98 Degrees hoping to re-energize fan base at Summerfest

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By Piet Levy 

The New Kids came back during a boy band dry spell, potentially triggering the new boy band boom led by One Direction, the Wanted and Big Time Rush.

But there's one boy band it deliberately had a hand in bringing back to the world: its current tour opener 98 Degrees.

The R&B-heavy boy band — featuring Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre and Lachey brothers Nick and Drew — saw its 1998 sophomore album ,"98° and Rising," go platinum four times over, but it went on hiatus in 2002.

"There was no official falling out," Timmons said. "We had been on the road forever...and I wanted to be with my family and learn how to produce music."

After the split, the guys pursued their own stage and music projects, and the Lacheys most notably stayed in the spotlight through reality TV hits such as "Dancing With the Stars" and "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica."

Then last year, the New Kids asked the group to reunite and join the Package Tour. 98 Degrees made an appearance at the Mixtape Festival in Hershey, Pa., last August to "test the water...and the fans' response was great," Timmons said.

But the group wanted to have some new music to help "re-energize the fan base and to try to cater to a new fan base," so it rushed to get new album "2.0" out in May. Recording began just two months prior.

Some responses haven't been positive, particularly for lead single "Microphone," and the album was the group's lowest-charting release in its first week.

"But at least we made the Billboard 200," Timmons said. "That surprised me."

"Any artist who tells you that negative feedback doesn't bother them is lying," he added. "Over the last 10 to 12 years, we're better than we were before. We're better vocally, we're better on stage. We bring a lot more seasoning to the table."

Thanks @Emmieleigh for finding this article