The Gulf War had just gotten underway this week back in 1991, and so did the Rock in Rio 2 festival, a 10-day musical extravaganza in sunny Brazil that featured the likes of Run-DMC, Billy Idol, INXS and Guns N' Roses, at the top of their game and playing their first gig with drummer Matt Sorum (in what would be the first of many, many, many, many lineup changes for that band).

Despite the festive atmosphere, the artists in attendance had the Mideast conflict on their minds. "We think prayers are needed because I think it's all in God's hands right now," said Run of Run-DMC. "Because as you can see, the war is still going on and we gotta pray, like Hammer said, 'just to make it today,' " he continued, referring to the 1990 song "Pray" by the popular balloon-panted rapper.

The MTV staff in Rio reported that sleep was not always easy to come by at their hotel because of the constant screams of hundreds of young fans gathered outside the hotel for boy band New Kids on the Block, who were staying there at the same time. The model for today's popular boy groups (troupe of young guys who can dance in sync, don't play instruments, with one member who vaguely resembles a "bad boy"), NKOTB had legions of hyperventilating fans known as "Blockheads." Eleven years ago this week, some of them spoke out about their passionate devotion to Donnie, Jordan, Joey, Danny and Jon (sigh).

Yesenia (Fan): When they left for London, we followed them to the airport and we went on the roof to see them.

Megan (Fan): We're up against the fence screaming, "Donnie, Joey," and everyone's up against the fence and there was barbwire across the top.

I ripped my shirt and I scratched my leg like all the way up my leg and got like cuts all over me and I was on the runway and the cops were like, "Come here!"

John Norris: I guess there's not much you'd stop at for New Kids.

Megan: No, no. Definitely, if someone tried to shoot them, I'd definitely, definitely jump in front of the bullet.

(Incidentally, a few years later MTV News caught up with some old New Kids fans, including Megan, to see whether they still worshipped the group. Megan had gotten really into Alice in Chains instead.)

Recently, the band Anthrax were faced with the fact that the name of their group had become a bit, well, problematic in the wake of the terrorist anthrax attacks. This week back in 1991, the hair metal band Slaughter were in a similar kind of pickle, where their name suddenly became kind of gross-sounding in light of the Gulf War. The group behind the 1990 hits "Up All Night" and "Fly to the Angels" was forced to ditch its European tour when the band name prompted not only the cancellation of some radio interviews but also bomb threats.

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