New Kids On The Block Visit Patients At Seacrest Studios Charlotte

Video by Intern, Isabella Branham 

Blog Post by Intern, Robert Rubino 

New Kids On The Block took time from The Total Package Tour to hang in Seacrest Studios at Levine Children's Hospital. 

Since the band is originally from New England, they all agree that the south brings true “southern hospitality” along with the hustle and bustle of a big city. From north to south and coast to coast, NKOTB agrees that one of the most important things you can do while traveling is learning the culture from the people. Whether you wind up in a big city like Pittsburgh or a small town in Utah, everyone will have an interesting story that can connect people together with similarities or differences. 

Since their most recent album, Thankful, released in May, it only seemed fitting to go around the room and have the boys share what they were all thankful for. It turned out that great minds do think alike, and two members voted “family” while the other two voted for “the present.” When asked to elaborate, Danny and Jordan expressed their gratitude in being able to see or talk to their family between tours or recordings. Joe and Donnie both agreed that being able to “live in the now” must come in handy when the “adult world” becomes chaotic and stressful. 

Taking a trip to the past, Joe and Danny were asked what their favorite childhood memories were and both shared what their favorite Christmas presents were. Joe recalled quite nostalgically about the day he walked into the dining room and seeing the ventriloquist doll he had been wanting for the past few months while Danny remembered receiving a Godzilla figure that he still keeps to this day. 

Before the times of Twitter and other forms of social media, the band mentioned how they would spend the whole day replying back to letters they received from their fans. However, letters definitely hold their own sort of charm to them since everyone’s handwriting is unique and receiving a handwritten letter from your favorite boy band is something anyone would always treasure. 

Before leaving the guys were asked about advice for any of the patients going through tough times. Without hesitation, Jordan reminded Seacrest Studios that “children are stronger than we think” and are “much more accepting of tough situations" and that was inspiring. It was great to see that NKOTB had not lost their childlike wonder and reminded Levine Children’s Hospital to be “thankful” for every minute that ticks by.