Donnie Wahlberg and NKOTB Talk Music Industry Changes at AMAs 2026

This past weekend, fans said a temporary goodbye to Donnie Wahlberg and the cast of Boston Blue after an intense Season 1 finale. And while it might be some time before we see Wahlberg on screen again, that doesn’t mean he isn’t busy. In fact, he just made an exciting appearance at the American Music Awards on May 25, where he and New Kids on the Block performed “You Got It (The Right Stuff).”

NKOTB talk music at the American Music Awards 2026

Just yesterday, Wahlberg was joined by his New Kids on the Block bandmates on the carpet of the American Music Awards, and the multi-talented actors and singers talked music and the way the industry and listening has changed over the years.

“There were gatekeepers. There was a door you could knock on. There was a hallway you could wait in. Now, in my opinion, it’s just all over the place. And there’s good and bad to both of it. But at least we knew where to go. You had to go to New York or L.A. and pound the pavement,” said Joey McIntyre on the industry.

“The famous line when we were kids and for older people is ‘In my day, we had to walk 20 miles in snow to school.’ Well, guess what? In our day, you had to get out and go to a record store, either on the subway or a car or walk,” reflected Donnie Wahlberg.

“You had to go through major effort to buy a record or cassette. There was no hit a switch while you’re lying in bed waking up in the morning. You had to put major effort. For us, we had to go to downtown Boston to find a record store, and it was like a two-hour ordeal just to get there and back, plus an hour to shop around. It’s totally different nowadays, but now we can say, ‘In our day, you had to work to go get someone’s music!’”

While we wait for Boston Blue Season 2, you can get your Donnie Wahlberg fix through a Season 1 rewatch, a New Kids on the Block listening party, or, if you’re looking to make the trip, at one of his live shows apart of the New Kids on The Block: The Right Stuff Las Vegas Residency taking place this summer. For more information, visit the website here.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 3:03 PM.