Wahlburgers vs. Lachey's: Battle of the boy band burgers

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Polly Campbell

Sigh RIP Lachey's Bar

Undeniably, the Wahlberg boys have made it bigger in the entertainment world, especially Mark, whose muscles have been featured in movies like Transformers: Age of Extinction, Patriot's Day and Boogie Nights. The Lachey fame is a little more local. Currently, you can catch Nick as the voice of the streetcar. 

But that's irrelevant to my question. Who makes a better burger? 

So I had lunch with some friends at Wahlburgers and then re-created the same lunch at Lachey's.

Oh, yes, there was a clear winner.

Wahlburgers is in the former Pi space at Main and 6th streets. Hosts seat you at a table and there are servers, but it's kind of an upscale fast-food vibe. I had the Our Burger, which is their basic burger. Its innovation is to put the toppings on the bottom so that your teeth encounter the beef patty first. A good idea, but like so many burgers, the beef is still somewhat overwhelmed with even the simple toppings: lots of onions, tomato, Wahlburger sauce.

The meat was cooked medium, so it was still pretty juicy, but not juicy enough to really drip. It's served on the currently popular squishy sweet bun.

The OFD Burger (Originally from Dorchester, the neighborhood in Boston that spawned the Wahlbergs) is beefier (1/2 pound to the Our Burger's 1/3), but also had more on it, like three strips of bacon and tomato jam. So it was tasty, but the beef didn't necessarily shine through.  

The Thanksgiving Burger, a turkey version, was likewise overwhelmed by cranberry sauce and stuffing.

The crispy haddock sandwich could bring Boston and Cincinnati together in agreement. It's a huge piece of fried fish sticking out from its bun. The sweet potato tots were quite sweet but the onion rings, which are more like onion straws, were good because they were very thin and the onions still fresh and snappy. 

Oh look, they have the same kind of onion rings on a burger at Lachey's. Our group immediately went over there and had the same lunch over again.

The burger there is build-your-own, and we got more or less the same toppings, except the onions were crispy instead of raw. It's served open-faced on a bun that's more French-bread style. Not chewy, but also not sweet and squishy. You could taste the burger, and cooked medium, it was juicy and even a little drippy. 

Their fish sandwich is mahi-mahi, grilled instead of fried and very good. And their turkey burger is served with guacamole and with sour cream, which I thought unbalanced it a little but the meat itself was still the star. The tots are regular tots.

It wasn't hometown loyalty that made us all like Lachey's a lot more. Like, a whole lot more. Even though we weren't really hungry when we sat down, we did some good damage to this lunch which was nicely presented, fresh, well-cooked.

The comparison might not be strictly apples-to-apples. Lachey's is more expensive, doesn't have that quick casual vibe, though the service is good. Its atmosphere is overwhelmingly dominated by sports on TV and a crawl of sports news. And I'd never really noticed before how little Lachey's is about the Lacheys. No photos of them, anyway, while Wahlburger's has lists of Walhburger projects and a screen that supposedly Mark might occasionally FaceTime in on. 

But in the end, you need more than celebrity to make good burgers and sandwiches. 

Wahlburgers, 199 E. 6th St., Downtown, 513-457-7085, www.wahlburgersrestaurant.com (burger $7.95, Thanksgiving burger $8.95, Haddock sandwich $8.75, OFD burger $9.95) 

Lachey's, 56 E. 12th, Over-the-Rhine, 513-275-0740, www.lacheys.com  (burger $10, fish sandwich $12, turkey burger $11.50) 

Nick Lachey on welcoming baby No. 3: 'Everyone's happy and healthy ... it's been easy!'

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GIBSON JOHNS

Less than a month after welcoming his third child with wife Vanessa, Nick Lachey is already back to work.

The hardworking musician was busy getting ready to participate in a "pitch off" with his brother, Drew, for the kickoff of Lay's Do Us A Flavor campaign when I chatted with him earlier this week. And, despite having a newborn, he was showing none of the signs of fatigue that normally comes with welcoming another baby into the world.

Not only that, but the 98 degrees frontman said that having a third child has been "easy" when I talked to him backstage at Caroline's on Broadway. Is it crazy that I believed him?

The multi-talented father of three, who has worn many hats throughout his 20-year career, told me that he feels "very lucky to have had a career that hasn't been compartmentalized to one thing," as he should be. Lachey has had success both as a solo artist and as a member of 98 degrees and has participated in a handful of high-profile television shows ("Newlyweds" and "The Sing Off" are the first that come to mind).

I talked to Lachey about life with three children, working with his brother for over 20 years and the scripted boy band show that he's developing with Donnie Wahlberg.

Congratulations on baby No. 3! How have the first few weeks with Phoenix been?

Thank you very much! It's been good. Everyone's happy and healthy, so that's about all you can ask for, you know? After that, you throw your hands up and say, "Hey! Hope for the best!" [Laughs] That's what I've learned about having kids.

How have your two other kids reacted to there being a third sibling?

When my daughter was born, Camden did not totally comprehend that there was another life in the house kind of taking attention away from him, but now that he's gotten used to that -- and she's obviously used to having a sibling -- it's made it easier with the third one. And, he's still so new that it's not like they're competing for toys or anything. When that happens, it'll be a whole other ballgame! That's when it gets nasty. [Laughs] Everyone's cool, and it's been easy.

Coming from a family of four, I know that parents can definitely loosen the reigns a bit once they have a few more children. Has your parenting style changed at all now that you're on your third kid? Have you gotten more relaxed as a father?

A little bit. I think that by the time Phoenix is at an age where that really comes into play I'll probably be a little more hands off the wheel. I was also probably a little bit more laid-back with my daughter than I was with Camden -- even just for self-preservation, you can't keep up that level of focus! It's kind of natural -- and healthy -- that you do that.

Talk to me about your partnership with Lay's for the Do Us A Flavor campaign, where people across the country will submit potato chip flavor ideas for the chance to win $1 million. Why did it feel like a good fit for you?

I was actually a part of this campaign two years ago, so to be here today for the launch of the Do Us A Flavor campaign for 2017 is a lot of fun. It's great to, one, get so many great and random and eclectic flavor suggestions from all across the country, but also, two, the backstories behind all of these submissions are even more interesting than the flavors themselves. What makes this particular flavor so special to that person? What's the emotional attachment? What does it remind them of? Does it take them back to a memory or a person? It's those kinds of things that make them even more compelling than the flavors themselves.

It's a great campaign to be a part of, and I love working with everyone at Lay's. It was a no-brainer to be a part of it.

You're about to go into a "pitch off" with your brother, Drew. What's that going to be like?

Drew and I are naturally competitive, and we've worked together a lot over the years, but this was a different kind of angle for a show, so it was a lot of fun to try to prepare for it.

It's pretty awesome that you two have been able to continue working together, as brothers, after all of these years. That must feel special for you.

It's special to me because we get along! [Laughs] If we didn't like each other, then it would be downright miserable. He is (and always has been) my best friend, so the fact that we were able to be in business together with 98 degrees for so many years, to do TV stuff together and continue to work together now, I think that is -- aside from my grandmother, who is probably more proud of that than anybody -- something we're both very proud of.

What else do you have coming up in 2017 that you can tease for us?

98 degrees went on tour last summer, and we're working on something again for this year, so that will be a bit of a surprise. We're excited to be working together again. I'm also producing a show with Donnie Wahlberg and Doug Ellin, who created "Entourage," around the idea of this boy band that's getting back together later in life and all that comes with that. I'm very excited about that and, obviously, Donnie and I toured together a couple of years ago, so it'll be great working with him again.

Nick Lachey Reveals Details About New Boy Band TV Show with Donnie Wahlberg

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BY STEPHANIE PETIT

Nick Lachey and Donnie Wahlberg are teaming up again, but this time they’re bringing their boy bands to the small screen.

The 98 Degrees frontman stopped by PEOPLE Now to talk about his new TV project with the New Kids on the Block member, a comedy inspired by their former boy bands reuniting later in life and the struggles that come along with it.

“We put our heads together and said, ‘This sounds like a great show,’ ” says Lachey. “There’s a lot of material there that’s pretty comedic, and it will be a lot of fun.”

Although the show is still in its beginning stages, Entourage creator Doug Ellin is working on the script so they can cast and shoot a pilot.

“I’m very excited about it, I expect big things,” Lachey shares, teasing that “there’ll be a lot more to talk about later this year.”

On top of the humorous element to the show, the father of three with wife Vanessa wants audiences to know that being in a boy band isn’t a piece of cake.

“A lot of times there’s misconceptions about boy bands and sometimes people tend to discount the talent of a boy band — ‘Ah, it’s just fluff. It’s nothing,’ ” he says. “But when you’re in a boy band, it’s like being in any other band. You work your ass off. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it; there’s a lot of talent that’s out there on that stage.”

He continues, “Then to come back and do it later in life, it’s crazy it’s a whole other set of challenges. I’m just excited for people to see that world.”

Although Lachey says both New Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees have big plans this year, including a New Kids on the Block tour with Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men this summer, the groups may reunite on the road once again.

“There’s always a chance,” Lachey teases. “As long as we enjoy performing together, which we do, I don’t see any reason to stop.”

Donnie Wahlberg, Nick Lachey Producing Boy Band Comedy 'Encore' for CBS

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Cynthia Littleton

Donnie Wahlberg and Nick Lachey have teamed with “Entourage’s” Doug Ellin to produce a comedy for CBS about members of a boy band who reunite 20 years later.

“Encore” hails from CBS Television Studios and the Tannenbaum Co. The single-camera project is in the early stage of development.

Wahlberg and Lachey are intimately familiar with the material. Wahlberg is a member of the pop group New Kids on the Block, which came to prominence in the late 1980s. Lachey was a member of 98 Degrees, which was active in the late-1990s and early 2000s. Wahlberg and Lachey have become friendly after spending time touring together in 2013. The inspiration for the show came when the two compared notes about how different their lives are today as grown men with children than in their pop star heydays.

Wahlberg is already in the CBS family as a co-star of police drama “Blue Bloods.” He also exec producers the reality series “Rock This Boat,” about obsessive NKOTB fans, for CBS’ Pop cabler. And he’s an exec producer on the A&E Network series “Wahlburgers,” about his family’s burger joint in Boston.

Family ties also helped bring Ellin into the picture for “Encore.” The showrunner created and exec produced the 2004-2011 HBO series “Entourage” that was inspired by the Hollywood experiences of his younger brother, Mark Wahlberg.

Ellin is penning the script for “Encore” and exec producing with Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (“Two and a Half Men”), Wahlberg, Lachey and Jonathan Baruch. Andrew Moncrief of Ellin’s Halyard Park banner will serve as a producer.

Ellin’s recent projects include ESPN’s “30 for 30: When the Garden Was Eden” doc and “Bad Santa 2,” which is set for release on Nov. 23. He also wrote and directed the 2015 “Entourage” feature.

Jeff Timmons and the varying “Degrees” of boy banders on TV

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Emily Gagne



Could Timmons' new reality series cool his career off, JC Chasez style, or take it to sizzling, Donnie Wahlberg-only levels?

98 Degrees was definitely the most lukewarm of the ’90s boy bands (at least in terms of fandom). But the group — a side piece to the mega meals that were the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC — is really starting to gain some heat these days, what with several of its members finding their way to the small screen.

The main face of 98 Degrees, Mr. Nick Lachey, has been on the tube for quite some time (more on that below) but now Jeff Timmons, that other non-Lachey-family hottie from the band, is following in Lachey’s footsteps, agreeing to star in a reality series following the lives of male strippers.

Yes, in the years following the mutual disbanding of 98 Degrees, Timmins turned stripping, joining infamous male revue troupe Chippendale’s before deciding to start his own Las Vegas club, Men of the Strip. But he’s trying to make it rain bills higher than one dollar these days, as he’s just signed a deal with an unknown network to turn Men on the Strip into a hit show. As Timmons told Billboard recently, the plan is to debut the, uh, fruits of his labour to the public next spring, around the same time Men of the Strip opens its doors in Sin City.

Slightly racy show content aside, it’s safe to say Timmons just made a smart business move. The 98 Degrees boys have really done well on primetime. Aside from Nick, they do have to cherish the success of Drew Lachey, who has appeared on Dancing With the Stars twice, winning the Mirrorball once (Justin Jeffre, meanwhile, has stayed out of the spotlight, pursuing Ohio politics until joining the boys for a reunion tour this summer). Plus, the small screen has become a bit of a safe haven for ex-boy banders, both in terms of scripted and reality programming.

As we anxiously await a peek at Timmons’ primetime package, let’s explore the varying degrees of success he could achieve by looking at some singing and dancing dudes of DVR passes past and present.

PRETTY COOL (JC Chasez, Nick Carter)

Listen, the man responsible for the most underappreciated NSYNC solo project known to man (Schizophrenic) has also been pretty cool in the right way, showing off his swagger whenever the camera and/or mic pulled away from Justin Timberlake.” But his efforts to expand into TV have gotten a fairly chilly reception. Basically, he spent a few years as a judge on Randy Jackson Presents America’s Next Dance Crew and did guest spots onLas Vegas and Ghost Whisperer.

BSB boy Carter, on the other hand, has simply been seen on the reality show Meet the Carters, which also featured his less successful, but equally “Crush”-worthy bro Aaron. He gets extra points for his cameo on 8 Simple Rules, but loses them immediately for having been on the new 90210.

If Timmons wants to move above this, hes got to have some mild success with this Men on the Strip show. It could be as easy as getting attached to a network that appreciates fallen ’90s stars like a VH1 or E!

LUKEWARM (Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Shaun Stockman)

As for JC’s bandmate Lance, while he stayed off screen for a while after the less-than-heated reaction to his role in On the Line, his primetime resume has gotten beefy in recent years, with him grabbing guest spots on Cupcake Wars, Gravity Falls and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and competing, much like Drew Lachey, on Dancing With the Stars. He’s also in the midst of producing some new TV pilots, including a comedy alongside SNL‘s Cheri Oteri.

Meanwhile, fellow NSYNC-er Fatone has had some previous success with reality TV. After the show that gave him his first big TV role, My Big Fat Greek Life, got cancelled, he hosted The Singing Bee for both the US and Australia. He then became the announcer for the Steve Harvey years of Family Feud and got his own cooking show called My Family Recipe Rocks. With that latter series under his belt, he nabbed a part as a contestant on an “all-star” version of Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He didn’t win, but he did get some money for charity and is currently playing the Bob Barker role for Las Vegas’s Price is Right Live!

Moving on to Stockman, whom you may recall as one of the Boys II Men. Although he has an ongoing gig as a judge on The Sing-Off, that’s all he’s really done on TV thus far. One more project and I’d say he could move up a degree. I’d say the same for Timmons.

HOT (Nick Lachey) 

The elder Lachey really got his first taste of solo stardom when he allowed MTV cameras to follow him and then-wife Jessica Simpson for the show Newlyweds back in 2003. After some fun guest roles on One Tree Hill, Charmed and American Dreams, Lachey NBC acapella singing competition series The Sing-Off a few years back, which would lead to gigs heading up Stars Earn Stripes and The Winner Is. He shows no signs of stopping either, especially with his wifey, former ET and TRL correspondent Vanessa Minnillo also in the biz (she’s currently playing one of the ladies of Dads).

Timmons has a long way to go if he wants to get here. But he does have Lachey’s personal number and can always ask him for career advice, right?

SUPER HOT (Justin Timberlake)

JT doesn’t do TV all the time, but when he does, he does it up! The man’s in the SNL Five-Timers Club for a reason, having brought us some of the most memorable skits of recent years (see: “Dick in a Box,” “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” and anything with that singing mascot guy who brought us all down to Omeletteville). He’s returning to show again later this month too, playing “performer” to pal Jimmy Fallon “host” (let’s face — these two are co-hosting).

SIZZLING (The Donnie Wahlberg)

No other boy bander can come near Donnie D on TV. Not only does the dude have a recurring role on a high-rated CBS show (Blue Bloods), he’s constantly making the talk-show rounds, either to promote New Kids on the Block’s latest reunion tour effort or to just be his charming self. He’s even attached himself to another TV star – The View‘s Jenny McCarthy — and has plans to produce a show about his family burger biz (Wahlburgers) alongside his bro Mark (he’s previously done behind-the-scenes stuff for Boston’s Finest).

It’s doubtful that Timmons can get to this stage ever, but if he tries, I bet he could get Donnie, a known ham with a hard bod for miles, to go sans shirt for an episode. You know, in the sake of boy-bander-turned-TV-star solidarity.

What Happens to Boy Bands When They Grow up? A Night with Boyz II Men, 98° and NKOTB

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by Nate Jones 

What happens to a boy band when they grow old? Do they age out of matching outfits and group choreography, or are they doomed to repeat the ancient moves until their AARP days? This summer gives us the perfect opportunity to find out, as ’90s stalwarts Boyz II Men, 98 Degreesand New Kids on the Block have teamed up for the arena-spanning Package Tour (yes, that’s right). We were lucky enough to get floor seats when the Package Tour rolled into Brooklyn, and we were able to see how the three boy bands deal with a changing world in three very different ways.

BOYZ II MEN

Boyz II Men open the night, with a shortened set that plays all the hits and left no fat. In their heyday, no one would have called Boyz II Men a boy band—too mature, too technically impressive—but nostalgia has a way of erasing all those old distinctions. They’re still a “classy” group, though, which in this context means they keeps their clothes on; the voices are the show. (Almost every song on their set has an extended coda for Shawn Stockman and the brothers Morris Nathan and Wanja Morris* to show off their vocal gymnastics.) On the Package Tour they play the role of the Sensitive Bachelors, stocking the stage with huge bundles of roses that they throw out to lucky ladies in the audience. When the trio goes a capella, the whole arena gets silent. When they invite the crowd to sing along, Barlcays erupts in a distinctly feminine trill.

98 DEGREES

Unlike Boyz II Men (who never split up) or NKOTB (who reunited years ago), 98 Degrees is using the Package Tour to come back from a long hiatus. You can kind of tell. Their choreography is a bit sloppier, and there’s a sense of glee on the faces of the group’s non-Nick-Lachey members; they’re excited to be back in the spotlight, and they haven’t quite gotten used to it yet.

Of these three, my favorite is Justin Jeffre. Every reunited boy band has one guy who fell prey to the normal aging process, and Jeffre is 98 Degrees’ version. He looks like he should teaching math somewhere, or running your IT department, but instead he’s selling out arenas and doing sexy dance moves alongside three guys who look like Ken dolls. (As we learned when we interviewed the band, he also owns a free newspaper that benefits the homeless and was closely involved in Occupy Cincinnati.) Jeffre is also the only single guy in 98 Degrees, and if you follow his movements throughout the show you’ll realize he spends the most time doing all the crucial connecting-with-the-audience things like making eye contact, pointing and high-fiving. He gives 110% on every pelvic thrust. In other words, he’s awesome.

There’s a reason for all these pelvic thrusts. In their younger days, 98 Degrees was a ballad group, but ballads have all but disappeared from the pop music landscape. (“One Night (Una Noche)” was their sole uptempo hit; when the band play it at Barclays it holds up surprisingly well, its shameless trend-jumping only a memory.) How to hold the audience’s attention? The answer is as old as culture itself: Just show some skin. There’s a decided Magic Mike air to 98 Degrees’ set: loosened ties, suspenders hanging around the waist—these clothes, they’re telling us, are not staying on. Halfway through, the moment comes. The boys strip down to their undershirts and run into the audience, looking for women to serenade. The audience, having expected this, goes wild. (Yes, even for Justin.) What’s greater is that the boys perform in the undershirts for the rest of the set—one of the top acts of the ’90s looking like a bunch of well-muscled Sunday-morning dads.

Elsewhere, there are brief acknowledgements of the time that’s passed since the TRL days; “I Do (Cherish You)” goes out to “all the sexy married ladies out there,” while another song is dedicated to all the dads in the audience. (It was Fathers’ Day.) “It’s a hard job—or so I’ve heard,” quips Justin. For their part, the guys are unfazed by the shoutouts. While some of the husbands and boyfriends didn’t mind sl0w-dancing to Boyz II Men, the most 98 Degrees gets out of them is half-hearted swaying.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

If you don’t follow the Package Tour, you might think that Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees and New Kids on the Block were roughly equal on the boy-band hierarchy. Not so. The other two groups had their fair share of fans, but nothing compared to the way the women of Barclays—young and old—went crazy for NKOTB. From minute one it was clear they were the top dogs on this tour. They had the most fans, the most costume changes, the most songs. They had a robotic voice telling fans that they didn’t need to feel guilty for what would ensue: “I deserve this night.” They had a rotating platform that send them singing into the sky together, and they had five smaller versions of the same so each member could be raised up individually. They had new songs, and not only that, they had new songs that the crowd actually sang along to.

How did NKOTB come to rule the man-band roost? One answer, I think, is the songs. Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees wanted to seduce you with their loving ballads, but the New Kids only wanted to play fun, good-time dance music, exactly the type of music that’s back on the radio today. NKOTB’s hits may have been written when George H.W. Bush was president, but add a 4/4 beat to them and they wouldn’t sound out of place on a Justin Bieber setlist. (Their current single, “Remix (I Like The)” is arguably better than half of what’s played on the radio right now.)

It also helps that the New Kids have been at this since 2008. (Like Britney Spears, they’ve been on the comeback trail longer than they were famous in the first place.) Their showmanship is tight, and everybody knows their roles. Jonathan Knight, always the shy one, is happy staying on the sidelines. Danny Wood is too, as long as he gets a moment in the spotlight to show off his dancing. Joey McIntyre makes the most of his role as the 1A guy, knocking his solo on “Beautiful Girls” out of the park. Jordan Knight has the quiet swagger of a man who’s glad the world agrees he should be famous again.

And Donnie Wahlberg… well, if you only know Donnie Wahlberg as the weird guy from The Sixth Sense, it may be disconcerting to see to go to an NKOTB show and see how the crowd reacts to Donnie Wahlberg. Gone is the gruff character actor—in his place is an odd combination of rapper, master of ceremonies, hype man and sex object. When he wasn’t dropping a “Hello, Broooooooklyn!” in between every song, he was grabbing a camera and taping the show from the stage; when he wasn’t doing that, he was grabbing random women from the audience and making out with them for what seemed like a solid minute. His finest moment may have been “Cover Girl,” a solo performance that he kicked off by doffing his shirt and ended by bending over and slapping his own ass, to roaring cheers.

After 25 years, the New Kids have also turned into top-notch panderers. They know when to do the male stripper thing, flashing their abs and shaking their hips, and they know when to play the bat mitzvah DJs, spicing up their set with brief covers of today’s hits. Sometimes they’ll even do both at once, like when Jordan Knight raised his shirt Situation-style as the band sang LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.” To close out the show, they put on Nets jerseys and had Donnie declare an end to the ancient feud between Boston and Brooklyn that he may have just invented. Then they played a mash-up of “Shipping Up to Boston” and “Empire State of Mind.” Shameless, yes, but you have to remember these guys went 15 years without hearing any cheers. Who can blame them for the milking us of all they could get?

The Showbizz 411

New Kids, Boyz II Men & 98 Degrees Talk 'Package Tour'

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ByJohn Carucci

For Donnie Wahlberg it's not a matter of why now, rather "why not?" The recording artist-turned-actor was referring to the news of a major tour with his New Kids on the Block, who'll be joined this summer on "The Package Tour" by 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men.

 The tour kicks off May 31 in Uncasville, Conn. and ends July 13 in Minneapolis.

 "The state of the boy band union is strong," Wahlberg joked Tuesday. "Even though technically we're not really boy bands, but we're OK with that, so we'll accept it."

 The three bands sold millions of records in the 1980s and '90s and helped usher in a wave of vocal groups that continues today.

 The Boston-based NKOTB formed in 1984 and amassed ten Top 20 hits. They broke up in 1994 but got back together after a 14-year hiatus. Wahlberg said he feels the break coincided with the maturation of their fan base.

 "They needed time to have families and husbands and children and get jobs and live their life," Wahlberg said.

 But now he sees his band's music as a complement to the fans' adult lives.

 "We created an outlet for them to feel good about themselves and tap into that youthfulness that had been put to bed for a long time ... you may be 40, but the euphoria of it makes you feel 14 all over again," Wahlberg said.

 The band also announced a new single, "Remix (I Like The)," which will be released Jan. 28, and a new album, "10," which is out April 2.

 That music will be a bit more mature than some of the band's previous material, member Joey McIntyre said.

 "It is about the decisions that a grown man makes and goes through, as opposed to singing songs like 'Popsicle,'" he said.

 Nathan Morris, one of the members of Boyz II Men, known since the early 1990s for such hits as "I'll Make Love to You" and "End of the Road," said the tour is going to be all about performing.

 "If the boy band thing is attached, it's wonderful, but for all of us in here, we're ready to get out there and sing and perform," he said. "That's just what we do."

 Though 98 Degrees is the youngest group on the bill, it has been apart the longest, 12 years.

 "So we're excited to get back together and doing what we do," member Nick Lachey said. "We feel reinvigorated by our bond and by our group, so we're very excited by that."

 Wahlberg, who stars as Detective Danny Reagan on the CBS television series "Blue Bloods," about several generations of a family of New York City police officers, said the boy bands' tour, kicking off May 31 in Uncasville, Connecticut, and continuing into July with more than 30 dates, is going to be "great."

 "You have three acts that have lots of records, lots of fans," he said. "Fans that are anxious to sing those records and anxious to sing other bands' records, too."

New Kids On The Block Special Announcement

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More pics can be found at the above link

Pictures from The View

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More pictures can be found follow the link above

New Kids On The Block, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men team up for ‘The Package’ tour this summer

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New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees & BoyzIIMen OMG Interview

The View NKOTB 98 Boyz II Men

98 Degrees, NKOTB, BoyzIIMen Boyband War? Bad Blood? true or False

New Kids, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees on tour

NKOTB, Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees team up for The Package Tour

It's a Boy Band Palooza!

The State of the Boyband Union is Strong =)

98 Degrees to tour with New Kids, Boyz II Men

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by John Kiesewetter

And they’ll be at US Bank Arena on June 25.

The 98 Degrees guys and Boys II Men were surprise guests when the New Kids on the Block appeared on “The View” this morning to announce that 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men will tour with them this summer as  ”The Package Tour.”

They’ll play US Bank Arena on June 25. All the tour dates are posted on the 98 Degrees site here. The tour starts May 31 in Uncasville, Conn. Tickets go on sale Feb. 2.

Nick and Drew Lachey were recording tracks with Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre last week. Here’s my Friday blog post. Nick Lachey told us in November that the guys would tour this summer after they finished their album. NKOTB will release its first album in more than four years on April 2.

Here’s the People magazine story on the tour announcement.

Here’s the US Bank arean announcement:

New Kids On The Block Announce The Package Tour with Special Guests 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men – See Them Live In Cincinnati on June 25

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, 98 DEGREES AND BOYZ II MEN!

U.S. BANK ARENA – JUNE 25, 2013

NKOTB ALSO CONFIRMS NEW ALBUM AND NEW SINGLE

FIRST SINGLE “REMIX (I LIKE THE)” TO BE RELEASED ON JANUARY 28TH

NEW ALBUM “10” DUE APRIL 2ND

CINCINNATI, OH (January 22, 2013) – Even though the New Year has just begun, New Kids on the Block fans already know they have a lot to look forward to in the coming months! As announced today on their total takeover of The View, NKOTB revealed plans of a 2013 summer headlining tour. Very special guests multi-platinum selling artists 98 Degrees and Grammy Award winning Boyz II Men, the best-selling R&B group of all time, will be opening for NKOTB on their tour, aptly titled THE PACKAGE TOUR.

This is the first tour for 98 Degrees in over 12 years! NKOTB surprised The View audience with a special reveal of 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men, giving fans a taste of THE PACKAGE TOUR when all bands performed a capella, sending the audience into a frenzy. The tour kicks off on May 31st in Uncasville, CT and will make a stop in Cincinnati, OH at U.S. Bank Arena on Tuesday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Reserved tickets for the Cincinnati show, $92.50, $72.50, $52.50 and $29.50 (plus applicable fees) go on sale to the public on Saturday, February 2 at 10:00 a.m. at www.Livenation.com, www.Ticketmaster.com, the U.S. Bank Arena box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Charge by phone at 1.800.745.300.

The multi-platinum selling New Kids on the Block also announced plans for new music. The group will release brand new album “10” on April 2nd with the first single “Remix (I Like The)” dropping on iTunes January 28th. The group has been quietly spending the past six months working hard, writing and recording the album.

Fans caught wind of these secret studio sessions and have been clamoring for information after rumors spread about the 2013 plans of new music and a possible tour. After announcing on The View, NKOTB, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men set out on a day long media blitz stopping by outlets like Access Hollywood, CNN, E!, ET, EXTRA, OMG! Insider, VH1 Big Morning Buzz, US Weekly and Rolling Stone. Social media has been a buzz ever since the official reveal with no signs of slowing down.

“Ladies, we’re coming for you,” said NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg. “This is going to be the craziest year yet-the single, the album, the tour with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men … We can’t wait to give fans ‘The Package!’”

“We are really excited to get back on the road together and tour with our friends in NKOTB and Boyz II Men. Looking forward to playing our hits and trying out some of our new tracks too,” said 98 Degrees’ Nick Lachey.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join New Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees on ‘The Package Tour.’ This summer is going to be fun and fans will not want to miss it,” said Shawn Stockman. Wanya Morris agreed saying, “This has been in the works for a while… ‘The Package’ is on its way, and we’re going to deliver.” Added Nate Morris, “We plan on bringing it, mark your calendars.”

Please visit www.ThePackage-Tour.com or Ticketmaster.com for up to date information or join the discussion at #thepackagetour.

Walhberg: Boy band union is strong for summer tour

SOURCE
By JOHN CARUCCI 

NEW YORK (AP) - For Donnie Wahlberg it's not a matter of why now, rather "why not?"

The recording artist-turned-actor was referring to the news of a major tour with his New Kids on the Block, who'll be joined this summer on "The Package Tour" by 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men.

"The state of the boy band union is strong," Wahlberg joked Tuesday. "Even though technically we're not really boy bands, but we're OK with that, so we'll accept it."

The three bands sold millions of records in the 1980s and '90s and helped usher in a wave of vocal groups that continues today.

The Boston-based NKOTB formed in 1984 and amassed ten Top 20 hits. They broke up in 1994 but got back together after a 14-year hiatus. Wahlberg said he feels the break coincided with the maturation of their fan base.

"They needed time to have families and husbands and children and get jobs and live their life," Wahlberg said.

But now he sees his band's music as a complement to the fans' adult lives.

"We created an outlet for them to feel good about themselves and tap into that youthfulness that had been put to bed for a long time ... you may be 40, but the euphoria of it makes you feel 14 all over again," Wahlberg said.

The band also announced a new single, "Remix (I Like The)," which will be released Jan. 28, and a new album, "10," which is out April 2.

That music will be a bit more mature than some of the band's previous material, member Joey McIntyre said.

"It is about the decisions that a grown man makes and goes through, as opposed to singing songs like 'Popsicle,'" he said.

Nathan Morris, one of the members of Boyz II Men, known since the early 1990s for such hits as "I'll Make Love to You" and "End of the Road," said the tour is going to be all about performing.

"If the boy band thing is attached, it's wonderful, but for all of us in here, we're ready to get out there and sing and perform," he said. "That's just what we do."

Though 98 Degrees is the youngest group on the bill, it has been apart the longest, 12 years.

"So we're excited to get back together and doing what we do," member Nick Lachey said. "We feel reinvigorated by our bond and by our group, so we're very excited by that."

Wahlberg, who stars as Detective Danny Reagan on the CBS television series "Blue Bloods," about several generations of a family of New York City police officers, said the boy bands' tour, kicking off May 31 in Uncasville, Connecticut, and continuing into July with more than 30 dates, is going to be "great."

"You have three acts that have lots of records, lots of fans," he said. "Fans that are anxious to sing those records and anxious to sing other bands' records, too."