CONCERTS

In case you were wondering what this year's official summer jam might be, wonder no more: A few days ago, People unveiled a taste of New Kids On the Block's comeback single, "Summertime," and as the title suggests, it is indeed all about the summertime, or, perhaps more accurately, meeting hot chicks in the summertime. Some of our favorite lines include, "I played it cool / The weather was hot / You had the beauty and the beach on lock" and "You wasn't lookin' for a man / When you saw me in the sand / But you fell for a boy from the city," and (here's the best one) "I was like, 'Hey girl, can i getch' yo' number?'" NKOTB plays the Meadowlands' Izod Arena on Sept. 23. (Pre-sale is on now, public sale starts Monday.) [On Sale: Monday, May 12]

The Smoking Popes never hit it much bigger than having one great song ("Need You Around") on the soundtrack to Clueless. But as far as '90s power pop bands go, it doesn't get much better. They play The Blender Theater at Gramercy on July 5. [On Sale: Friday, May 9 at noon]  read more »

We're actually not sure if Babs ever made it, but from the sound of this "event report," Corcoran CEO Pam Liebman was definitely in control of the festivities.

"Liebman then commanded everyone to “have the best time ever,” at which point New Kids on the Block’s “Hangin’ Tough” blared through the room. An intentional goof, the music stopped as soon as Liebman declared that the song did not belong at the party, and she needed the emperor to bring out a new DJ. Soon the emperor emerged (another actor), followed by a troupe of dancers, as the DJ switched the soundtrack to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Then dancers dressed in Roman garb performed onstage, and the guards handed out red feather fans to the Corcoran employees."