Straight up: Paula Abdul announces first tour in years with NKOTB and Boyz II Men
Nov 15th, 2016
NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) will join Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul on the Total Package tour in 2017. (Nathan Congleton / NBC News)
By Libby Hill, Contact Reporter, LA Times
Paula Abdul is ready to step out from behind the judges’ table and back into the spotlight. The singer announced Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” that she will be going on tour for the first time in 25 years.
Abdul is heading back on the road in good company, joining fellow 1980s and ’90s hitmakers New Kids on the Block (now known as NKOTB) and Boyz II Men for a 2017 North American tour. The Total Package tour will stop in more than 40 cities, including a show at the Hollywood Bowl on June 2.
“Our fans know we love to bring them a party, and this tour is no exception,” NKOTB’s Donnie Wahlberg said in a statement released Tuesday. “It’s not just a show, it’s an experience.”
NKOTB has been enjoying a career resurgence since its reunion in 2008, which led to touring with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men in 2013 and with TLC and Nelly two years later.
Boyz II Men’s profile has also been rising lately. The group landed a residency deal with the Mirage in Las Vegas and appeared in Fox’s “Grease: Live,” singing “Beauty School Dropout.”
That leaves only Abdul in need of brushing up her performance skills. In lieu of recording or touring, the “Straight Up” and “Rush Rush” singer has spent recent years molding young talent on the reality shows “American Idol,” “The X Factor” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Indeed, Abdul hasn’t toured since 1992, when she was promoting her second album, “Spellbound.” Considering the sheer volume of hits that Abdul, NKOTB and Boyz II Men have racked up, there will no doubt be plenty of audience sing-alongs.
If you’re eager to relive your teen dreams, tickets for the Total Package tour go on sale Nov. 19.
Filed under: Music