The guys in New Kids on the Block set out to show they're aging gracefully at the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday night.
Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood played to a crowd of about 2,500 fans scattered across the sideline seats and floor.
The group, on tour to support its first album of new material in 15 years, has lately been trying to update its image. Though the guys aren't kids anymore, the show was geared toward loyal fans of the group.
Wendy Vaughn, Amy Ruble and their friends traveled from Lewistown, Pa., to see the show.
"I'm a big fan," Vaughn said. "I went to see them in, like, 1990."
Both Vaughn and Ruble agreed they preferred the Kids' old songs to the material the group released last year, adding they hoped to hear Kids' classics like "Step by Step" and "Hangin' Tough."
As the show opened, the group rose from the stage on a platform, clad in ties, vests and a healthy dose of rhinestones. The group played quite a few songs from the new album but threw in old favorites, including "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," early in the show.
The group couldn't resist repeatedly referencing its home city of Boston, with several montages of the city's athletes appearing on the giant LCD screen. The Boston-centric banter received a cool reception from the central Pennsylvania crowd, but the Kids got a strong reaction when they brought up Penn State.
"For most of our lives, we've grown up watching Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions beat up on Boston College," Jordan Knight said while trying to convince the fans to make noise.
The show closed with an encore that fulfilled fans' hopes; it included "Step by Step" and "Hangin' Tough."
San Diego dance group JabbaWockeeZ was the opening act for the show. The group, which won the first season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, provided an alternative from the usual opening act fare. They performed their elaborately choreographed dances to a number of popular songs, including Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" and Kanye West's "Stronger."
George Riccardo and Sam Lofton, both students at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa., said they were at the show specifically to see the dance crew. Lofton said she wasn't even familiar with the Kids' music, but added that she enjoyed JabbaWockeeZ' performance.
"It was really funny," Lofton said.
