The Day I Met NKOTB’s Jordan Knight: A Fan’s Perspective

[Updated November 2025 with more tour dates]

I’ve been giddy like a teenager ever since New Kids on the Block (aka NKOTB), announced their 2025 “The Right Stuff Las Vegas Residency” on September 20, 2024. Band members Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre, and brothers, Jonathan and Jordan Knight, who are all from Dorchester, Massachusetts, will be at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas from June 20 – July 5, 2025, November 1 – 15, 2025 and February 14-28, 2026.

⭐️ They have added more dates for 2026: June 19-July 4 and October 2-17, 2026 (Tickets on sale starting Friday, November 21, 2025.)

This is exciting news for all of us longtime fans, affectionately called, the Blockheads.

New Kids on the Block was formed in 1984 and has been credited for inspiring other “boy bands” like, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. They’ve sold over 80 million records worldwide. Although they disbanded in 1994, they reunited in 2007. They released their latest album, Still Kids on May 17, 2024 (Jordan Knight’s birthday!)

As a fan of the band since 1988, I love them all, but my favorite New Kid is Jordan Knight. Aside from his good looks, he stands out to me for his use of falsetto when he sings. He also writes or co-writes many of the band’s hit songs, like the #1 ballad, “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” on which he also sings lead vocals. He first captured my attention when I saw him in the music video for their breakthrough hit, “Please Don’t Go Girl”:

Since then, I’ve been to three New Kids concerts – in 1989, 1990, and 2011.

On September 21, 2004, I went to his show in San Francisco, where he performed as a solo artist at the intimate 500 person-capacity entertainment venue, The Independent.

The concert

My sister-in-law and I excitedly cheered as Jordan Knight emerged from behind the gray drapes of the venue. He was wearing a tweed jacket over a pink shirt with vertical white stripes. Underneath the buttoned-up shirt, he wore a white crew-neck t-shirt. He completed the look with a pair of good ol’ blue jeans.

He opened the show with “My Favorite Girl,” a New Kids on the Block track, which he co-wrote. He teased the mostly-female audience declaring, “my favorite girl…is you, and you, and you, and you.”

“Did you hear that?”

One girl in the front row handed Jordan an open bottle of beer. He accepted, but joked, “OK, I’ll drink this later. I’ll put it here (next to one of the speakers) for now. You didn’t put anything in it, did you?”

In between songs, Jordan’s remarks were replete with innuendo. This, coupled with his suggestive dance moves, proved this “Kid” was all grown-up.

“Who’s single? Who’s married? Of those of you who are married, who came here ‘not-married-just-for-tonight’? Who came here to get lucky?”

I checked in with my cuz, R, who was listening from Arizona via my phone, “Did you hear that?”

Another girl in the front row tried to grab his crotch. He quickly reacted, wide-eyed, and genuinely shocked. “Whoa. None of that! If my mother were here, she’d be like, you’re 34 years old, don’t behave that way.”

One overzealous fan grabbed a hold of his undershirt and would not let go. If she hadn’t let go, he certainly would have fallen off the stage!

Some girls started to chant: “Strip! Strip! Strip!”

Jordan replied, “No, this is a no-nudity show…”

This must have fallen on one fan’s deaf ears as she started dancing and taking her top off. Jordan noticed and exclaimed (mid-song, by the way), “Hey, I see a bra over there!”

Thankfully, things calmed down once he got behind the keyboard. He tickled the ivory teasingly before doing a soothing rendition of “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by The Stylistics. “My love, I’ll never find the words, my love…mere words could not explain…” Hitting the high notes with his signature falsetto, Jordan’s version sounded as good as the original. Shivers.

The setlist:

• My Favorite Girl
• Give It To You
• Around the World
• Close My Eyes
• Try
• Step By Step
• Don’t Cry
• You Got It (The Right Stuff)
• Hangin’ Tough

He performed the following songs on keyboard:

• You Make Me Feel Brand New (cover of the song by The Stylistics)
• I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)
• Please Don’t Go Girl
• Baby, I Believe In You
• If You Go Away

The meet-and-greet

The 90-minute show ended at 11:30 p.m. At the start of the show, a producer had announced that Jordan’s limited-edition double-CD would be on sale at the end of the show. He said that Jordan would come out to meet all of us and sign autographs.

I thought, “Sure. Yeah, right.” I wasn’t holding my breath. You see, I had tried (and failed) four times to meet him.

1. The first time was on December 19, 1989. My cuz, R, and I tried to sneak backstage after the New Kids concert at the Oakland Arena, but to no avail.
2. The second time was in the summer of 1990, after the New Kids concert at the Oakland Coliseum when my friend, C, and I tried to meet the band.
3. The third time was in 1999 at an in-store signing at Tower Records at San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria. Jordan was in town to promote his new single, “Give It To You” and his new self-titled album as a solo artist. Though I stood in line for four hours, I did not get to meet him, as he decided the group of fans ahead of my group would be his cut-off point. After Jordan and his entourage had gone, I went inside and swiped an original souvenir: one of the Sharpies he used to sign autographs! It was still warm!
4. The fourth futile attempt was two short months later, when Jordan headlined the Fiesta Filipina event in San Francisco. I caught his three-song performance from a mere 50 feet away. This was the closest I’d ever been, so I was a happy camper, but still no meet-and-greet.

Would the fifth time be the charm?

When the show ended, we all got in the meet-and-greet line. In the meantime, there were rumors that we were standing on the wrong side of the room.

As a result, about 50 people in front of my sister-in-law and me ran to the opposite side of the room. We decided to stay where we were. It turned out to be a good decision. A heartbeat later, guess who comes running out toward our line? Yes, it was Jordan! The rumor that he’d be on the other side of the room turned out to be wrong!

The people who left our line then had the nerve to come back and try to reclaim their spots. Chaos erupted when some people behind us yelled, “No, you left, so you can’t cut. Go to the back of the line, you stupid b*tch!”

Jordan looked annoyed by the commotion. The producer got on the microphone, “Please line up in an orderly fashion. You may take pictures of Jordan, but not with Jordan. He can sign anything you want him to or you can buy a photo and he’ll sign it.”

When it was my turn, the guy who was in charge of selling CDs, 8×10 black & white glossy photos, and pink “JK” tank tops asked me what I wanted. I said, “I’d like a photo, please.”

I was very self-conscious about making this transaction right in front of Jordan! I wished they’d sold the stuff in the back of the line, so we could just hand it to Jordan to sign! But that’s a trivial grievance compared to what I was about to experience next.

Jordan proceeded to write on the picture what looked like his name: “J – O…”, but actually he was writing “TO.”

Then he asked me, “What is your name?”

Swoon! He. Spoke. To. Me. First!

First of all, I thought I was prepared for this moment! As a young teen, I had imagined how this conversation might play out if I were ever to meet him. In countless daydreams, I imagined we’d have an easygoing conversation filled with witty banter. I would be cool, not awkward.

Now that the moment I had dreamt about had finally arrived, I drew a blank! It’s like my brain said, “I don’t know my name, but let me spell it out instead!” Unfazed, Jordan wrote each letter slowly and when he finished signing, he gently pushed the photo toward me.

I extended my hand and he shook it. I looked into his dark, round eyes and calmly said, “It’s really nice meeting you.”

He responded, “Nice meeting you. Thank you.” His handshake was firm; his hand was neither cold, nor warm, neither rough nor soft.

Despite the long line, he didn’t rush or quickly look away. It gave me the impression that he truly appreciates his fans. I felt seen during this surreal meet-and-greet experience!

Twenty years after that unforgettable moment meeting Jordan Knight, it warms my heart knowing New Kids on the Block is still together and will be performing their hits for a new generation of fans and for us die-hards. (I’ll be loving you forever!)

It sounds like their first-ever Vegas residency in 2025 promises to be more than just a concert. Planned events include a memorabilia exhibit, after parties, merch pop-ups, and more. If I make it out there and get to meet the band, I hope I’ll remember my name.🤞🏼

NKOTB: The Right Stuff Vegas Residency

For more information, visit their website: New Kids on the Block: The Right Stuff Vegas Residency

📺 Beginning November 18, 2024, fans of Joey McIntyre can see him in the ROKU Channel Original Film, “Jingle Bell Love.” He’s also got a new song called, “A Brand New Christmas.”🎄

📺 Beginning in April 2025, fans of Jordan and Jonathan Knight can tune in to HGTV’s “Rock the Block,” where the brothers compete with three other teams to renovate a home in Utah.

📜 November 12, 2025 was declared “New Kids on the Block Day” in Clark County, Nevada and they were given the Key to the Las Vegas Strip.

Did you go to their show in Vegas? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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