Wareham Native Will Open for New Kids on the Block at Fenway

The last time Wareham native Teddy Mathews was at America’s most beloved ballpark, he belted out a striking version of "The Star Spangled Banner" before the start of a Boston Red Sox game.

He just got another call to return to the park, only this time, Mathews was asked to open the Fenway show for Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood, better known as New Kids on the Block.

“Honestly, when I got the call, I thought it was a joke!” Mathews said. His manager, Johnny Alves – who goes professionally by Johnny Drama – told Mathews to get ready to open for New Kids on the Block, a group Drama helped start.

“It’s insane! I’m so incredibly excited! I feel every kid from around here dreams someday of playing Fenway Park," Mathews said. "I still can’t believe it. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. It feels other worldly.”

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Mathews is no stranger to the big stage. The 2015 Wareham High graduate was always known as "the little kid with the big voice" and was consistently everyone's requested performer for the national anthem. As he continued on with the advancement of his career, he eventually landed a spot on American Idol in 2018 and it's only been an upward trajectory since then.

Then as COVID-19 forced a lockdown of life and changed things for everyone, Mathews found himself with a pause in that trajectory. He had just finished a tour in February of 2020 and was on the verge of announcing the release of his then new single, "Downtime," but then the downtime caused by the pandemic gave Mathews a chance to reflect on things.

“I’ve had a lot of setbacks, but I figure everything happens for a reason," he said. "If the quarantine taught me anything, it was the power of persistence. If you constantly work hard at your craft, you’ll have a good outcome. Right now, I feel the stars are lining up for me.”

More than 35,000 old and new fans of New Kids on the Block will be introduced to the dynamic tunes of Teddy Mathews – although on the QT, he mentioned that aside from some of his original songs, he will also perform Bruno Mars’ "Finesse" and Michael Jackson’s "Remember The Time."

A large contingent of SouthCoast Teddy Mathews fans will be heading up to Fenway on August 6 to see our own musical star playing with Boston's hometown boy band.

“They’re coming! I have the greatest supporters and I want to give a big shout out to all my SouthCoast fans, who’ve been with me for over 10 years. I love you all, so much," Mathews said.