EXCLUSIVE: New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul Talk Bringing 'Happiness Back to the World' With New Tour
ET sat down with New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul following the announcement on Tuesday that they will all be featured in NKOTB's Total Package Tour next summer.
"We're bringing the happy back," Donnie Wahlberg tells ET's Jennifer Peros. "We're bringing joy, love and happiness back to the world with this tour."
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The Total Package Tour also marks Abdul's first return to touring in 25 years. The 44-city North American trek begins on May 12 in Columbus, Ohio, and includes a special Boston homecoming for NKOTB on July 8 at Fenway Park. Altogether, the three acts have sold 200 million records worldwide.
The singers explained that the tour started to come together when Abdul expressed an interest in hitting the road again after more than two decades.
"She reached out," Wahlberg remembers. "We were wanting to tour with Boyz II Men again and the package all came together. That's why it's the Total Package."
Wahlberg brags that the show is like "listening to America's Top 40," because of all their combined hits.
"It's going to be a sweet tour," Joey McIntyre agrees.
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While everyone in the room admitted to looking up to Abdul as a legend in the music industry, the GRAMMY winner says she considers herself "extremely lucky" to be a part of such a tour.
"I love all of these guys and in many ways we all kind of grew up together," Abdul says.
In fact, Abdul was present for Boyz II Men's first performance in the late '80s.
"She was in the round circle backstage in Philly in the olden days," Nathan Morris remembers. "We auditioned for Michael Bivins. There were a lot of entertainers there. I'm surprised she even remembers."
Bivins, of New Edition fame, produced Boyz II Men's first album, 1991's Cooleyhighharmony, based off that audition. Today, Boyz II Men are still the best-selling R&B group of all time.
Total Package Tour pre-sale tickets will be available Wednesday, Nov. 16, before going on sale to the general public on Saturday, Nov. 19.