Before the boy-band extravaganza, Carly Rae Jepsen also hit the stage for final day of the debut fest in Hershey, Pennsylvania. By Christina Garibaldi and Cory Midgarden 98 Degrees perform at the Mixtape Festival Photo: Cory Midgarden/ MTV News
Yes, those were screams you heard emanating from Rockefeller Plaza this morning. But, no, you weren’t hearing things regarding the reason why: They were in response to the reunion of 98 Degrees. For the first time in a decade, Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre gathered on stage and belted out a pair of hits for fans: “Because of You” and “I Do.” Referring to themselves as a “man band,” as opposed to a “boy band,” Drew Lachey explained the difference between performing now and performing in the group’s prime: “There’s back pain, throat pain, knee pain, ankle pain, hip pain. Our menu went from like steak and lobster to Metamucil and prune juice.” But the men will suck it up this weekend at the MixTape Festival in Hershey, PA, where they will be featured along with Aaron Carter, The Fray, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson and Carly Rae Jepsen . Watch 98 Degrees sing “Because of You” below. 98 Degrees on The Today Show
‘We all miss the rush of being onstage together,’ Nick Lachey tells Ryan Seacrest. By Jocelyn Vena 98 Degrees Photo: Back in April, Nick Lachey had the message “#neversaynever” for his fans after he shot down rumors that 98 Degrees would be hitting the road this summer. The excitement over a possible 98 Degrees reunion began to spread in late March after the band’s website was spruced up, leading fans to speculate that something greater was coming. Now, a few months later, the rumors seem to finally be coming true — in part, at least. The band just announced they will be reuniting for one show this summer. On Wednesday, Nick Lachey opened up to Ryan Seacrest about their plans to take the stage at the MixTape Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in August. “I think we’ve all been lucky in the 11 years since we last performed together to go on and do stuff individually. Drew [Lachey] was the winner of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 2, and I’ve gone and done some solo stuff. But there really is nothing like coming together as a unit, as a group, as a band, on the stage, and I think we all miss that. We all miss the rush of being onstage together, performing together, and certainly the fans have kind of been clamoring for it, so it just felt right,” he said. “We always said we were not broken up, we were just taking a break, and now it just seemed like the right time to put everything back together.” He also clarified his previous declaration that the band would not be getting together at all, despite the original spate of rumors. “I didn’t say we weren’t going to do it, but there was some speculation about a full tour happening this summer and our fans have been kind of eager to see us get back together,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure that they understood that a full tour wasn’t happening this summer, but obviously [I’m] very excited to announce that we’re doing this big festival in Hershey in August. So that will be our one and only appearance.” While brother Drew notes that they would have to be able to shuffle around their schedules in the right way to make dates outside of the MixTape Festival work, he added that this particular date felt like the right event to test out the waters for something bigger in the future. “We’re very excited about the opportunity, and we’ve been toying around with the idea for a couple years of ‘if we got back together, when would be the right scenario?’ ” he said. “And this music festival right here just kind of seemed like the right time to get back together and do a show and kick the tires and see how it feels.” Other boy bands on the lineup for the MixTape Festival include the Wanted, New Kids on the Block and New Kids/ Backstreet Boys mega-band NKOTBSB. Related Artists 98°
Move on over, Backstreet Boys. Slide over a bit, New Kids On the Block. There’s room in this recent boy band revival movement for one more. Pop group 98 Degrees is reuniting! The crew – Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, expectant father Nick Lachey and his brother, Dancing with the Stars winner Drew Lachey – is planning a 15-city tour. 98 Degrees was best known for their hits “Because of You” and “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche).” And for looking oh-so-cute in group shots like this: Rumors of the boy band’s reunion began Wednesday after the group’s website was updated for the first time in a decade, with a new design and logo.
Filed under: Nick Lachey , Who’d You Rather? Biological brothers and former 98 Degrees members Drew Lacey, 33 (left), and Nick Lachey, 36 (right), showed off their new tans in Miami on Thursday.Question is ..
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