New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul & Jazzy Jeff Play Star Lake (Wed., 6/19/24)

OK Gen Xer: The Pavilion at Star Lake is hosting a 1980s-’90s blowout with New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. These artists are not nearly as ancient as the boomer-era musicians still active. Abdul is the only one able to qualify for Social Security—she turns 62 on the day of the concert, so wish her a happy milestone—and all are primed to show that they’re hitting a new prime. New Kids on the Block, built around then-teenaged rapper Donnie Wahlberg, were credited with blazing the trail for many boy bands that followed. Their Magic Summer mega-tour traveled the globe from 1990 into ‘92—and then they disbanded in 1994. But NKOTB reunited in 2008 and are now touring in support of their new album Still Kids. Paula Abdul had a meteoric early career, triggered by her 7x platinum debut album Forever Your Girl in 1988. Over the years she’s emerged as a multitalented star, with stints as a dancer/choreographer, a judge on TV talent shows, and of course a topnotch vocalist. DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) was once a youthful block-party sensation in Philadelphia. Teaming with his famous buddy Will Smith, he acted on Smith’s NBC-TV sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” while scoring hip-hop hits with him as part of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. These days, the ebullient Jazzy Jeff is mostly Just Jeff, and that’s plenty. Catch NKOTB, Abdul, and Jeff all on one sonic stage at Star Lake. 7 p.m. 665 PA Rt. 18, Burgettstown. (M.V.)

Paula Abdul backstage at the The X Factor in 2011. photo: Alison Martin and Wikipedia.

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