NEED TO KNOW
Is Las Vegas big enough for the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block?
On Friday, June 20, NKOTB’s Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight kicked off their first Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM, just a few days before the Backstreet Boys return to Sin City for a residency at Sphere in July and August.
In a recent interview with E! News, NKOTB opened up about whether or not they see themselves in competition with their fellow boy band, which features Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough.
“We don’t talk to them,” McIntyre, 52, joked. “They can take their big fat sphere and stick it up…”
McIntyre then laughed and added, “No, I’m kidding.”
Wahlberg, 55, chimed in: “We love those guys. There’s no competition with us.”
Ethan Miller/Getty
Mostly, the band is looking forward to “crafting” a “unique” experience for anyone who comes to see them in Vegas, whether that’s seasoned fans or people who are new to the band.
“The entire show is going to be unique,” Wahlberg told the outlet. “We are crafting it specifically for Vegas and adding things that, in many ways, we can only do in Vegas and are inspired by Vegas.”
McIntyre said NKOTB will have a “beautiful, wonderful kick off.” He continued, “This sounds funny, but we’ve played prisons. We have played prisons and when we played a prison, we were playing for the prisoners. We weren’t doing a show down the block at the church hall. You know what I’m saying? We played for the house that we’re playing for and I think we’re going on get off on that in a little way.”
In April, the band spoke with PEOPLE about the excitement surrounding their first Vegas residency, dubbed “The Right Stuff.”
“Vegas is going to be insane,” Jonathan, 56, said at the time. “It’s definitely gong to be very different from other shows that we did. I mean, we are in Vegas, so it’s a little more upscale, a little more sexy. And the stage is absolutely huge.”
Scott Dudelson/Getty
Meanwhile, Backstreet Boys member Dorough told PEOPLE in February that they’re excited about playing the Sphere. “When this opportunity came to us to do the Sphere, it just made sense,” he said. “I mean, it’s a comeback on the next level. You can’t get any bigger than the Sphere.”
The NKOTB Vegas residency is now underway at the Dolby Live at Park MGM, while Backstreet Boys kick off the Sphere shows on July 11.
