The Return of NKOTB


1210960696Those of you who had the good sense to call out sick today had the treat of watching New Kids on the Block perform for the first time in 15 years live on the Today Show. Us office-bound folks are saved by People.com, which rounds up clips of the highly-anticipated performance.

We’re sad to say that we’re not sure our favorite Kids nailed it.

Before you start booing us like the American Idol audience jeers Simon Cowell, we realize that Danny, Joey, Jordan, Donnie, and Jonathan started out at a disadvantage. It was pouring rain at Rockefeller Center during the performance, and whoever mixed the sound should be canned immediately. At times, the Kids’ singing backup overpowered whoever was singing lead.

But that doesn’t explain some of their other mistakes. You could see them thinking about the steps as they danced, and one of the Kids started giggling during the “Right Stuff” part of the hits medley. The vocals, which we anticipated would be rough considering the Kids were barely through puberty when the songs were written, weren’t as bad as we’d feared but were still a little screechy in parts.

But what they lacked in polish they made up for in enthusiasm. The Kids were clearly enjoying the crowd’s energy, and relished knowing some of the fans had camped out since Wednesday to catch the show. Hopefully they’ll have the kinks worked out in time for their appearance at the Kiss Concert on Sunday.