It was that time again, a New Kids On The Block concert. I missed their last one when they were with Backstreet Boys because they didn't come to Denver and I didn't have money to travel. This time 98 Degrees and Boys II Men were with them. I'm not really a huge fan of them but I do like some of there songs. Anyways, my dad had got me the ticket a few months ago because I didn't have the money. It was my b-day gift since my b-day is next week. For some reason ticketmaster wouldn't let me just buy a ticket, I had to get a VIP if I wanted a ticket. My dad could only afford the lowest one which was $200. I didn't know where I was going to be sitting until I got to the venue and got my ticket. I was nervous that I would get a bad seat. You see the ticket was for any section on the floor and in the first 12 rows. I got to the venue early hoping to beat the crowd. Well the line was small and it was for the higher end VIP's. I was still able to get my ticket, I just had to wait until 6:30 to actually go in. It was a long wait (4:30-6:30) but it wasn't too bad and I was second in line. It made it easier for me to get my program because there was no crowds. I can't deal with heavy crowds. I walked around the venue looking at the different things they had on the wall. I then decided to get my $4 water (normal size and they keep the freakin caps!) and a bag of popcorn because it was the cheapest food and I needed a little snack. Then I went to look for my seat. I had an idea of how close I was due to someone standing in line showing me the seating chart. When I got to me seat, I was so freakin excited. I was 3 rows behind the circle/main stage! There was 2 stages, the one that never moves then the catwalk to a round stage which is where they were most of the time. I have never been so close to the stage before at a concert. Technically it was more than 3 rows back because there was the security area where the high end VIP's got to be, the guard rail then the rows behind it. Either way, it ws freakin awesome and I would finally get to see them up close. It was annoying though that sometimes when certain stage lights would come on, it would shine right in my face. I guess that's how artist feel every time they go on stage. A little after 7:30, Boys II men came on. They sang all of their older hits which was good because those are the ones I really like.
On bended knee water runs dry I'll make love to you Yesterday End of the road Mowtownphilly I was hoping they would sing 'A song for mama' (I think that's the title). During 'I'll make love to you', they tossed and handed out roses. It was pretty cool seeing them sing some of my favorites. Immediately after they got off stage, 98 Degrees came on. I thought there would be an intermission but there wasn't. Thing is, I don't know what they sang. I don't know most of their songs but they did sing some that I do like but don't know the names of them (I got the list from the web when I searched for the set list on everyone). I knew Nick was pretty cute but I didn't realize how hot the 2 other ones were until I saw them and saw them up close. :P Even though I am not a huge fan of them, they put on a good show. They even had a few girls up on stage to sing to them and be "romantic" with them. That was funny and entertaining to watch. After they were done, there was intermission. This was my chance to use the bathroom. I got back just in time because less than a min after I sat down, New Kids came on. 98 Degrees set list: Give me just one night Girls night out Invisible night The hardest thing Ayo My everything Can't get enough I do (the song they serenaded) Impossible things Because of you Microphone They were absolutely amazing. The best concert so far except for maybe my very first concert that I saw back in the 80's. They were all over the place and did spend a lot of time on the round/main stage. They sang old, new and some that wasn't even their songs. I was hoping they would sing their new song 'Crash'. I really love that song. They did some interacting with the audience, goofing with each other, Danny did breakdancing, Donnie and Jordan took their shirts off, there was huge balloons floating around during their song 'Summer time', sometimes the round stage would go up with them or just Jordan, there were little side sections by the main stage they would take them up above the crowd (one for each guy) and Donnie did what he does every night on this tour, give a girl that seats in the expensive VIP a very big kiss during the song single. These kisses last for a bit and always has him on the stage floor and having every Donnie girl wish that was her. Right before they came out, there were words going across the screens that they said: "I do hereby pledge to spend the next two hours having the time of my life. I will leave all the drama, all my worries and all my fears behind me. I promise to celebrate tonight like there is no tomorrow. For this is my night! I worked hard for this night. I earned this night. I deserve this night! And together...We own tonight! Now let's get this damn thing started!" (It is in the program and that's how I remember what was said) Then they came out singing 'We own tonight'. What was also cool to see was Jonathan singing his solo part. He never has before since he has social anxiety but he did it. I am so proud of him for being able to get up there and do it. Here are the songs they sang: We own tonight Block party Summertime The right stuff The whisper Survive you Didn't I blow your mind Valentine girl If you go away Please don't go girl Remix Single Melody: I'll be there (Jackson 5), Tender love, Click click click Melody: Faith (George Michael), Kiss (Prince), Sexy and I know it, Hot in here Dirty Dancing Step by step Cover girl Games Tonight I'll be loving you forever Hangin tough It was an amazing night and had low hearing for only a couple of days. I want to do it again. The few minuses: the cost of food and water (this will always be a minus. I get tired of being ripped off but what are you going to do especially if you need food and water), some girl in front watched most of the concert through her phone even though they were right there (taking some photos etc is fine but I would rather watch what is right in front of me), another girl that was in the row in front of me was tall and kept having her arms in the air (a lot) which made it hard for me to see and the way the VIP's are done. It's crazy and a little too much. It starts at $200 and goes to $1000. I think it's unfair to a lot of fans to do this way. Mine was the lowest, a floor seat and a gift. The gift was a nice NKOTB tote bag with a mini portable speaker in it. Whoever designed these VIP packages are just money hungry and don't care about fans. I will pretty much leave it at that, I can go on about this issue. Overall, I had an awesome time. :) Below are a couple of videos one having some of the photos that I took. WARNING: THE SLIDESHOW HAS VIDEO CLIPS THAT HAS VERY LOUD SOUND WHEN THEY COME ON. I COULDN'T TURN THOSE DOWN. SO WATCH YOUR EARS WHEN YOU GO FROM QUIET MUSIC THAT I ADDED TO THE VIDEO CLIPS THAT IS WAY TOO LOUD. 'I'll Be There'
Video montage of the whole concert (photos and video clips)
I will not be writing this from a fan's point of view but from a view of seeing the music world. Boy bands (I actually hate this term but it sounds better than boy group) have been around for centuries but in different forms. There was The Beatles (which was actually a band), The Osmands, Jackson 5, Beach Boys and so on. Those were the bands from my parents generation. In my generation there was New Kids On The Block. The following generations were Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, N'sync, Hanson and so on. For every generation, there is and always will be a boy band (now I sound like the opening of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'; Can you say nerd much?). The only difference between all these groups is the type of music. As each generation changes, so did the music, how these groups perform, look etc. Back in the late 80's early 90's, all I heard was bad talk about NKOTB (mostly from guys). I wonder, was it like this with the boy bands from the past or is it a thing now? Why throw out negative comments about boy bands? I just don't get it. NKOTB have come back, well actually they have been back for awhile but they just put out another album called '10'. Sometimes I still hear talk like, "they are still around? More like old men on block. Ewwww new kids" and so on. I also hear the same things I heard back in the day about how they don't play their own instruments, they don't write their own songs, they can't dance, they lip sync, they can't sing. I never understood the comments and I still don't. Not every singer writes their own songs (now NKOTB do write songs), not everyone has to play an instrument (although the term "band" does indicate instruments which is why I hate the term boy band but there isn't any other name that sounds good), they don't lip sync, so they are not the best dancers but most singers are average dancers unless the dancing is just as big of the performance as the singing and I will admit, they are not the best singers (I cringe saying it since I am a huge fan) but they are still pretty good and a hell of a lot better than a lot of artist out there. When I hear comments or see that they are too old to be singing, to old to be dancing around and to be called New kids, I don't get it. What about The Beach Boys? They are grown men, still preform and yet they have the word 'Boys' in their name? There are so many singers out there that are well in their 50's and still make music. Everyone has their own taste in music. Music makes people feel a certain way and certain music doesn't apply to everyone. Doesn't make them bad singers. I just don't understand why so many people hate on boy bands or even on people like Justin Bieber. How many boy bands can go their separate ways, come back 20 years later and still hit it pretty hard? Not many and yet NKOTB has done it. I guess I will never know why boy bands from my generation and today get so much negative attention. I do know it gets pretty old. If boy bands (or any singer for that matter) can make people happy and make money, what is the harm? Why does so much negativity have to be thrown around? Why is it the older generation boy bands don't get so much negativity like ours do? What is music to one persons ears, is crap to another which is fine. Not everyone is going to like their music. Why I like NKOTB? I like the way it makes me feel. I like different types of music. They make me feel different things. NKOTB is my fun, let loose, feeling free, escaping from the stress of everyday life. Watching them on stage, well I'm a straight female who doesn't mind watching five guys on stage (just like men watching girls). I know this won't stop the feud but I needed to express it and just question it. I mean shouldn't we be discussing and worrying about more important things than "Oh my God they're still around"?
I have a lot of things on my mind that want to come out but for now I will write about my second New Kids On The Block concert that I ever went to. First off, what got me to write this was going through my scrapbooks. I cam across the ticket stub for the second one I ever went to which was called 'Magic summer tour'. I wish I had the stub for my very first New Kids Concert but I didn't see it. At some point I will have to write about that one (I know a little backwards but what the hell).
My friend and I heard that the New Kids were coming to town and we just HAD to get those tickets. Her mom took us to a near by record store that were selling the tickets. We weren't to far back in line so we thought we had a chance to get floor seating. When she came back to where we were waiting with the tickets, we had the nose bleed seats. First of all, this concert was going to be held at the Oakland stadium so that made our seats waaaaay back across the field and up a ways. She said that the seats that were on the ground were all taken already. They went to radio stations, family etc. Even then the ticket people were screwing the customers. There is a part of me though that there were other seats available but maybe she didn't want to pay the money for them or she thought the seats we got would have been better. Don't really know since she went up alone (she had my money for my ticket)
The day comes and I was so excited. We get there and realized just how bad our seats were but meh what the hell. They did have big screens so everyone could see what was going on but it was like watching tv. It was pretty hard to see or understand what was going on but that fact that I was there was still cool. The only thing I really remember was Joe holding onto the microphone stand and his feet lifted up so it was like he was laying on his side singing while holding onto the stand. That's all that I really remember.
Not much of a story but it is a memory that I thought I would blog for the hell of it. I love looking back at things and periods of not only my life but how things were when I was growing up & how much things have changed or not changed. Sorry this blog is just kinda there. I do have other things in mind that I want to blog about but it is just hard to find the time to sit down and right them. Take care. :-)
