New Kids on the Block play Gillette for the first time during this weekend’s home opener
The New Kids on the Block in concert at Fenway Park on Aug. 6, 2021.
The New Kids on the Block in concert at Fenway Park on Aug. 6, 2021.Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
Aday of firsts is in store for Gillette Stadium this weekend. Boston Legacy FC, the city’s newest sports team, kicks off its inaugural season as part of the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday, playing against reigning champions Gotham FC. The event will also mark a major milestone for Boston’s own New Kids on the Block, who will perform at the venue for the first time as a group during the game’s halftime show.
NKOTB is no stranger to supporting local teams. Their hit song “Hangin’ Tough,” from the 1988 album of the same name, was famously written “as an anthem for the Boston Celtics,” according to Joey McIntyre, who noted how he and fellow members Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight are “very big sports fans.” While the group has performed at major sports venues like the old Boston Garden and Fenway Park, Saturday will be NKOTB’s first time performing at Gillette since it opened in 2002. (The band, however, did play Foxboro Stadium back in the day).
“I’ve sang the national anthem there a couple of times myself, but as a band, this would be a first,” McIntyre told the Globe of NKOTB’s Gillette debut in a phone interview Tuesday.
NKOTB performs at Gillette Stadium this weekend for the Boston Legacy FC home opener halftime show.
NKOTB performs at Gillette Stadium this weekend for the Boston Legacy FC home opener halftime show.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The singer said it’s “very exciting” but “long overdue” to see a new women’s soccer franchise enter the fray, with the Legacy filling the hole left by the Boston Breakers, the city’s previous NWSL team, which folded in 2018.
“The league sounds incredibly exciting,” McIntyre said. “I still remember the national team having some big games at Foxborough.”
“There’s so much sports history in Boston,” he added. “It’s a great name and very exciting, and we’re happy to be a part of it.”
A Jamaica Plain native, McIntyre is particularly excited for the planned renovations to White Stadium, the Legacy’s future home.
“I just think it’s a really phenomenal place, and I hope it happens,” McIntyre said.
As for what fans can expect from NKOTB’s halftime performance, McIntyre teased a “very unique and very exciting” time for attendees. A press release announced that the band will play “a medley of classic #1 hits like ‘Hangin’ Tough,’ ‘Step By Step,’ and ‘You Got It (The Right Stuff),’” and that the group will be “integrated throughout matchday” in other unspecified capacities.
“We‘ve always tried to jump into the crowd. We’ve always tried to really be a part of the full experience and have the fans feel like they were part of the experience as well,” said McIntyre. “So I think bringing that energy, to us, is second nature. But a lot of bands don’t always do that.”
The Legacy’s debut coincides with women’s sports mushrooming popularity, which McIntyre called “pretty incredible” to see, even if it’s a long time coming. He admitted that he’s “a little partial” to the subject, thanks to his daughter, a level 10 gymnast.
“Every girl should be able to grow up and have a chance to be whatever the heck she wants to be,” said McIntyre. “And sports is a great opportunity to have that experience.”
In a press release statement, Legacy team president Jennifer van Dijk remarked that having NKOTB at the home opener on Saturday “is just the beginning of what will be an unforgettable inaugural season.”
“By bringing together the Boston Legacy FC and NKOTB fanbases, we’re creating a once-in-a-lifetime moment for our city,” said van Dijk.
The New Kids on the Block in concert at Fenway Park on Aug. 6, 2021.
The New Kids on the Block in concert at Fenway Park on Aug. 6, 2021.Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
Outside of performing at this weekend’s Legacy match-up, NKOTB continues its first Las Vegas residency this year at Park MGM’s Dolby Live, with 16 upcoming dates set for June, July, and October. Getting a chance to perform at the “entertainment capital of the world,” McIntyre revealed that the residency has allowed the band to “build a show that you can’t really bring on the road.”
“We’ve had fans say to us, ‘This is the best tour ever,’ and that’s what you’re always looking for,” said McIntyre. “And then it’s a great way to play to an audience that maybe hasn’t seen you [before], or hasn’t seen you in a while.”
Looking ahead, McIntyre and NKOTB are “just looking forward to finishing strong in Vegas” and continuing to grow the band’s decades-long relationship with their fans.
“This has become like a lifelong family at this point, between us guys and our fans, and we’ve been able to make it exciting, still, after all these years,” said McIntyre. “We can come in ... and still surprise our fans somehow, that’s always the goal. So we’ve been very lucky to have those opportunities.”
Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com.