to mid-90s with hits like “Step by Step”, “You Got It (Right Stuff)”, and “I’ll Be Loving You Forever”. Music that has lasted the test of time as it still sounds as good as when it came out. Since their 2008 reunion, NKOTB has seen even more success than before with sold-out tours, Fenway Park concerts, and new music.

This year marks the triumphant return for the groups as New Edition has not performed on the American Music Awards since 1997 and New Kids on the Block were last seen at AMA‘s in 2010. The two boy bands have never performed together, but they have collaborated on the song “Full Service” off NKOTB’s The Block album.

New Edition and New Kids on the Block were the best performance of the night. The two veteran boy bands hailing from Boston didn’t battle like advertised but provided ten minutes of nostalgic joy. NKOTB hit the stage first with their smash hit the Right Stuff as they danced in precision.

Then they cleared the stage for New Edition who grooved to “Candy Girl”. Trade-offs between the groups included “Step by Step” and “Hanging Tough” for NKOTB. (A fun fact: “Hanging Tough” is the anthem for the Boston Celtics.) NKOTB was followed by “Mr. Telephone Man” and “If It Isn’t Love” for New Edition. There was also the epic mash-up of “Please Don’t Go Girl” and Is “This the End”.

New Kids on the Block and New Edition

The powerhouse performance was dubbed as the Battle of Boston as boy bands went back and forth. As they belted out their most iconic tracks as a star-studded audience watched. NKOTB proved that they still have the moves performing choreographed dance routines clad in black leather outfits. Even casual music fans can see that this was one of the coolest things to see in a while.

These two groups are responsible for 13 top ten hits on the Billboard charts. They paved the way for generations of the all-male pop groups also known as boy bands. New Edition the original boy band lead the way for New Kids on the Block whose Donnie Wahlberg shouted out their progenitors in the pre-filmed video. Both groups are created for opening the door for young groups.

New Kids on the Block announced they are heading out on a cross-country tour dubbed The Mixtape Tour with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. New Edition announced that they will be doing a Las Vegas residency in 2022. Though fans are calling for a joint tour which may happen in near future.

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