Donny Osmond surprises New Kids on the Block in Las Vegas for Donnie duet
Donny Osmond surprised the crowd at New Kids on the Block's Las Vegas residency on Saturday, Oct. 10, walking on stage to sing with his namesake Donnie Wahlberg.
The moment came during New Kids on the Block: The Right Stuff at Dolby Live at Park MGM, the group's Las Vegas residency, as reported by Billboard. Wahlberg was singing when Osmond walked up to the stage and put his arm around him. The room reacted at once.
Osmond told the crowd it was "two Donnies for the price of one." The two men then exchanged "I love you man" greetings. They stayed together centre stage for what came next.
They sang a duet of "I Need You." The song is the group's 1988 ballad from the album Hangin' Tough. Wahlberg and Osmond shared the vocal line in front of the residency audience.
The group later wrote online, "In true Vegas fashion, we welcomed the legendary [@donnyosmond] to the NKOTB stage last night!" Wahlberg added his own take on the name overlap. "Before there was Donnie, there was Donny!" he commented.
The appearance had been organised quietly a few days earlier. Member Joey McIntyre said he saw Osmond's Vegas show last Tuesday and the plan was hatched backstage. McIntyre said Osmond had just finished his own show on Saturday and ran over to the New Kids show in time for the surprise.
For fans in the room, it meant a one-song meeting of two pop eras with no prior announcement. The Donnie-Donny mix-up has long been a favourite talking point, and Saturday put both singers on one stage to play with it.
Osmond knows the Las Vegas residency circuit well. A residency is a run of shows fixed in one venue rather than a tour. He headlined a Las Vegas residency with sister Marie Osmond from 2008 to 2019, then started his own solo residency at Harrah's Showroom, where he has performed for five years.
That solo show continues at Harrah's Showroom at 7:30 PM Tuesday through Saturday, with dates slated through June 2027. McIntyre's account fits that schedule, with Osmond finishing his own set before crossing over to Dolby Live.
New Kids on the Block will wrap up their Las Vegas residency on Saturday, Oct. 17. The group's official site also lists shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Oct. 14 and Oct. 16, following earlier dates on Oct. 7, Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.
