Joey McIntyre said on Carnegie Hall show ‘it was hard not to get emotional’

In the summer of 1985, 12-year-old Joey McIntyre climbed the creaking stairs of an old three-story brick building in Roxbury, Massachusetts, stood in the middle of a bright orange shag rug, and uttered without hesitation, “LOVE ‘ sang. A classic by Frank Sinatra — a classic he’s been singing around the house for as long as he can remember.

Nearly 38 years later, McIntyre, now 50, has entertained and moved audiences throughout his music career, including taking the stage to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall in New York City and once again performing Sinatra’s “LOVE.” led me on a journey. Like the day he first auditioned in front of producer Maurice Starr and became the fifth and final member of boy band phenomenon New Kids on the Block.

“To say I’ve come a long way feels like a huge understatement,” says McIntyre, speaking with PEOPLE the day after his debut performance at Carnegie Hall on Jan. 14. “I remember singing Sinatra songs in front of them in Maurice’s living room when I was a kid. And now, many years later, I’m on stage at Carnegie singing, and I’m so grateful for a room full of love from my friends, family, and fans.”

But this night, McIntyre TRUE I understood what it meant to be there in the moment. His setlists include solos, his hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, shows, his tunes, and covers. showed his range as.

“I didn’t want to be like, ‘This is my life’ all night, but it’s hard not to because there are so many important moments and people who have allowed me to be here. is,” he says.

“The whole night was so present. I think it was about trying not to feel it,” says McIntyre.

The star stars in the Off-Broadway production of ’90s teen idol Debbie Gibson (who reimagined her 1989 hit “Lost in Your Eyes” as a duet), her Broadway-era co-star, evil waitress When Tick, tick… boom!, And members of his own family, including sister Carol Gallagher and 15-year-old son Griffin, played piano as a duo and sang McIntyre’s solo hit “Stay the Same.”

“It was a really proud dad moment for me,” says McIntyre, who shares sons Griffin and Rhys, 13, and daughter Kira, 11, with wife Barrett. You know what they say the only way to get to the hall is practice, practice, practice? Well, that kid practiced, practiced, practiced and he showed it.”

One of the night’s biggest surprise announcements was when McIntyre brought NKOTB bandmate Donnie Wahlberg on stage to sing another Sinatra classic for an audience full of blockheads. .

“It was incredibly special. I wanted Donnie to sing ‘One for My Baby’ because I knew it was something special, different and important to me. “It’s not like stepping up and singing a song like that,” McIntyre says.

Following Wahlberg’s performance, McIntyre brought all members of NKOTB — Wahlberg, Danny Wood, brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight — to the stage to perform their hit song “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”. ‘, ‘Please Don’t Go Girl’, and a personal ‘Happy Birthday’ serenade to celebrate McIntyre’s 50th birthday in December.

“We’re five and busy, so I tried to be lighthearted about asking them to go there, and taking us on a tour is a big deal. If it’s a one-off, it’s not necessarily It’s not easy.So I started with Donnie and then I asked.Everyone else said yes,” said McIntyre, who performed with NKOTB on the band’s Mixtape 2022 tour last summer. “I suspect the roof had come off the hinge when it came up. The place was crazy.”

“I couldn’t have imagined a night like this without them,” he says.

Throughout the performance, McIntyre says she made a point of allowing her to “indulge in the feeling of the night” — even if it meant shedding a few “happy tears” on stage.

“It was hard not to get emotional there. There were times when I couldn’t contain it and was squeezing out the words,” he says. “I expected it because that is how I do it, but I wanted to give myself the space to feel it. Please give it to

As for what’s next, McIntyre said her performance at Carnegie felt like a “kickoff” for her plans to make the 50th anniversary even more special.

“I’ve been telling my friends that I want to do 50 shows this year, so it’s 50-50,” Starr says, though he admits plans aren’t finalized yet. We’re just doing things, we’re working on it day by day, but I think everything will come together very quickly.”

“It’s good to have goals and work towards what’s important to you,” says McIntyre, the upcoming star of Lifetime’s latest VC Andrews tale. breaking dawn“It may sound clichéd, but it’s about journeys. It’s a gift, allowing you to create and work on something with the people you love. It’s what we want in life.” It’s really like, “Hey, you did it!” ”

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