I’m wrapping up the day as the email hits my inbox. New Kids on the Block have confirmed a Cleveland date for October 3rd.

This is the same group that played the Cleveland Agora (cap. 2000) in the mid-90s for a show that I recall hearing was not very well attended. They were promoting the “grown up” album Face The Music album, billed simply as NKOTB to reflect their newly grown up status.

And now, in 2008, they’re booked for Quicken Loans Arena (cap. 20,562.)

Now, before anyone gets out the big can of hate – let me state for the record, not only do I understand the New Kids mania from “back in the day,” I grew up in the midst of it.

And, I’ve been following the excitement about the current reunion. Heck, they even have a song on the charts of the Billboard Top #100. New Kids fans definitely hung in there over the years. I’ve worked with several of them, who are not afraid to wear their fan status, ongoing for the many years that their idols were inactive, firmly on their sleeve.

I’m just a tad surprised – I didn’t think of this tour as hitting arenas….yet a look at the tour schedule reveals sellouts in Chicago and Toronto at a couple of venues that are comparable to Quicken Loans Arena. Yet, there appear to still be tickets left for the Boston shows.

My question: Is this tour going to do well in the venue sizes that are currently booked, or will it tank with sellouts in several cities, and shows that are downsized to smaller venues in other cities?

My thoughts:

20 thousand-plus New Kids fans in grown up women bodies….bring earplugs if you’ve got a ticket for that show.

Now that I think about it, it might be the perfect show for any guy that’s looking for a date. Just don’t wear a New Kids shirt – they might be diehard fans, but a thirtysomething guy in a New Kids t-shirt will never be stylish, in any decade.

New Kids on the Block – My Favorite Girl