IT WILL ALWAYS BE GREAT WOODS TO ME: Hangin’ Tough in Mansfield (NKOTB '90)
The NKOTB '90 Edition
Take a breath, put down the combat boots, and grab your loudest neon scrunchie. Before the metalheads claimed the Mansfield mud, there was a different kind of mania sweeping through the pine trees of southeastern Massachusetts.
Welcome back to another deep dive in our series: IT WILL ALWAYS BE GREAT WOODS TO ME. This time, we’re setting the Delorean to June 1990. The venue didn't belong to a bank, and it definitely didn't belong to a telecom giant. For a few wildly sweaty nights, Great Woods belonged strictly to five kids from Dorchester.
The Gates of Hormonal Heaven
Let’s paint the picture. You’re sitting in the backseat of a wood-paneled station wagon idling on I-495. The humidity is already hitting 90%, and the scent of Aqua Net hairspray inside the car is a legitimate fire hazard. As you finally inch off the highway, you are greeted by the holy grail: the iconic dark brown wooden Great Woods sign.
The white, clean, serifed lettering sat atop a structural archway that felt like a portal. It was the final barrier between the mundane reality of the Massachusetts suburbs and a sanctuary of live music. Once you passed those stone pillars and heavy fencing, the chaos of Route 140 vanished. You had made it.
The Kiss 108 Fever Dream
Forget everything you thought you knew about a standard pop concert. June 2, 1990, wasn't just a regular tour stop; it was the legendary Kiss 108 11th Anniversary Concert benefiting the Genesis Fund. New Kids on the Block were riding the absolute peak of their Magic Summer Tour, supporting the monster blockbuster album Step by Step.
But here is where the story gets completely unhinged. The Dorchester boys weren't alone. They were headlining a radio festival lineup that reads like a musical fever dream. Imagine Jordan and Joey hanging out backstage in the Mansfield woods with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Picture MC Hammer doing the running man near the concession stands. Bell Biv DeVoe was there warning Massachusetts that "that girl is Poison," while Smokey Robinson and the "Queen of Disco" Donna Summer brought actual royalty to the pines.
THE 1990 STAT SHEET
- The Event: Kiss 108's 11th Anniversary Concert (Benefiting the Genesis Fund)
- The Era: The Magic Summer Tour (where NKOTB cemented massive teen idol status)
- The Lineup Blender: Aerosmith, MC Hammer, Bell Biv DeVoe, Smokey Robinson, Donna Summer, Eddie Money, Go West, Seduction, and NKOTB protégés Perfect Gentlemen and Rick Wes.
Structural Integrity vs. Parachute Pants
Inside the pavilion, the original Great Woods aesthetic was defined by those massive, gorgeous wooden trusses. These exposed beams supported the roof of the stage, providing a rustic, organic contrast to the blinding lighting rigs and high-energy hip-hop dancers taking over the stage.
Because this was a packed radio festival, NKOTB didn't bring their full two-hour, trapeze-swinging, disappearing-act solo production. Instead, they delivered a condensed, high-octane setlist designed to completely level the venue. Those wooden beams vibrated violently. But it wasn't just the bass lines testing the structural integrity of the roof—it was the sheer sonic force of 15,000 fans screaming the lyrics to "TONIGHT" and "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)."
For the fans lucky enough to be in the front sections, watching the boys tear through "Step by Step" and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" framed against the dark wood of the pavilion roof remains a core memory. For the thousands more out on the sloping lawn, sitting on damp blankets in the muggy summer air, it was the night pop, rock, and R&B collided perfectly in the Mansfield woods.
Rep The Local Glory
Whether you were dropping off your screaming teenager, doing the running man with MC Hammer, or you were the one losing your voice in section 3, you survived the 1990 Mansfield traffic jam, and that deserves recognition.
📼 THE BLOCKHEAD BOUTIQUE 📼
You can't buy back your 1990 cassette collection, but you can rock the original venue name with pride. Grab our official "It Will Always Be Great Woods" gear and show the world you had The Right Stuff.
SOUND OFF: Were you there for the Kiss 108 Concert in June 1990? Did you see Aerosmith and NKOTB on the same day? Drop your best memories (and confess how much hairspray you used) in the comments below!