New Kids on the Block play the Fillmore Miami Beach. (Photo by Sarah Mule)

On Thursday, The New Kids on the Block performed at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. Yes, really. The New Kids on the Block.

No, they’re no longer kids. Nor are they new. But in the eyes of the women who loved them 20 years ago, they’re still just as popular.

The New Kids, who were formed in Boston in 1984, consist of Donnie Wahlberg (actor and brother of Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre and brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight.

When The New Kids were at the height of their popularity in the early ‘90s, I was 6 years old. And I, like millions of other young girls around the world, bought into the hype, which included persuading my parents to spend a small fortune on New Kids merchandise.

I had T-shirts, dolls, the sleeping bag, watches, and the coolest acid-washed jean jacket that had all the New Kids’ names written in neon puffy paint. Oh yeah.

The New Kids were among the pioneers of the modern-day boy bands. They helped pave the way for an entire genre of music.

You don’t have to be a fan of their music or their style, but you can’t deny that these guys can sing. And for their fans, those voices had left an impression, a childhood timestamp.

And those same fans, now grown up, with jobs, husbands, kids and mortgages, packed the Fillmore waiting to spend an evening with the guys whose faces were plastered on their bedroom walls and lunchboxes.

The venue was small – no matter where you were, you could see – and really cool inside. It reminded me of the theatre from The Muppets. I almost expected to look up and see Statler and Waldorf.

Not only was the theatre intimate, it was general admission, so you could pick where you wanted to sit or stand.

My friend Melissa and I opted for the floor, a couple yards back from the stage with the intention of heading back to the seats after the show got underway, which we never ended up doing.

These guys took the stage and it was nothing like I had expected. Well, almost nothing. I kind of expected the dance moves and the kind of costume-y outfits, but I did not expect them to look the same or even sound the same. Which they did on both accounts. Nor did I expect to be so excited to be standing so close to Joey McIntyre. Which I was.

They performed a lot of their newer songs, which I didn’t even know existed. They’re definitely up-tempo, dance numbers, with suggestive lyrics and smooth choreographed dances.

Of course, what I and seemingly every other person in attendance was waiting for were the old songs. “Step by Step,” “Hangin’ Tough,” “Please Don’t Go Girl” were songs that for some people, were like snapshots of childhood.

And when the New Kids performed them, it was really like a musical time machine.

The highlight of the night, besides the guys coming down into the audience to sing “Tonight, Tonight,” was the “unplugged” session. A gauzy back-lit curtain, some chairs and a few acoustic guitars really showcased their vocals and New Kid Danny Wood’s prowess on the guitar.

After the mellow portion of the night, Joey, Donnie and Jordan each took the stage to perform solo.

Joey sang the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” while wearing a very small tuxedo jacket with no shirt on underneath. This sounds bizarre, but if you saw his abs, it would make perfect sense. Then Jordan did his Michael Jackson inspired bit, followed by Donnie’s almost iconic white- boy-rapper-from-Boston thing, with one of his solo songs, “I Got It.”

Though they, like their fans, have gotten a little bit older, the passion is still there. I really think these guys can recognize and appreciate the fun in what they’re doing, and the impact they’ve had on so many people.

Kelly Dean shows off her tattoo, forever displaying her love of the New Kids. (Photo by Sarah Mule)

Just ask fan Kelly Dean who drove all the way from Orlando to Miami to see the New Kids perform. “They’re better now than they were before,” she says.

Kelly would know. She counts herself among the ton of women who are superfans, having seen the New Kids in concert six times, and she has the tattoo to prove it. A 30th birthday present to herself, Kelly lets the world know how important these five guys are to her through the ink on her back.

Though not all fans are brave enough to declare their love for these guys so permanently, the practically sold-out crowd was in agreement that New Kids on the Block are still as entertaining now as they were 20 years ago.

We all are a little older, but that night, just for a couple hours, we were kids again. All that was missing was my acid-washed jean jacket.

Were you a fan? Who was your favorite New Kid?