Not a Rickroll: Rick Astley, New Kids on the Block, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue coming to Rupp
The 80s will return to Lexington next spring: A quartet of musical acts will play Rupp Arena on June 26, as part of The MixTape Tour 2022.
Headlining the concert will be New Kids on the Block with Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley and En Vogue.
Tickets will go on sale Oct. 8 through Ticketmaster.com. For information on VIP packages and NKOTB fan club pre-sales, go to nkotb.com.
The MixTape Tour 2022 will kick off a 50-plus date tour May 10 in Cincinnati, with stops in Nashville and Atlanta before ending in July in Washington, D.C.
This follows the MixTape Tour in 2019 that was a commercial and critical success, grossing more than $53.2 million, according to a release.
“We had a blast out on the first MixTape Tour in 2019, and can’t wait to take it to another level with our fans on the MixTape Tour 2022,” Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block said in the news release. “Just like a mixtape, these shows are going to take audiences through all the emotions. To be able to have Salt-N-Pepa come back and now also have the iconic and legendary Rick Astley & En Vogue join the tour… we could not be more excited. Let’s GO!”
NKOTB will perform fan favorite hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step” while tour mates Salt-N-Pepa (“Push It,” “Shoop,” “Whatta Man”), Rick Astley (“Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go (Love),” “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Hold On”) continue the super-sized show.
All the acts have seen a resurgence in popularity, particularly Astley, who has developed a following on YouTube and TikTok for song covers. His “Never Gonna Give You Up” video, which came out in the late 1980s, became famous to new generations as an Internet prank called Rickrolling, where you think you’re clicking on one thing but end up with his video.
