As Katy Perry dismounts the giant, animatronic cat she rode into the Super Bowl XLIV halftime show, some television audiences are just eager to get through the final minutes of play. Step by step, they're losing their collective attention span for puppy commercials, low scores, and snack stadium demolition. For those viewers, the Internet has put forth a gift from the depths of halftime-show archives: the New Kids on the Block circa 1991.
Performing in front of some kind of model U.N. of confused-looking children, the boys from Boston bring it like every '90s-reared patriot remembers. Aside from generally being squeal-inducing on all kinds of levels, (Winnie the Pooh was there?!) this concert was also the first time celebrities entertained America during a Super Bowl halftime show. It was also the same year as Whitney Houston's iconic national anthem performance. (Why was 1991 so amazing?)
The crowd of kids was actually military children whose parents were serving in the Gulf War at the time, and they joined together to sing "It's a Small World After All" as NKOTB's opening act. Point being, this performance was touching well before Jordan Knight's tufted mop bounded on stage. That was just the point at which it out-emotionaled that McDonald's commercial from tonight's first quarter that definitely didn't make this writer cry.
Watch the song and dance above, and consider spending the rest of the evening finding your long-since donated NKOTB tees on eBay. Or, you know, catching the game. Totally up to you.
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