Sorry- but it's too funny not to!

Beyond the obvious

I'm going to go ahead and warn you in advance that this is yet another New Kids inspired post. It is also going to be long and I completely understand if you are not a fan and don't want to continue reading. I will ask you to reconsider the decision just this once because this post is actually more for you than for my fellow fans, but I will still understand if you choose to go. I promise there will be plenty of non- NKOTB posts in the future, and I hope that you stick around to see them.

I am writing this post because for some odd reason, I just feel the need to explain exactly what it is that makes me so smitten with them. I have always had a difficult time dealing with the haters. People like my husband who simply hear the words "New Kids On The Block" and cringe. The ones who have decided that they are automatically going to hate everything about them, without ever even listening or giving them a chance...just because of who they are.

I don't think that it's just because I like them so much. I think that it's the close-minded attitude that bothers me the most. I don't understand how anyone can be so negative about something they know absolutely nothing about.

I have certainly been guilty of it myself over the years. For a long time I had an extreme prejudice against country music. I had it in my head that all country music was whiny and that all country singers had an annoying nasal twang. I was particularly hardened against Randy Travis. Then one day my sister told me that there was this song that she wanted to sing at my wedding and she wanted me to listen to it...and then she told me that it was Randy Travis. My immediate reaction was "Hell no!"- but then I decided to give her a chance. She played the song for me and I loved it. I'm not saying that I became a country music convert on the spot, because I definitely didn't. I still don't really listen to country, but I am open to the possibility of enjoying it. I guess I really just want other people to do the same for my favorite boys from Boston, because I really feel like they deserve it.

I'm really not asking anyone to love them the way that I do. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, and that is one of my favorite things about life. How boring would it be if we were all exactly alike? All I want is for people to give them a break. They are totally different from what they were 20 years ago. The music really isn't even similar.

I absolutely believe that there are still going to be a LOT of people who totally hate the new stuff. I understand that, and I accept it. I'm not asking anyone to like it, I just want people to give it a chance. I honestly believe that if you played many of the songs from the new CD on the radio without telling anyone who it was, there would be a bunch of people who would love it who would have said they hated it if they knew who it was ahead of time. Personally, I like the new stuff. Most of it is not particularly deep, so if that's what you're into you probably won't like it. If you're looking for something lighthearted and fun... give it a listen. You might be surprised.

Now that I've gotten the preaching out of the way, let's move on to my original purpose...explaining what it is that I love about them.

As I stated in a previous post, for me it is more about the people than it is about the music.

As with most things- it all started with a first impression. I saw them perform Please Don't Go Girl on Don't Just Sit There...my early-teen hormones went into overdrive and I was completely smitten. Eventually it turned into much more than that. During the early 90's you couldn't walk 2 steps without running into something New Kids related. One of the benefits of this (for fans) was that there was more to the hype than just products. There were constant interviews with the guys, both on TV and in magazines. Plus they kept releasing the "behind the scenes" mass-produced videos. We fans really felt like we got to know who they were as people. They have always been very silly and open with us. I'm sure part of that was due to the fact that they were just teenagers themselves. They just wanted to have fun!

I really identified with their positive attitudes and their ability to remain "normal" people throughout the chaos. I wanted to know everything I could about them because they seemed so kind and genuine. The concerts were the best thing in the world to me because the 5 of them have always had this unbelievable ability to connect with the audience. I will never forget the moment during the one concert I went to when I swear Joe looked right at me and laughed at me even though I was in the nosebleeds. I saw a recent interview with them in which they say that they hated it when they got so huge and started playing stadiums. It wasn't fun for them because they lost the ability to really connect with the crowd.

I have to admit that I was never one of the fans just dying for them to reunite. It's not that I didn't want to see them back together, I just didn't want to see them make a mockery of themselves. Coming back on any terms but their own or without new material would have been a disaster. I am very happy and proud that they stayed true to themselves and didn't sell themselves out.

I would not be a fan if they had reunited under any other circumstances but the current ones. The way that they have handled the reunion and themselves has proved to me that everything I have always believed about them is true. They really are just 5 regular guys trying to have some fun and put on a good show in the process. Even with all of the fame and fortune and craziness- they never lost what it is that makes them so special.

This post started to form last night as I was reading posts on the NKOTB forum. There was this one post that asked about Joe's blue eyes. The question got me thinking about the day that I "met" him. I started thinking about the moment that he looked up at me (I can still see the expression on his face clear as day in my mind) and what it was about that look that made me weak in the knees. The smile was unbelievably sexy and the color of his eyes is definitely striking, but it was more than just that. It wasn't the way his eyes looked that did it- it was the way his eyes looked at me. He really locked eyes with me in a way that let me know he was really seeing me and that he cared.

I don't think that you get that with many people. I'm not even just talking about celebrities. I think it is unusual to find that even just talking to people that you see every single day. Most people are so caught up in themselves that they don't take the time to truly connect with people when they are talking to them. We have a tendency to only half-listen to each other. I think that it is especially unusual for a celebrity to be able to maintain that ability. It has to get boring to sign autograph after autograph for people for hours on end. It would be very easy to become jaded about it and do it with half a heart. The thing about Joe that was so staggering to me that day was that with just that one look, he let me know that he honestly cared that I was there. He understood how important it was to me and he wanted me to know that he understood.

He said it all without saying a single word. That look made me want to return the favor, but I just didn't know how to say thank you to him and make him understand what I was thankful for. I only had seconds to let him know what was in my heart and it wasn't nearly enough. So I said the only thing I could think of that came even close to telling him what it was about him that kept me coming back for more..."Thanks for keeping it real Joe". It sounds so silly and trite and I laugh at myself for saying it, but it really was kind of what I wanted to say to him.

I know that it is silly to be so obsessed with a person I don't know. I understand that I know only what he wants me to know about himself and that what I know is the celebrity and not the person. I get that. I honestly do. It just doesn't stop me from wanting to know the man behind those sparkling blue eyes. I know in my heart that he is a truly beautiful person and knowing that helps to give me a sense of hope. Knowing that there are people like him in the world makes me happy.

I guess I just want to share that feeling with as many people as possible.

My happy place

New motivation

Thanks to the girls on the NKOTB forum, I now have something new to help keep me motivated in the Looking Fine by 2009 challenge! I thought that a few of my loyal readers might get a giggle, so I'm sharing...

No Joe, No I do not.

Now I just need to make it poster sized and hang it above my bed like in the old days. (TOTALLY kidding...maybe)

Round 2

Last night was the 2nd New Kids Concert.

This time our seats were on the side of the stage. We were a lot closer to the action (except for the B stage), but we were so far back that I spent the majority of my time staring at Joe's ass (which I'm totally ok with!). We could also see a lot of the backstage action, which was pretty cool. Whenever one of the guys was on stage doing something solo, one or two of the other guys would stand backstage and watch the action on the big screen. I tried to get a pic of them doing it, but they didn't come out very well because of the lighting.

I think that I had more fun at the first show, but this one was a lot of fun too. The guys seemed more relaxed this time around. I was hoping for some funny practical jokes & hi jinx, but I didn't notice any. They were funny and engaging though. Donnie put on quite a show when he dropped trow and gave the audience a close up view of his white boxers.
Update: I stand corrected...all he showed was his white PANTS. He was wearing two pairs of pants because he has to change so quickly between songs.

I did actually bring a camera with me this time. I decided not to bring my good camera because it's huge and I didn't think I'd be able to smuggle it in. Plus, I didn't want to spend so much time focused on my camera that I would lose out on the fun of the show. (I failed btw) I got really aggravated because the camera that I brought sucked. It wouldn't take pictures when I wanted it to, and when it finally did take them, the quality wasn't great. I did get a few good ones though, and some video as well. If you'd like to see them you can find them here.

However, here are a few of the better pics for those of you who don't feel like taking the time to click on the link.

The REAL New Kids

See...That's what I was talking about.

How could anyone not love those guys?

It's like one big, happy family full of total goofballs.

Let me clarify...

Wow! Who knew that I could be so controversial?

The comments on here really don't reflect what it is that I'm talking about, but I posted a link on the New Kids fan forum and the responses there were extremely interesting. Apparently I deeply offended a few people. I can assure you that this was never my intention.

Yesterday I sat down at my computer to write because I had all of these thoughts swirling around in my brain that needed to be released.

My intention was to write something that would express how excited I am that NKOTB is back, and to explain just how proud I am to be a fan.

Unfortunately, in my haste to get everything out of my head so that I would be able to sleep, I was not able to clearly express myself about a few things.

The first point of contention was my statement about Jon and Danny not having IT.

I can understand why people misunderstood what it was that I was trying to say. I made the statement that the two of them are basically "along for the ride", and I must apologize for that. It was a very poor choice of words, and it really wasn't what I meant to say at all. Let's see if I can do any better...

What I was trying to say is that I feel like if things had been different, and NKOTB had never existed... Joe, Jordan, and Donnie would still have been performing in some way simply because that is who they are. It is in their blood. The three of them need to perform like they need to breathe. There is something about them that just draws people in and makes them want to be near them. I am not saying that Jon and Danny don't have that same quality, but I don't think they have it in equal measure. I think that the two of them could be just as content doing something else with their lives, and I don't believe that the other 3 could be. I was not trying to imply that they are any less important, talented, attractive, or anything else. There are, and always will be 5 members in the group and each one of them plays a vital role in who they are as a group. If you were to remove any one of them it would destroy the magic.

Now, let's move on to the second point of contention, shall we?

I said that it was never about the music...and this was also a poor choice of words. I needed to say much more than that in order to fully express what it was that I was trying to say.

What I meant to say was that I don't believe it was the songs that mattered originally...it was what those 5 individuals brought to those songs that was important. The songs themselves are mostly total fluff. There is very little substance to them, and that is what the critics have always loved to point out. Does that mean that I don't love the music? NO! I do love it. I play it all the time and sing along at the top of my lungs. However, what I was trying to say is that if some other group had recorded those very same songs...I'm not so sure that I would love them the way that I do.

Back in the beginning the guys really had no creative license at all. Maurice Starr and the record companies had all of the control and Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Jon, and Joe pretty much had to do whatever they were told. As far as the people in control were concerned, they were a product to be sold. They have said repeatedly that the music that they recorded and performed back then was a huge departure from what they would have liked to have done.

I was trying to say that the fans saw past all of the BS that was shoved down our throats and loved the guys for themselves. One of the commenters on the forum said it beautifully, so I'm going to quote her...
It really is about THEM--about the wonderful people they are and about the amazing role models they were for us. They were my friends when I didn't have any friends. And although I got seriously harrassed day-after-day for liking them (I think a lot of people at my school thought "New Kids Freak" was my actual name), my belief in them never waivered. They taught me to stand up for something and made me a better, stronger person...someone who believes in herself and isn't afraid to speak up and say what's right, even if what's right isn't popular. For that, I cannot thank them enough.

Once the guys got a little bit older and a bit more famous it was clear to me that they wanted to have a lot more say in what they were doing. Unfortunately the marketing machine was well established, and there was just no way that the powers that be were ever going to let that happen. But the guys never gave up the fight. They battled not only the people in control, but also the critics and haters who claimed that they had no talent...that they were merely Maurice Starr's little puppets. We fans were right there in the trenches with them. Many of us were probably fighting similar battles in our own lives as we were growing into adulthood at the very same time. We saw the guys for who they are and knew that the music was nothing without the 5 of them.

Eventually they won their battle and gained creative control...but by then it was too late. The world was ready to move on to other things, and they had sustained too many wounds and needed time to heal.

Having said all of that, I need to make it completely clear that I think now it really IS all about the music. Which is really the point that I was trying to make all along.

I am so happy that these 5 amazing individuals finally have the opportunity to prove everybody wrong. To come back on their own terms, without anyone else telling them who to be or what to do. This time it is for them, and for us. They FINALLY get to show the world who they really are. There is no more BS. This time it is just 5 guys from Boston who want to get up on that stage and have some fun and share something special with their fans who have been waiting for a very long time to see this dream come true.

I am so proud of them, and so happy to be around to enjoy this.

Finally having my say (without interruptions)

I have a confession to make.

It's happened.

I am officially obsessed with NKOTB again. (Not that I ever really stopped being obsessed to begin with)

What is it about these 5 guys (Ok, so really only 1) that turns 99.99% of my brain to complete mush, leaving only the portion dedicated to behaving like a psycho stalker?

Is there some sort of brainwashing going on? There has to be some hidden messages in their music, right? Because I can promise you that I'm not the only one.

I've seen it with my own eyes.

Grown women, who in every other way seem completely normal and reasonable...losing their ever loving minds and behaving like complete fools.

And I'm not talking about 1 or 2 here...this is a serious epidemic! Thousands and thousands of wives and mothers around the country have been infected, and it's still spreading like wildfire.

Someone really should do something about this.

Seriously though...

Since the concert I just can't seem to think about anything else for more than 2-3 minutes at a time. One show just wasn't enough. I need more.

I think I'm beginning to understand what it's like to be addicted to drugs...just one more hit and I'm done, I swear! But not really, because I don't want the feeling to ever go away. There's just nothing else like it in the world.

I can't explain it.

I don't think you can really understand it unless you've been a part of it.

There have always been critics and haters out there trying to tear it down. People who just can't understand why millions of girls could love some silly pop group so very much.

What these people have never understood is that it has never really been about the music.

I mean, the music is fine and all. It's sort of mindlessly entertaining and fun to sing along with...but come on, do you really believe that I think that Hangin' Tough is musical genius?

HELL NO! I never did, and I never will.

It was never about that.

It has ALWAYS been about them.

I don't know what it is about them that inspires such devotion. I wouldn't even want to attempt to try to figure it out.

I just know that Maurice Starr and Mary Alford stumbled into "creating" something truly magical.

I hesitate to say that they created anything, because it's not really factual. It was more like they brought 5 elements together and accidentally invented dynamite.

I can even understand why so many people started to hate them so much.

The marketing machine behind them was just insane.

You can only stand to have something shoved down your throat for so long before you gag and spit it back out.

I am just so happy that this time around they are doing it their way.

I'm not saying that there isn't money involved, because that would just be unbelievably naive.

But there is so much more than that.

These men have been given an unbelievable gift, and they know it.

They understand their fans, and they know that we understand them.

We have battled the critics and haters together for over 20 years.

People thought that we were all just silly little children.

Puppets being manipulated by "the man behind the curtain".

Well guess what, we're all grown up now and we're out to prove "them" wrong.

We may have been just 5 guys from Boston and a bunch of foolish, hormonally imbalanced girls...but there was more to it than that then, and there is more to it than that now.

Joe, Jordan, and Donnie...those three have IT.

I don't know what IT is any better than the next guy, but I do know that whatever IT happens to be, those three have IT in spades.

You can see it in their eyes when they perform.

They are up on that stage having the time of their lives, and they want to bring you along for the ride if you'll let them.

Danny and Jon have a little bit of IT too, but mostly I think they're just content to come along for the ride with the rest of us.

I need to clarify something here- because I am already catching crap for this comment and I think that it is being taken entirely the wrong way. I LOVE Danny and Jon, and I think that they are just as important to the group as the other 3. I only meant to say that I see a fire in the eyes of Joe, Jordan, and Donnie that I just don't see in the other 2 when they perform. It seems like those three need to perform like they need air...and Jon and Danny don't have that in my opinion. Let me just say that last thing ONE more time...it is MY OPINION. I'm not asking anyone to agree with me about it, just putting it out there.

Whatever the true reason behind all of this is...honestly it doesn't even matter. I am just so happy to be a part of it again.

It's like coming home after being away for a very long time.

Welcome back guys...

I missed you.




UPDATE: I have written another post to clarify a few of the things I said in this one. Please read it before commenting.

hotness

Sorry, but I found this and just couldn't resist. It's from the show I was at.

More NKOTB

Technology rocks.

Even though I was too stupid to bring my own camera, I now have the ability to relive the show through photographs. All because of a lovely thing called the internet.

There is a New Kids fan forum on their site where people can post reviews of the concerts along with photos and videos. I would love to give proper credit for these photos, but I can't because I don't really know who to give credit to. I'll just say that I found all of these at the fan site. Thank you to all of the girls who were smart enough to take their camera, and rich enough to get the good seats.

For your viewing pleasure...




I'm not entirely sure who that posterior belongs to. I think it's either Jordan or Joe. Any guesses?
Update: Now that I've had the opportunity to see their bums live and in color again, and based on the following picture from 10/24, I'm pretty sure that this is Jon's rear. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

Holy crap he's hot.

Love the moves...hate the shirt. I think he should just lose it all together, don't you?

And finally,

Just one more of the many reasons to adore him...

The following is a post written by Joe for their website.

We were at the venue early in Chicago And there was a swap meet going on in the parking lot, so to kill time I looked around. And what did I come upon, but “us”. The woman who was selling “us”, at first had no idea and then I asked her, “Did you ever think that I would be the guy buying “me”?” We had a laugh about this surreal moment. Nice to know that we are playing the arena and not just getting sold off at a swap meet. -jm P.S. I decided to just sign mine in hopes that she could make a couple of extra bucks on them. (Donnie apparently quit the Swap Meet Boys because he felt like a piece of merchandise).

Seriously, how funny is that?

I'm so unbelievably jealous of this girl. She met Joe in the morning. Why didn't I think to go to the swap meet at Allstate Arena? Who knew?

I hope that you enjoyed this little dose of eye candy. I know that I did.

ARE YOU READY (for a really long post)?

SPOILER ALERT!
If you are going to see the New Kids concert and don't want to know what you're in for, please do not read this post!

Where to begin? Where to begin?

I guess at the beginning, right?

Way back in May when I first found out that this concert was going to happen, I knew that there was absolutely NO way that I was going to miss it. The problem was finding someone to go with me. I would love to have had the ability to fly my sister out here to come along, but sadly, I don't have that kind of cash...and I knew that she was going to be rather busy taking care of her newborn right about now.

So I asked around and a few people expressed an interest in joining me for my night of fun. My SIL Jessie said she was in for sure, and I had a friend from work who said she wanted a ticket as well. I discovered that there was going to be a "pre-sale" exclusively open to AmEx customers, and I was positive that I needed to be a part of it if I wanted to be sure of getting tickets. Fortunately my Mother freaking rocks, and she agreed to let me use her card...and told me to consider the tickets my birthday gift. (Seriously, how cool is my Mom?)

On the day of the pre-sale I got online and went through the whole ordeal of trying to pick the very best tickets that I could get my hands on without spending a small fortune. I find this a difficult process since you can't really tell how good the seats are just by looking at the seating charts that are provided. However, I managed to snag 3 seats together in a spot that looked like it should be pretty good.

I'm going to cut to this past Wednesday when both of my guests decided that they were going to try to bail on me on the exact same day...a mere 3 days before show time! I thought that I was going to have to hurt someone. Fortunately, my friend Jess agreed to take one of the tickets, and I was able to convince Jessie that she really didn't want to miss this. Order was restored, life was good.

After getting myself ready yesterday, I left early to go pick up my girls before heading to the Arena. Neither one of them has had the opportunity to listen to any of the new record, so we listened to a little bit of it in the car to help "get our heads right".

We arrived at the venue around 6:30pm. There was already quite a line forming. The people watching was unreal! The more people I saw, the more normal I felt. The outfits were absolutely hilarious! The crowd was made up almost entirely of women in their late 20's & early 30's.

The doors opened and we made our way to our seats. HOLY CRAP! I picked amazing seats! We were in the second row of the first tier of seats off the floor, directly across from the stage. The sound booth was just in front of us to the right. I was totally jazzed up when I saw our seats- but I had NO IDEA just how awesome they were going to turn out to be.

We chatted with the people in front of us while we waited for the show to start, and did a bit of people watching. I had to take a couple of photos to share with all of my bloggy buddies, because this shit just has to be shared...

These pics really don't do these outfits justice. I stupidly made the decision not to take my camera to the concert with me because I was afraid that someone would try to take it away, and so I was forced to use my cell, which doesn't take the best pictures in the world. Anyway, these shirts were so bright I thought that I might go blind.

This outfit had to be my favorite of the night though.

At 7:58 the lights went out and the screaming began.

The first opening act was a young Latino guy named Colby O'Donis.
I guess he has a song called "What You Got" featuring Akon.
I felt really bad for him, because he was trying his hardest to work the crowd, but no one was really paying any attention to him. He did get a lot of screams, but only because he said "New Kids On The Block" about 20 times. He seemed to be pretty talented and I'm sure in time he will do just fine. The most interesting thing about his short set was that he had 2 male backup dancers. It seemed like an odd choice to me. Particularly since the dancers weren't all that good. They weren't in sync with each other at all.

Next up was Natasha Bedingfield. She performed several songs and had a much warmer reception than Colby had. I only knew 2 of her songs personally, but the crowd seemed to be into her. She sounded good, and definitely knew how to work the audience. She was a great lead in to the main act.There was a 15 minute break, and then...

The crowd went absolutely insane! I thought that the screams when I was younger were ridiculous, but they were nothing compared to this.
Seriously INSANE.
Just to help you understand...there was actually music playing during that clip. Did you hear it? Yeah, didn't think so.

They performed 3 songs- Single, My Favorite Girl, and The Right Stuff (as seen on the VH1 Special the other day). Then the lights went out again and a few moments later the guys reappeared on the stage- dressed in suits with hats. They sang Didn't I Blow Your Mind and Please Don't Go Girl. Then Donnie worked the crowd while the rest of the guys went backstage to change outfits.
(I took more video, but since the audience was so loud that you can't even hear the music I decided not to bother with them.)

To be honest, I don't actually remember what they sang after that. I'm pretty sure that Danny did some break dancing during this portion, but it may have happened later in the show. I know that they performed several more songs, and then after a while the lights went out again. There was filler music for a few minutes, and the next thing I knew the crowd started going bonkers. It turned out that they guys were making their way through the audience to a small stage located just in front of the sound booth (HOW did I not notice that was there?!)
Holy Shit! I picked the perfect seats!

They did 2 in the Morning & Dirty Dancing, and I think one other song, but I can't remember which one.

They brought up one of their icky dancers for Dirty Dancing. Could have done without that.

Later on, Jordan got naked and performed Baby I Believe In You (I think) and Give It To You (From his own album) solo.

Then Joe came out and did Stay The Same

There was LOTS more after that. They were on stage for 2 hours total. Not one single second of it was a disappointment, and they could have gone for another 2 hours as far as the audience was concerned...though I'm sure they were exhausted.

They finished the show with 2 encores- Step By Step was part of the first encore, and then they came back out and did Hangin' Tough.

They really put on one hell of a show. They obviously know their fans and what we want! They had precisely the right mix of the old and the new. The show was choreographed beautifully.

To me the best part is seeing them really having fun with it. They are very obviously enjoying themselves quite thoroughly. You can see that they truly love their fans, and that they GET IT. They really understand how to bring the audience in and make them feel like part of the show. It felt like hanging out with old friends. They came back for all the right reasons, and they're doing it exactly the right way.

At one point during the show Donnie said that everywhere they go they always hear the same 2 words from everyone they meet- "Thank You". He thanked the fans in turn, and it was clear that he and the others are sincerely thankful for what they have.

I am truly thankful for having had the opportunity to be a part of it. I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn't gone to this show. It was an amazing experience, and a memory that I will cherish for years to come.

Thank you Joe, Jordan, Jon, Danny and Donnie for putting on an amazing show, and special thanks to Donnie for making it all happen. It was AWESOME! I can't wait to see what comes next.