The Intro...Last night, I relived my childhood, and I believe my 12 year old self would say this was the coolest experience EVER!!! My present self was just as enthusiastic. OMG! New Kids on the Block are BACK and better than ever!!! As my music tastes have grown (yet still enjoys the fun, poppy days of NKOTB), New Kids have grown with it AND kept the fun in their music!
Last Thursday, I received an email alerting me that this was my chance to see New Kids on the Block's final rehearsal at the House of Blues before their Today Show appearance. They were only allowing 200 people into the club, and it was on a "first come, first serve" basis. Some fan club members (including myself) would tend to disagree. Friends of ours who had RSVPed within minutes of our RSVPs were denied, and we got on the list. Sadly, my friend, Wendy, did not get in. I received my confirmation email around 10:20pm Monday night ~ omg, omg, omg, omg! When I saw Andrew later and told him the news, I couldn't help but jump up and down (and being an ex-cheerleader, these were HIGH jumps)! There was much buzz going around on the New Kids message boards of who was going, who wasn't, and a lot of us were going solo ~ only meaning that a lot of us would be making new friends. ;-)
All dolled up and somewhere to goI arrived at the House of Blues around 5pm (fortunately, finding a very close spot to the venue for my MINI where I wasn't ticketed or towed). Knowing that the doors were opening at 6:30, I suspected a line to be wrapped around the building; people getting there super early to claim their spot. I mean, heck, girls are already camping out in NYC for the guys' performance on Friday! To my surprise, the line wasn't long at all!
Driving through Hollywood to the club and while standing in line, yes, I was very excited to see my childhood idols, but I had NO IDEA how I would react once they were out on stage. How scream-y would I get? Well, I had to wait 3.5 hrs. to find out.
I started chatting with a few girls behind me ~ a couple of them who had come by themselves. Thank God I didn't keep to myself (not that I planned to), especially when I decided to head back to my car to drop off my phone (cell phones and cameras weren't allowed inside HOB), they started to check people in and get them lined up by the door! When I headed back, the line was moving ~ "crap!!!" I ran up the hill to catch up and look for my new friends. I found three of them, and fortunately, didn't piss off the girls I got in front of. While they were checking us in, checking bags, and giving us our million and one wristbands, I found out that they were only letting the first 50 confirmed fan club members to the orchestra/mosh pit. The guy wrapped the wristband on me and said "You'll get to see Joey McIntyre in all his glory!" How did he know Joe was my favorite?! ;-)
As I fell in line (again), I saw my new friend RIGHT AT THE DOOR!!! She waved me over, so I ran up and told the other girls that I was headed up there. My new friend was suddenly excited and talkative. Her name was Erica. Another girl in front of us had a sign that read "Thanks for the last 20 years!!!" on one side (don't remember what it said on the other), and she said "Oh my gosh! I'm SO excited for US!!! ALL of us!!!" They opened the doors, and we scurried inside.
6:30: Inside the House of BluesI couldn't believe it. We had our choice of where we wanted to stand...for a New Kids concert!!! You better believe it, I was right up at the stage!!! I had the chance to be front and center where the stage jutted out to a short catwalk, but I had a feeling that they would coming over more to the corners/sides (of the catwalk and end of the main stage). And so, I split the difference (haha), then wished that I did go front and center ~ ah, it was all good.
So...we had another 1.5 hrs. to wait...which turned into a little over 2 hrs. Erica and I chatted, ordered some Coronas (drinking at a New Kids concert?!), and shared stories of how people currently in our lives are calling us "dorks" (which we proudly live up to). Soon, a girl came up behind us, and apologized in advance if she screams and blows our ears out. We got to talking to her, and she was excited as can be to see the guys. I believe she said it was her first New Kids concert!
Passing time...and I chatted with another girl behind me. She pointed out that Lance Bass (from N*SYNC) was there, on the mezzanine level, directly in front of us. This happened to make a previous event make sense. Earlier, a group of girls screamed in unison: "We love you, Lance!!!" My first thought was "Uhh...wrong concert..."
To entertain ourselves, we tried to get a group sing-along together singing "The Right Stuff." We hoped for the entire mosh pit to do it - even getting the attention of the girl with the poster to get her side going - but we weren't very successful. We did, however, entertain the videographer so much that he began filming us. How funny if we end up on some NKOTB Reunited DVD one day!
Finally, 8:35 or 8:40pm arrives, and a DJ from KISS FM comes on stage asking if "we're ready" (oh, we've BEEN ready!), says the guys will be out in a few minutes, and they roll a video. The video, while hard to hear (because everyone was screaming at each and every new shot), had interviews with the guys, showed them at Donnie's house - which Joe claimed to be their "frat house" - showed them in the studio, showed them playing ping pong in their downtime, and more ping pong, and yes, more ping pong. They showed them with their kids (Donnie's and Danny's), and Joe's new baby boy (awww!!!).
The Show...er, *rehearsal*As soon as the video was over, the screen went up, the curtains open, and there they were! They started with a medley of their old songs, "Step by Step," "The Right Stuff," "Hanging Tough," and "Please Don't Girl." Mixed into that medley was the instrumental of one of their new songs, "Click Click Click." And yes, they danced. They still got it (the right stuff)! ;-) The great thing about their choreography was that alternated sides, giving equal time to all the fans. ;-) Next, they did their new single, "Summertime." Hot, hot, hot! Backup dancers also came out, and while they were good, New Kids seriously do NOT need backup dancers. The guys stepped off stage, and came back with a baby grand piano. Joe claimed it to be "the world's smallest baby grand piano," and it was really was ridiculously small! In the midst of all this, one of the girls I had talked to (who was front and center), handed a note to Donnie. And while she asked him not to read it out loud, he - of course - did! The note read that she and her husband had talked and agreed to one "freebie," would Donnie be hers? Joe said that he and his wife were working on the same sort of deal. ;-) haha... Leading into the next song, Donnie let us know that because ticket sales went so well on the east coast, they would be performing here in L.A. either late next summer or early fall. Well, of course! I don' t know why people were worried that they wouldn't come here. Apparently, they never came here for the Face the Music tour in 1994. So, their final song (with Jordan playing the world's smallest baby grand piano) was "Tonight." Perfect! Donnie took the girl's poster of "Thanks for the last 20 years!!!," held it up, the crowd cheered, set it next to the piano, the guys waved goodbye, and the curtain closed on the sign. As many times we chanted "Encore," "We want more!," and "New Kids! New Kids! New Kids!," that was really it. A glorious 20 minutes.
My personal fun highlightsI touched Donnie's shoe and legs twice. I touched Joe's shoe and leg once, and got a hold of his hand (and pinky) as he was going by touching our hands. Erica got 32 seconds of video footage until the security guard told her to put it away. We emailed today, and she told me that she just has to upload it, and she'll send me the link. I can't wait! :-) One of the girls I talked to went out to eat at Mel's Diner after the show and met Jon!!! He went up to their table to thank them for coming to the show and for their support, and she got her picture taken with him. One of Erica's friends actually hung out at HOB after the show and met Danny! I don't know WHY we didn't think of hanging around longer...darn it! I think just being that close to the stage and touching the guys overwhelmed me that much that I couldn't think there'd could be anything more!!! Also, the security guard said that the guys would probably hang out for a bit backstage, then go home...which I could totally see happening since I had been on the road with Andrew a few times, and I know that's what George Duke and his guys do! BUT if I had remembered the Buble shows at all, I would've known that it could be anything BUT! Oh well...
I had SUCH an amazing time and feel SO lucky to have been a part of that special event. I'm so happy to have met some really cool girls, too. It was a warm and inviting atmosphere. It's really awesome of the guys to do this for their fans. A free event for such a small, intimate crowd...when is that gonna ever happen again? The next time I see them, it will be in a huge stadium! I can only wish and hope to get seats where I won't have to use binoculars to see them!
Ahh...a memory I will cherish forever. :-)
