New Kids on the Block

Curiosity alone was bound to make New Kids on the Block’s long-delayed reunion a financial success at the very least, but against the odds the reunion has turned the seminal boy band into commercial powerhouses once again. The group is enjoying the success of their high-charting comeback album The Block, a distinctly modern pop album that is much more adult (or, in their words, “sexified”) than the boyish bubblegum with which the quintet earned their fame. As if to stave off the inevitable middle-aged impotence jokes, the grown-up Kids have crafted a nasty, skeet-covered set of R&B pop. That ought to make for a curious live show: How, exactly, will New Kids on the Block pair the innocent, preteen-friendly hits of yore with their new songs about homemade pornography and stained sheets when they play the Bradley Center tonight at 8 p.m.?