22 years ago I was an overweight, insecure young teenage girl. I wasn't popular & I was pretty sure that I was either invisible to boys or a source of material for their cruel jokes.
One day I turned on the TV, saw a pop group performing on a kids show and fell instantly in love. These guys were everything that I thought a boy should be. Many of the girls in my class agreed with me and I suddenly had a way to relate to people and make new friends. We spent hours and hours clipping pictures out of magazines, reading interviews, watching videos & analyzing every single move those 5 boys made and every word they spoke. Several months after that fateful performance on TV I had the opportunity to attend one of their concerts. I had lawn seats & I was completely ecstatic just to be in the same stadium with them.
As their popularity grew, so did my desire to get as close to them as possible. Unfortunately, just about every other teenage girl on the planet felt the same way. Getting close to them was about as likely to happen as me taking a rocket ship to the moon. That didn't stop us from trying though. The next time I went to a concert, I spent HOURS standing outside in the snow just hoping for a glimpse, and maybe, just MAYBE if I was really lucky...a wave. This time I was in the nosebleeds. At the end of the show I was jumping up & down acting like a complete maniac and Joe looked up in my direction, laughed, and waved. I may have cried. I know I talked about it for days.
Those boys and my friends helped me feel good about myself. They gave me something to do besides sitting in front of the TV feeling sorry for myself. The concerts were the best things ever. Going to New Kids concerts made me feel alive in a way I had never experienced before. They were just pure fun.
Unfortunately as time went on, girls got more & more competitive about things. People started asking their parents to call in favors just to have the opportunity to look one of the guys in the eye and say hello. Friendships ended simply because two girls weren't allowed to like the same guy. People wanted MORE. The venues got larger, the merchandise got more plentiful (and more expensive), and things became a lot LESS fun.
Eventually it became too much and the group broke up. I grew up & moved onto other things. So did my friends.
3 years ago I was an overweight, insecure & lonely wife and mother. I spent my days going to work, looking after my family and watching TV and blogging. I rarely went out and I had no close friends to speak of. One day I opened an email and discovered that the pop group that I had seen on that TV show 20 years before was getting back together. I wasn't sure what to think. I decided to give it a chance and I began following their progress. When their tour was announced I knew that it was something that I had to experience. I got tickets to their show and when I got to the venue, I was ecstatic just to be in the same arena with them. My seats were directly opposite the stage at the other end of the floor. The guys looked tiny- but I was having the time of my life. When the group popped up on the B-Stage right in front of me I thought that I might pee my pants. I felt like I was 14 again.
This time I didn't have any classmates to giggle and gossip with. What I DID have was the internet. I logged onto the New Kids fan forum & discovered that nothing had really changed in 20 years. We still loved to look at pictures, read interviews, watch videos, and analyze every move and every word out of their mouths.
Except that some things HAD changed. This time we were older. We had our own bank accounts and access to things that were out of our reach 20 years ago. We also had the internet...a way to interact that was beyond our wildest teenage dreams. We had TWITTER.
Again, I came out of my shell and made friends. I started to feel good about myself again. I became more & more confident and stopped feeling so lonely and depressed. Once again the guys, and my new friends helped me to find myself and grow as a person.
And now, as time goes on things are starting to change again. People want MORE. Simply going to a concert is not enough any more. Now it's all about how many shows you can get to, how close to the stage you can get, how many 5* experiences you can afford. It's about getting a follow, or getting "eye sex" during a show. People are more concerned with competing for recognition than they are with enjoying the show.
I get it. I understand where it comes from. Getting those few seconds of recognition- it's an amazing feeling. It's like a drug and one hit is never enough. But it's also like a drug in that it's poison. That all consuming need takes over and ruins everything. It makes everything LESS fun.
I'm sure that there are people who will call me a hypocrite for what I am saying. People that will think "Oh yes Shannon, that's all fine and dandy because you have HAD the recognition"...and I get that too. Yes. I have been unbelievably fortunate. I do not take that for granted. I know exactly how much people want to experience some of the things that I have experienced. I know, because I have been there.
What too many people don't understand is that getting those things- the smile, the look, the hug, the follow...it doesn't change anything. I'm not saying it doesn't feel good. It does. It feels wonderful. But at the end of the day, I am still JUST a fan like anyone else. I still wait with butterflies in my stomach wondering what is going to come next. I still get nervous before tickets go on sale hoping to get the best seats possible. I still wonder if any of my tweets are even seen. I don't get special treatment. I'm not jetting around the country hanging out backstage chatting with the guys in the dressing room. Hell, I've never even seen backstage and I doubt I ever will. I don't even think I want to. Not if it means that I have to give up the friendships.
Yes, I adore those 5 goofy guys from Boston. They help me escape from the stresses of my every day life and they remind me not to take things too seriously...that life should be FUN. They also remind me that family and friends are more important than anything else in this world. THAT is what I want to hang onto.
The rest? Well...it's just supposed to be entertaining. So please, can we stop taking things so seriously? Stop turning it all into some manic competition? Start appreciating it for what it is and showing respect for the gift that we have been given?
Remember that first intro- the lasers tracing out NKOTB, the smoke, the screams, the anticipation...and then FINALLY that platform coming up out of the floor. Hang onto that feeling because THAT my friends is what it's all about.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
You drove to Iowa for WHAT?
I'm going to share a little something about myself with you.
I suck at sports.
And I when I say I suck at sports, I mean that I REALLY, REALLY suck at sports.
And not just one or two of them...ALL of them. If it requires coordination or any sort of athletic ability of any kind, I can virtually guarantee you that I will find a way to screw it up so badly that it will boggle your mind.
Honestly, it really shouldn't even be humanly possible to suck this much.
When I was a growing up going to gym class was like having my worst nightmares come to life. I absolutely dreaded walking into that gigantic empty room with it's stale sweat smell and slippery floors. It was my own private hell. I viewed athletic equipment as torture devices, and my classmates were just sadistic bastards who couldn't wait to get their hands on these instruments of evil and have their way with me.
My parents tried really hard to help me out. They were very encouraging, and had me try all sorts of different activities. Gymnastics, soccer, cheer-leading, dancing, basketball...all with equally horrendous results. The only thing I was ever marginally decent at was swimming. I was on the swim team for several years. I even got a first place ribbon in my first ever race! (sadly, that was the only one I ever got...and it was a relay)
I tried for a while. I really did. I wanted to be good...it's just that my body would never cooperate with me. I'd listen to the instructions and watch the other kids and think "Well that looks easy enough! You just run down the mat, jump on the trampoline and land on the pommel horse on your knees?...I'm SURE that I can do that!"...and then my turn would come. I ran down the mat, jumped on the trampoline...and did a somersault over the pommel horse kicking my poor gym teacher in the head in the process. True story. I think that we had to call the janitor to come clean the floors after because all of my classmates had peed their pants from laughing so hard.
Now, I may not have any athletic prowess of any kind at all...but I am a reasonably intelligent person. If someone says to you "Hey, I want you to try this really cool new thing that I discovered! It's all the rage. Everyone is doing it!" and you go join them, and it turns out that this really cool new thing is sticking bamboo shoots under your fingernails...you're probably not going to do it a second time, right? Yeah...me neither.
So...having lived with this issue my entire life, I have recently been faced with asking myself "Self, what exactly would possess you to drive 3 hours to Iowa and 3 hours home in one day for the sole purpose of going bowling?!"
Imagine my surprise when myself answered "Well, because it's FUN ya dummy!"
See, the thing that I never figured out when I was a kid was that it really isn't about the results. It's about spending time with people and being carefree and silly. (Ok, not for everyone...some people take that stuff way too seriously, but in general people are just out to have a good time)
When my friend Manda first mentioned her bowling party to me, my initial reaction was "No friggin' way!I haven't picked up a bowling ball since I was 8 years old and there is very little chance that I've suddenly become coordinated." But I really love Manda, and I miss her and I wanted to see her. So when another friend told me that she was considering going I decided to throw caution to the wind and be a rebel for a change.
So I did it. I got in the car and drove all the way to Iowa to spend a couple of hours bowling. I was excited to see some old friends and to make some new ones and if it meant I had to throw a big heavy ball down a lane and try to knock over some pins...well, so be it.
As expected...I sucked. I sucked BAD! I swear, you wouldn't even believe that it's truly possible to suck as bad as I do. You know how in slapstick comedies some idiot accidentally throws the ball in the wrong direction? Yeah...that would be me. (twice)
BUT the difference between now and when I was a kid is that now I really don't care. It was funny and I just laughed and tried again. The difference between now and then is that I know that it doesn't really matter. I know that people are still going to like me and think that I'm fun even if I can't knock down a bunch of pins, or make a ball go through a net, or manage to stay upright while rolling around a slippery floor with wheels attached to my feet.
This knowledge is a beautiful thing...and I have you to thank for it. You all have shown me love and friendship and helped me to see that I'm actually pretty cool just the way that I am. Thank you!
I suck at sports.
And I when I say I suck at sports, I mean that I REALLY, REALLY suck at sports.
And not just one or two of them...ALL of them. If it requires coordination or any sort of athletic ability of any kind, I can virtually guarantee you that I will find a way to screw it up so badly that it will boggle your mind.
Honestly, it really shouldn't even be humanly possible to suck this much.
When I was a growing up going to gym class was like having my worst nightmares come to life. I absolutely dreaded walking into that gigantic empty room with it's stale sweat smell and slippery floors. It was my own private hell. I viewed athletic equipment as torture devices, and my classmates were just sadistic bastards who couldn't wait to get their hands on these instruments of evil and have their way with me.
My parents tried really hard to help me out. They were very encouraging, and had me try all sorts of different activities. Gymnastics, soccer, cheer-leading, dancing, basketball...all with equally horrendous results. The only thing I was ever marginally decent at was swimming. I was on the swim team for several years. I even got a first place ribbon in my first ever race! (sadly, that was the only one I ever got...and it was a relay)
I tried for a while. I really did. I wanted to be good...it's just that my body would never cooperate with me. I'd listen to the instructions and watch the other kids and think "Well that looks easy enough! You just run down the mat, jump on the trampoline and land on the pommel horse on your knees?...I'm SURE that I can do that!"...and then my turn would come. I ran down the mat, jumped on the trampoline...and did a somersault over the pommel horse kicking my poor gym teacher in the head in the process. True story. I think that we had to call the janitor to come clean the floors after because all of my classmates had peed their pants from laughing so hard.
Now, I may not have any athletic prowess of any kind at all...but I am a reasonably intelligent person. If someone says to you "Hey, I want you to try this really cool new thing that I discovered! It's all the rage. Everyone is doing it!" and you go join them, and it turns out that this really cool new thing is sticking bamboo shoots under your fingernails...you're probably not going to do it a second time, right? Yeah...me neither.
So...having lived with this issue my entire life, I have recently been faced with asking myself "Self, what exactly would possess you to drive 3 hours to Iowa and 3 hours home in one day for the sole purpose of going bowling?!"
Imagine my surprise when myself answered "Well, because it's FUN ya dummy!"
See, the thing that I never figured out when I was a kid was that it really isn't about the results. It's about spending time with people and being carefree and silly. (Ok, not for everyone...some people take that stuff way too seriously, but in general people are just out to have a good time)
When my friend Manda first mentioned her bowling party to me, my initial reaction was "No friggin' way!I haven't picked up a bowling ball since I was 8 years old and there is very little chance that I've suddenly become coordinated." But I really love Manda, and I miss her and I wanted to see her. So when another friend told me that she was considering going I decided to throw caution to the wind and be a rebel for a change.
So I did it. I got in the car and drove all the way to Iowa to spend a couple of hours bowling. I was excited to see some old friends and to make some new ones and if it meant I had to throw a big heavy ball down a lane and try to knock over some pins...well, so be it.
As expected...I sucked. I sucked BAD! I swear, you wouldn't even believe that it's truly possible to suck as bad as I do. You know how in slapstick comedies some idiot accidentally throws the ball in the wrong direction? Yeah...that would be me. (twice)
BUT the difference between now and when I was a kid is that now I really don't care. It was funny and I just laughed and tried again. The difference between now and then is that I know that it doesn't really matter. I know that people are still going to like me and think that I'm fun even if I can't knock down a bunch of pins, or make a ball go through a net, or manage to stay upright while rolling around a slippery floor with wheels attached to my feet.
This knowledge is a beautiful thing...and I have you to thank for it. You all have shown me love and friendship and helped me to see that I'm actually pretty cool just the way that I am. Thank you!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Sweet dreams ARE made of this!
What happens when 5 men & a large group of women take over a casino for 3 days?
Pure MAGIC!
I was in Maine visiting with my family for the week leading up to the Hammond concerts. Thursday morning my daughter and I hit Logan airport for our flight home. I suspected that there was a decent chance that I might run into one or both of the Knight brothers at the airport since I was flying an airline I know they frequently use, and since I knew that they would also be traveling to Chicago. I didn't actually bump into them because they were on the flight after mine, but I did come very close to colliding with Kevin (@krunchtastic) walking through the terminal. I was too shy to say hello to him & opted to send him a tweet instead.
As soon as I got home I had to rush off again to go pick up my friend from California at her hotel in the city and take her to a BH BBQ at another friend's house. I'd come down with a sinus infection on my last day of vacation, and the flight had really messed with me but the girls took great care of me. We had a blast chatting, trying to spot Donnie & Joe at the Lakers/Celtics game, and singing Karaoke (badly).
On Friday I was full of nervous energy. I knew that my friends from all over the country were arriving in Hammond & I couldn't wait to get there and start hugging the heck out of people. Unfortunately, I had to wait for my husband and my friend Jess to get off work. I finally arrived at the casino around 6:30 pm. Jess & I wandered around the casino for a few minutes figuring out where everything was, and then I went to find 2 of my favorite videomates at the bar. I hadn't seen Elizabeth since we left Burbank in October, and I was dying to catch up with Heather! I had to chuckle when I walked into the bar and saw Kevin sitting there chatting with my friends. I told him I'd seen him at the airport but had been too shy to say hello. He laughed & said he'd been in a bad mood so it was probably better that way. Elizabeth, Heather & I really wanted to get a pic of us together, but we had to do it quickly because there were gambling machines in the bar, so cameras are prohibited. Sadly, this was the best we could get without getting ourselves in trouble.
We ran into our friend Julie as we were heading upstairs to the Venue. Julie had just come from her 5* and we were dying to hear how it went. Julie filled us in on her awesome experience and we giggled and squeee'd and hugged like a bunch of crazy teenagers. We were all just so happy and excited to be together. It was perfect.
Pure MAGIC!
I was in Maine visiting with my family for the week leading up to the Hammond concerts. Thursday morning my daughter and I hit Logan airport for our flight home. I suspected that there was a decent chance that I might run into one or both of the Knight brothers at the airport since I was flying an airline I know they frequently use, and since I knew that they would also be traveling to Chicago. I didn't actually bump into them because they were on the flight after mine, but I did come very close to colliding with Kevin (@krunchtastic) walking through the terminal. I was too shy to say hello to him & opted to send him a tweet instead.
As soon as I got home I had to rush off again to go pick up my friend from California at her hotel in the city and take her to a BH BBQ at another friend's house. I'd come down with a sinus infection on my last day of vacation, and the flight had really messed with me but the girls took great care of me. We had a blast chatting, trying to spot Donnie & Joe at the Lakers/Celtics game, and singing Karaoke (badly).
(finally giving my gal Brandie hugs in person!)
(The Joe girls! Brandie, Trisha, Steph & Me)
(videomates reunited! Elizabeth, Me & Heather)
We ran into our friend Julie as we were heading upstairs to the Venue. Julie had just come from her 5* and we were dying to hear how it went. Julie filled us in on her awesome experience and we giggled and squeee'd and hugged like a bunch of crazy teenagers. We were all just so happy and excited to be together. It was perfect.
Take 1
(Heather, Renee, Karie, Me, Julie)
Take 2
Take 3
(sorry, we're just really happy)
Joe's Happy Girls
Finally, it was time to head in and find our seats. I knew that mine wouldn't be terrific, but I was a little sad to see that I was in the 2nd to last row of the 1st tier. They were still great seats, but after leaning my elbows on the stage in January, being so far back was hard to get used to. I knew that I still had 2 more days of shows and my 5* floor seat ahead of me, so I decided that I was going to enjoy the hell out of the show no matter where my seat was. Once the lights went down I was in heaven. The guys hit the stage with a vengeance as they always do & the energy was amazing. I tried to take a few pictures, but they were all coming out blurry so I gave up and decided it was better to take it all in anyway.
I was dancing & singing along and having a great time when the guys started singing Tonight. I knew that they would be coming out into the audience, but I wasn't sure exactly where they would be going. It felt like chaos and I couldn't see where any of the guys were really, when all of the people around me started freaking out and I realized that Jon & Joe were headed up the aisle right next to me. I was only 4 seats away from the aisle, so I tried to get over to them, but I'm not a pushy person and neither one of them saw me. Then Joe got up to the aisle that runs behind the 1st tier and he wasn't sure where to go. He started wandering back & forth trying to figure out what to do, and I saw my golden opportunity. There was no one sitting in the seats behind me, so I had the perfect situation. I'd been holding onto my "I heart EG" towel since the show started, just hoping for the right moment to hold it up...THIS was my chance! I quickly whipped that sucker up, and the motion caught Joe's eye. He looked down to see what it was, read it and started to walk away and then immediately did a double take. His face lit up, his eyes got huge & he screamed "HIIIII!!!" at me. I waved like and idiot & screamed "HIIIII!!!!" back at him. Then, he turned to the security guy with him, and said "I HAVE to hug her!" and my heart skipped about 30 beats. I'm sorry, WHAT?! Did you just say you HAVE to hug me Joe? Well alright then! And then I was standing there trying to figure out how the heck I was going to get close enough to hug the man. Silly Shannon! I should have known I needn't worry. Joe grabbed onto the security guy and quickly climbed over the railing and the row of seats to get to me. He stood on the seat behind me and leaned over and gave me a hug as all of the people around me shrieked and freaked out. I think my friend Jess might have had a minor stroke. After we hugged, Joe stood back up and looked around to see where the rest of the guys were. They were all in the audience too, so he stayed right where he was while they continued to sing. I was so shocked by this turn of events that my brain turned to complete mush. Joe was the last to get back to the stage, and at the time it seemed as though he'd held things up just to get our hug in. After watching video of the show, I realize that wasn't exactly the case...but he was definitely thrilled to see me, and certainly made a specific point to come and hug me once he knew I was there. Either way, I will NEVER forget the look on his face when he realized it was me.
(Joe standing on the chair behind me & singing Tonight after our hug)
The rest of the concert after that is pretty much a blur. I missed half of it because all the oxygen had left my brain at that point. I did make a special point of trying to focus my attention when Joe came out for his solo. It was the first time I would see it live...but I was still in such a haze and the thought that I had helped inspire such a masterpiece was just a little too much for me to take. I watched & thoroughly enjoyed, but I didn't truly take it in.
As always, the show was over far too soon. I didn't stick around for very long after the show because I had to drive Jess home and I knew that I had 2 more nights of little to no sleep ahead of me.
Saturday afternoon was sort of a bust for me. I drove back to Hammond early in the afternoon hoping to have some time to hang out with friends before the show, but ended up sitting by myself in someone else's hotel room waiting for people to return from the BH luncheon due to a mix up with the front desk over room assignments. I didn't want to mess up another person's hotel room, so I really couldn't even use the time to get ready. Lucky for me, I had my phone and twitter to keep me company.
Eventually everyone returned and my friend Michele arrived at the hotel as well. I hadn't seen Michele since January, so I was excited to have a chance to catch up with her. There is usually a lot of chaos whenever Michele and I are in the same place and we never get a chance to chat so it was nice to have the opportunity to gossip for a change!
Eventually we made our way to the casino. I bumped into a bunch of my friends while waiting around for show time. I absolutely love that going to a NKOTB concert has become more like going to a family reunion. It was so nice catching up with old friends and putting faces to names of people I've been chatting with on twitter for months.
Finally, show time arrived! I headed into the venue to find my seat. I had bought a single ticket for this show and was supposed to be sitting next to a girl who I had met once before in the same section that I'd been in on Friday night...but through fortunate circumstances I ended up on the floor about 3 rows away from the stage. I was all the way at the very end of the stage so some of my view was obstructed, but I couldn't have cared less. I was with good friends and having an amazing time.
The guys hit the stage and the rest of the world disappeared. I thought that I might be able to get some decent pictures since my seats were so much closer, but I was foiled by the lighting yet again. I decided I was ok with it. I knew tons of people would take pictures and I was quite content to just relax and enjoy the show. I pulled my "I heart EG towel" out of my purse so that I would have it handy in case the right opportunity presented itself. It wasn't long before I found my moment. Joe headed over to the corner of the stage and I got the towel up just as he looked in my direction. He pointed at me and made the most adorable smoochy face at me for about 20 seconds. I pointed right back and grinned like a fool.
I enjoyed every second of the show. I finally focused on Joe during his solo and was completely blown away. That man just belongs on a stage...period (& if he wants to be half naked up there, well...that's ok by me!)
After the show I spent some time chatting with friends and we were wandering around when we discovered that a DJ was playing in the hallway outside the Venue. There was a decent sized crowd and people seemed to be paying a lot of attention to an escalator just behind the DJ booth. Every so often people would look up to the top of the escalator and scream. We weren't sure exactly what was going on, but we decided we'd stick around and see. After a few minutes Donnie came down the escalator and joined the DJ for an impromptu "After party". It was crowded & crazy and I couldn't even see Donnie...but it was still fun. Even more fun was discovering that my friend Maria had made the last minute decision to drive all the way from NYC for the show! Hooray for surprise hugs!
Finally Sunday arrived! 5* DAY!!!! I was remarkably calm all day long. We had to check out of the hotel by 1pm, so I had to get myself ready early. Not ideal, but no biggie. After getting ready Annie and I met up with Michele to go and get some lunch. We found out some friends were already at the Cracker Barrel right by our hotel so we went to join them.
As we were finishing lunch, I got text messages that my friends Manda and Rebecca had both arrived in Hammond. We were getting ready to walk back over to the hotel to meet up with them and give them their tickets to the show when the sky decided to open up with a torrential downpour. PERFECT! No way in hell I was going to go to my 5* looking like a drowned rat! Fortunately Manda rocks and she came and picked us up and drove us back to the hotel. Rebecca was sharing a room with Michele for the night, so we gathered there for a few minutes to catch up before heading over to the casino.
Once again, I was happy to run into friends and spend some time chatting with them while we waited in line to check in.
As soon as they finished taking the pictures they started telling us to leave the room, but Joe held onto us and I sure as hell wasn't leaving as long as he had his arm around me! Then he said "Now girls, you know I can't kiss you but here's the deal..." and he reached over and grabbed Donnie's shoulder to get his attention. Heather and I both freaked out and said "NO!" and tried to convince him that neither of us had any desire to kiss Donnie. I wanted to say "Joe you jackass! We can't kiss anyone for the same reason that you can't"...but I resisted. We were talking when one of the other girls (not one of the friends we arrived with) came over and interrupted us. I just stood there & rubbed his back and arm as Joe gave her a quick hug and then dismissed her to get back to us. He said "I'm sorry, but I just can't kiss anyone" and I said "No, of course not, but we just want to give you a kiss on the cheek" and he sort of smirked and said "The cheek?" and then stuck his neck out a little. Heather and I weren't about to wait for an engraved invitation so we both quickly planted one on his scruffy cheeks. At that point I knew that security was about to drag us out by our hair, so I gave his hand a squeeze and said thank you and started to leave. As we were walking away Joe called out "Bye girls! I love you guys!" and my heart just melted. I said "Love you too!" and blew him a kiss as I walked out the door.
Once we were out of the room I discovered that the "other" girls who had been with us had lied and two of them went directly to Donnie as soon as they walked in, freezing out the 2 girls in our group who had been planning on standing with Donnie for the pictures. I was sad to hear that the rest of our group had not had a good experience. I was also a little upset because my assigned seat was 10th row. It was a terrific seat, but it irritated me to know that people had purchased better tickets for 1/4 of what I had paid for mine. I knew going in that I was only guaranteed the 1st 10 rows...but it is a seriously flawed system. If I pay $425 for my ticket, I should not have people in front of me who only paid $115.
At any rate, it was a wonderful night and I don't regret it at all. I am thrilled to have had the experience. I feel confident in saying that I will not be buying another 5* ticket. I can't see spending that much money when I didn't even have the opportunity to say hello to any of the other guys (yes, if all I wanted to do was hug all 5 it could have happened, but that hardly seems worth it to me), and I can get a better seat by just waiting until the last minute to buy one. (rant over)
The show was AMAZING! I felt like the guys brought it even harder than they had either of the other 2 nights. Joe was DEFINITELY more evil than I'd ever seen him for his solo. It was pure bliss watching him in his element. I watched with an odd mixture of pride & lust. I swear the man is going to be the death of me one day. He knows it too. Brat.
The show ended and we spent some time chatting in the bar before heading home. Donnie performed in the hallway again, but we were tired and we knew that the crowd was going to be insane so we skipped it.
I was sad that the weekend was coming to an end, but I was also exhausted and couldn't wait to get home to my bed to begin the recovery process.
I just want to say thank you to all of the amazing women who were a part of a my magical weekend. I love you guys! Also, in case you happen to play stalker & come read this... THANK YOU JOE! xoxooxo
As always, the show was over far too soon. I didn't stick around for very long after the show because I had to drive Jess home and I knew that I had 2 more nights of little to no sleep ahead of me.
Saturday afternoon was sort of a bust for me. I drove back to Hammond early in the afternoon hoping to have some time to hang out with friends before the show, but ended up sitting by myself in someone else's hotel room waiting for people to return from the BH luncheon due to a mix up with the front desk over room assignments. I didn't want to mess up another person's hotel room, so I really couldn't even use the time to get ready. Lucky for me, I had my phone and twitter to keep me company.
Eventually everyone returned and my friend Michele arrived at the hotel as well. I hadn't seen Michele since January, so I was excited to have a chance to catch up with her. There is usually a lot of chaos whenever Michele and I are in the same place and we never get a chance to chat so it was nice to have the opportunity to gossip for a change!
Eventually we made our way to the casino. I bumped into a bunch of my friends while waiting around for show time. I absolutely love that going to a NKOTB concert has become more like going to a family reunion. It was so nice catching up with old friends and putting faces to names of people I've been chatting with on twitter for months.
(Michele, Mel, Brandon, Tara & Me)
Finally, show time arrived! I headed into the venue to find my seat. I had bought a single ticket for this show and was supposed to be sitting next to a girl who I had met once before in the same section that I'd been in on Friday night...but through fortunate circumstances I ended up on the floor about 3 rows away from the stage. I was all the way at the very end of the stage so some of my view was obstructed, but I couldn't have cared less. I was with good friends and having an amazing time.
(Trisha & Me hanging at the show)
The guys hit the stage and the rest of the world disappeared. I thought that I might be able to get some decent pictures since my seats were so much closer, but I was foiled by the lighting yet again. I decided I was ok with it. I knew tons of people would take pictures and I was quite content to just relax and enjoy the show. I pulled my "I heart EG towel" out of my purse so that I would have it handy in case the right opportunity presented itself. It wasn't long before I found my moment. Joe headed over to the corner of the stage and I got the towel up just as he looked in my direction. He pointed at me and made the most adorable smoochy face at me for about 20 seconds. I pointed right back and grinned like a fool.
I enjoyed every second of the show. I finally focused on Joe during his solo and was completely blown away. That man just belongs on a stage...period (& if he wants to be half naked up there, well...that's ok by me!)
After the show I spent some time chatting with friends and we were wandering around when we discovered that a DJ was playing in the hallway outside the Venue. There was a decent sized crowd and people seemed to be paying a lot of attention to an escalator just behind the DJ booth. Every so often people would look up to the top of the escalator and scream. We weren't sure exactly what was going on, but we decided we'd stick around and see. After a few minutes Donnie came down the escalator and joined the DJ for an impromptu "After party". It was crowded & crazy and I couldn't even see Donnie...but it was still fun. Even more fun was discovering that my friend Maria had made the last minute decision to drive all the way from NYC for the show! Hooray for surprise hugs!
Finally Sunday arrived! 5* DAY!!!! I was remarkably calm all day long. We had to check out of the hotel by 1pm, so I had to get myself ready early. Not ideal, but no biggie. After getting ready Annie and I met up with Michele to go and get some lunch. We found out some friends were already at the Cracker Barrel right by our hotel so we went to join them.
As we were finishing lunch, I got text messages that my friends Manda and Rebecca had both arrived in Hammond. We were getting ready to walk back over to the hotel to meet up with them and give them their tickets to the show when the sky decided to open up with a torrential downpour. PERFECT! No way in hell I was going to go to my 5* looking like a drowned rat! Fortunately Manda rocks and she came and picked us up and drove us back to the hotel. Rebecca was sharing a room with Michele for the night, so we gathered there for a few minutes to catch up before heading over to the casino.
Once again, I was happy to run into friends and spend some time chatting with them while we waited in line to check in.
(Me, Sabrina & Heather waiting in line)
(Two giddy Joe girls ready to hug our guy!)
Finally, the time arrived and we checked in and went upstairs to the party. There were only 6 of us in our group, so we were all anxious to find out who the final 4 people would be. Heather and I were definitely nervous that we would end up with a Joe girl or two. We were thrilled when we lined up and discovered that the girls wanted to stand with Jordan and Jon. That was PERFECT! Our group had the rest of the guys covered already. Heather and I were the last 2 to go into the room. I was surprised to see how tiny the room was when I walked in and I was a little disoriented. I looked for Heather's pink shirt because I knew that if I found her I would find Joe. I quickly located them and walked over as Joe was reading Heather's shirt. Her shirt said "Joe, I've put in my time" on the front and then on the back it said "Now you put out" and had a picture of lips on it. Joe was loving it and had no clue that I was even in the room at first. He finished reading it and he was commenting to Heather when it dawned on him that someone else had walked over. He turned to look at me and I watched the sweetest smile appear on his face as he realized it was me.
Then he said "Oh! I get BOTH my girls tonight?" and reached out to give me a hug. Heather knew that I'd never had a full on hug with Joe and she stepped back to allow me to have my moment. As soon as I finished hugging Joe they called for pictures. I went to step back and almost stepped on the girl standing next to me which totally threw me off. Luckily I think the pictures turned out pretty well.
As soon as they finished taking the pictures they started telling us to leave the room, but Joe held onto us and I sure as hell wasn't leaving as long as he had his arm around me! Then he said "Now girls, you know I can't kiss you but here's the deal..." and he reached over and grabbed Donnie's shoulder to get his attention. Heather and I both freaked out and said "NO!" and tried to convince him that neither of us had any desire to kiss Donnie. I wanted to say "Joe you jackass! We can't kiss anyone for the same reason that you can't"...but I resisted. We were talking when one of the other girls (not one of the friends we arrived with) came over and interrupted us. I just stood there & rubbed his back and arm as Joe gave her a quick hug and then dismissed her to get back to us. He said "I'm sorry, but I just can't kiss anyone" and I said "No, of course not, but we just want to give you a kiss on the cheek" and he sort of smirked and said "The cheek?" and then stuck his neck out a little. Heather and I weren't about to wait for an engraved invitation so we both quickly planted one on his scruffy cheeks. At that point I knew that security was about to drag us out by our hair, so I gave his hand a squeeze and said thank you and started to leave. As we were walking away Joe called out "Bye girls! I love you guys!" and my heart just melted. I said "Love you too!" and blew him a kiss as I walked out the door.
Once we were out of the room I discovered that the "other" girls who had been with us had lied and two of them went directly to Donnie as soon as they walked in, freezing out the 2 girls in our group who had been planning on standing with Donnie for the pictures. I was sad to hear that the rest of our group had not had a good experience. I was also a little upset because my assigned seat was 10th row. It was a terrific seat, but it irritated me to know that people had purchased better tickets for 1/4 of what I had paid for mine. I knew going in that I was only guaranteed the 1st 10 rows...but it is a seriously flawed system. If I pay $425 for my ticket, I should not have people in front of me who only paid $115.
At any rate, it was a wonderful night and I don't regret it at all. I am thrilled to have had the experience. I feel confident in saying that I will not be buying another 5* ticket. I can't see spending that much money when I didn't even have the opportunity to say hello to any of the other guys (yes, if all I wanted to do was hug all 5 it could have happened, but that hardly seems worth it to me), and I can get a better seat by just waiting until the last minute to buy one. (rant over)
The show was AMAZING! I felt like the guys brought it even harder than they had either of the other 2 nights. Joe was DEFINITELY more evil than I'd ever seen him for his solo. It was pure bliss watching him in his element. I watched with an odd mixture of pride & lust. I swear the man is going to be the death of me one day. He knows it too. Brat.
The show ended and we spent some time chatting in the bar before heading home. Donnie performed in the hallway again, but we were tired and we knew that the crowd was going to be insane so we skipped it.
I was sad that the weekend was coming to an end, but I was also exhausted and couldn't wait to get home to my bed to begin the recovery process.
I just want to say thank you to all of the amazing women who were a part of a my magical weekend. I love you guys! Also, in case you happen to play stalker & come read this... THANK YOU JOE! xoxooxo
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Evolution of EG
Is it any wonder that I adore this man?
He does Evil Genius so well, doesn't he?
Oh, & turns out that I WILL get to speak to him again- on June 6th...and he is SO going to get the stuffing squeezed out of him.
ps Please don't anyone ever pinch me and wake me up from this AMAZING dream.
He does Evil Genius so well, doesn't he?
Oh, & turns out that I WILL get to speak to him again- on June 6th...and he is SO going to get the stuffing squeezed out of him.
ps Please don't anyone ever pinch me and wake me up from this AMAZING dream.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I guess he decided to brand it
I don't think I'm ever going to get my heart back from Joe McIntyre. He just keeps stealing bigger and bigger pieces all the time.
The other day one of my friends approached me asking for help with a project. She wanted to make a special collage for Joe. I suggested that she use picasa, and then I helped her get the word out about what she wanted to do. Her idea was to make a collage using our individual photos with Joe. It took a few days, but eventually she had over 100 pictures, and she was ready to make the collage. She wasn't all that familiar with picasa, so I gave her a few tips and suggestions along the way. She worked REALLY hard actually sizing and placing each picture by hand, and when she was finished she sent me a copy to preview. I loved it! So did the rest of the girls who had taken part, and pretty soon we were all helping to try to make sure that Joe would see it.
A few days later her hard work was rewarded when Joe announced that he loved the collage and was now following her on twitter. I had been in the middle of getting ready for bed when he tweeted, and I actually missed the tweet when it happened. I caught it a few minutes later and got back on to congratulate Lisa, and thank Joe. I was pretty tired, and there was a long pause between tweets while Joe was scoping out backgrounds (I think) and trying to figure out how to change his own background to Lisa's collage. She had named the collage "One Brother and a Million Sisters" after his song, and right as I was saying good night (AGAIN) Joe tweeted about the title and said he was getting all misty. I was so excited for Lisa, but I knew that I really needed to get some sleep and I was in the process of saying so, when my tweetdeck refreshed and I saw a tweet that woke me right up...
Wait! Did he just say "EG"?! OMG he DID! AHHHHHHH!!!! How friggin' cool! You go ahead and brand it baby!
I was typing a tweet telling him that he was probably going to have to explain what the hell he was talking about when another tweet popped up and just about gave me a heart attack...
and then another...
Holy crap! Joe effing McIntyre just put me on blast to the entire twitterverse? (Or at least the nearly 63k people that follow him). SERIOUSLY?!
I mean, I knew that he was flattered and all, but it's been over a month since it happened...and quite honestly when he gave me that fleeting hug at the after party, he really gave no indication that he thought anything of everything that had happened during the show. I kinda figured that he just thought I was a total spaz.
I guess at the very least I can assume that he finds me entertaining.
I have no idea if I'll ever be fortunate enough to speak to him face to face again, but I can promise you if I do he's getting the stuffing squeezed out of him.
EG indeed. xoxoxo
Friday, January 22, 2010
In The Joe Show
Great memories mean nothing if you don't have great friends to share them with.
I count myself very blessed indeed to have both!
Wednesday morning dawned and for once I was actually excited to get out of bed and get moving. (Those that know me well know that NEVER happens!) I was a little frustrated that I had to go to work for 3 hours because I knew that some of my friends were already in town and I couldn't wait to go and catch up with them. I was in a great mood though, and had a lot of fun playing with the kids in my class. My favorite moment was when we were eating breakfast and I looked at those smiling faces and sang "I got a feeling..." and they looked right back at me and immediately hit me back with "that tonight's gonna be a good night!". I love my job!
At 11 o'clock I was free! I found my daughter and gave her a big hug and kiss and told her I'd see her soon...and then I jumped in my car and drove into the city to meet up with my friends at our hotel. I saw tweets that Joe was going to be singing live on the WGN news and I was a little sad that I was going to miss it. Then as I was driving I saw a sign for the WGN studios and I was so tempted to go see if I could say hello. I was in the process of passing the exit when I saw the sign though, and I really wanted to go find my friends so I just kept on going. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the front door of the hotel to find that not only was Heidi there waiting for me as expected, but she was joined by Michele, and Jen & her husband Bob! Hugs were exchanged all around and we went back to our room and had a lovely chat. Bob was hilarious and sweet, and such a good sport about our antics! I was having so much fun catching up with everyone that I lost track of time a bit and made myself late for the BH gathering that I had initiated. My apologies for that! I hope that people had fun regardless.
I left Heidi and Michele at the hotel and headed over to the venue on my own to meet up with some of my other friends and to stop by at Lincoln Station to meet new ones. When I arrived I discovered that everyone was gathered around Joe's bus, so I stayed there to chat for a while. Not long after I got there Alex Kramer (guitarist) came out and went to grab a bite at a restaurant a few doors down from the bus. He said hello to everyone and gave us a big smile that showed off his adorable dimples. Sweet guy! Shortly after that, Rob Lewis showed up. I was very excited to see him. We had been chatting a bit over the last few weeks and I've been waiting for the chance to give him a big hug for months. I waited patiently while Rob greeted some other fans and took pictures with them, and then I went over and introduced myself. Rob was very sweet and it was definitely a pleasure to finally meet face to face.
After that I stood around chatting with friends until my toes got so cold that I could no longer feel them, and then I wandered over to Lincoln Station to see who was still around. I met up with several of the girls coming to my pre-party and we chatted for a few minutes. By then it was closing in on 5 o'clock. The venue was telling people that they weren't going to let us in for our party until 5:30 and everyone was getting confused. A few minutes after 5:00 I walked over to the door at Lincoln Hall and a man came out and told us that they weren't quite ready for us yet, but that it would just be a minute or two. They asked us to line up against the wall and they'd be right with us. Finally they opened up the door for us and everyone stepped aside to let me go first. I walked up to the podium where they were checking id's and giving us stamps, bracelets and food/drink tickets and the girl there asked my name. It turned out to be Terri who had worked with me to set the party up. She was very friendly and helpful as one of my friends had VIP and still needed to get a few things taken care of.
We got all checked in and my NECP posse girls and I found a booth and ordered our meals. It was so much fun watching everyone wander in. All the faces were just so happy and excited. Several people came over to thank me for setting up the party for everyone. I just have to say that it truly was my pleasure. Having the opportunity to make so many people so happy for a few hours is such a blessing. I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was really very cool to meet so many people face to face after talking with them online for so long as well. I can never express enough what an amazing group of women BH's are! No one on the outside will ever understand us...but we understand and support each other in ways that I've never seen before!
I love my sistas!
After we finished our dinner we went to the restroom to freshen up before going to wait for them to open the doors. Again- everyone insisted that I be the first in line. Around 6:30 the owner of Lincoln Hall came over and told us that he would be opening the doors for us in a few minutes. He asked that we enter in an orderly fashion, and let us know that they would be opening both sets of doors simultaneously. They opened the doors and of course everyone rushed the stage. A group of girls from the other side got to the stage ahead of us, but as soon as they saw me they pulled me in and made sure that I was set up right against the stage...dead center. I was a little sad that I didn't get to stand with my girls, but they were all right up against the stage too, so I let it go.
I was really excited to find that my videomates managed to get in right behind me so we were all together! Weeks of plotting and it actually worked out! Unbelievable.
We still had quite a wait before the show would start, so I took a few minutes to soak it all in. Was I REALLY there? All my weeks of planning had actually worked out perfectly? I just couldn't even believe it. It was the best feeling. I was in the moment and I was having the time of my life...dancing to the music and chatting with the girls and just feeling so very, very happy.
Then Rob, Alex, Ethan and Donald came out and started setting up and the excitement just continued to build.
The next thing I knew, they came and set up the mic about a foot away from my face and I think I forgot to breathe for a minute. I knew he was going to be close, but I didn't realize he was going to be THAT close. It was funny because people who had already seen the show knew that I had been avoiding spoilers and they kept grabbing me and telling me that I was going to DIE. They had no idea.
Finally...the boys started playing and the funky sounds of Here We Go Again were filling the air with pure energy and joy. That song gets me pumped up on a normal day...this was almost too much. And THEN...Joe Mac hit the stage and I found nirvana.
I honestly don't have a clue what order the songs went in. I was having too much fun to notice. Having Heather right behind me was just perfect! We just get each other and there were a few precious moments of bonding with her that I will never, ever forget. Love you Heather!
I was shocked at how early in the show I'm Waiting was. I had been avoiding spoilers- but the buzz on that baby was unavoidable! I hadn't watched any videos, but I knew that I was in for quite the experience. Holy LAWD Joseph. You certainly didn't hold anything back. That song is such a work of art, and the performance couldn't have been more perfect (or HAWT!).
I have ALWAYS had a thing for men who can play the piano. I don't know what it is, it just gets to me...so when they came out and set up the keyboard right in front of me, I thought I was going to pee my pants with excitement. Then Joe came out looking all adorable in his red shirt (AWESOME! Did you listen to our advice Joe? Hmmmm....) and my brain slowly oozed out my ears. Then I hear from behind me "Shannon, Shannon...give this to Joe to put on the keyboard!" and Traveling Jon was passed up to me to give to Joe. So we were all there going "Joe! Hey Joe!" and he wasn't really paying attention. Well...he was right there in front of me and my brain was oozing down my neck at that point- so I reached out and tapped him on his leg...right as the strings for The Difference started up. D'oh! He started singing and I pretty much forgot my name, that there was anyone else in the room, or that I even had fingers to touch him with to begin with. (look at this and tell me you wouldn't do it too!)
Forgot, right up until the moment that he finished singing...looked me dead in the eyes and said "You ok?" with this sexy smirk on his face. THIS is what happened next...
(Heather also managed to catch a picture of Joe smiling at me
and Liz got a shot of the shirt I gave him! (Thanks girls! You ROCK!!!!)
After that, the show continued on and I just soaked it all in as much as I possibly could. Joe sang Cover Girl just inches away from my face and I managed to survive it against all odds. When he was singing his tribute to Michael Jackson (Music and Me) he looked me right in the eye and we shared one more little moment together. It was just all so MUCH! How on earth did I get this lucky? (Besides the fact that I'm totally willing to make an ass of myself repeatedly for that man)
I can't remember when it happened in the show, but Joe was chatting up the audience and one of my friends held up one of the towels that Andrea had made for all of us. It said "Chicago has Ballssssss!" and Joe took it from her and held it up for the audience to see. Then he took Heather's towel that said "Let's Joe Show This" and made a joke about needing a clothesline for all the towels in the audience. Well I have been calling Joe the Evil Genius for about a year now, and it caught on. I shortened it to EG quite some time ago for convenience sake. It's sort of a thing. Anyway- Andrea had made a towel especially for me.
so I held it up for Joe to see. He saw me and read it and said "EG, What's that?!" and I told him that it stood for Evil Genius. Liz caught his reaction...
He said something like "Really? ME?! Is that like universal or can I brand that?" We were all shouting at him that it was all about him. It was absolutely hilarious. Finally he said to the whole audience "This young girl in the front row is calling me the Evil Genius...My friends call me the asshole with a heart of gold". It was ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS...totally made my night (as if it weren't already perfect).
Sadly, as all things must- the show came to an end. Joe sang 5 Brothers and a Million Sisters
and shook hands with as many people as he could before leaving the stage. The band finished the last note, and Alex pitched his guitar pick into the audience...and hit me right in the head.
Could the night get any better?!
My friends and I had to wait around for a little bit because Michele had to go upstairs for her M&G with Joe and we weren't sure how that was all going to happen. The guys from the band were breaking down and I thanked Alex for the souvenir. Then Heidi and I went and caught a cab to head over to the after party.
The after party was a lot of fun! It was crazy crowded and a bit chaotic, but Joe was charming and funny and made it worth sticking around. Toward the end of the night he came through the crowd and started hugging as many people as he possibly could. When he got close to me there was a surge of people and some of them were pushing and shoving to get to him, so I kind of backed away from it all. I figured that I have had plenty of attention and opportunities and it wasn't worth it to me to get into all of that. Then this crazy lady started attacking Joe. I'm not sure what it was that she was after, but Joe and Johnny were both telling her that she was done and she needed to leave. I kept getting shoved back even further, but I kept my eye on Joe still hoping for the best. They managed to get the psycho to back off, and Joe looked up and saw me standing pushed up against the post and he looked at me and said "Come here!" and waved me closer. This other girl next to me pushed me again and he gave her a hug first, but then he gave me a quick one armed hug as he was getting pushed forward. I said thank you, but I'm not sure if he heard me through all of the chaos. Still, it was a nice hug and I will never forget how soft his sweater was! I need to get me some cashmere!
After he finished his rounds Joe went back to the VIP area for a bit. Michele, Heidi and I got up close to the VIP area as the crowd thinned..just in time for Joe to get up and dance to Twisted and then he gave a little thank you speech and said good night.
We were all exhausted, so we made the decision to leave at that point. As we were leaving we ran into Alex again. We thanked him and said good night. I told him to look out for me on twitter and he smiled and said he would. When we got outside we decided to just circle the block to see if Joe was still out there, and we found a small crowd of girls waiting by his limo. We decided to stick around to say thanks. A few minutes later Joe came out and a bunch of the girls surrounded him asking for hugs and pics. We saw that his body language was saying that he was just done and exhausted and decided to hang back. Sweetheart that he is- he still gave a few hugs and took a couple of pictures even though he obviously just wanted to get in the limo and go. We said good night to Johnny and thanked him for everything...and then we grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel to unwind.
& That my friends is the story of one of the best nights of my life. I am so happy that so many of you were there to share it with me. It wouldn't have been the same without you!
Special thanks to the Evil Genius himself. You rock Joe! I promise I'll work on my timing for next time.
I count myself very blessed indeed to have both!
Wednesday morning dawned and for once I was actually excited to get out of bed and get moving. (Those that know me well know that NEVER happens!) I was a little frustrated that I had to go to work for 3 hours because I knew that some of my friends were already in town and I couldn't wait to go and catch up with them. I was in a great mood though, and had a lot of fun playing with the kids in my class. My favorite moment was when we were eating breakfast and I looked at those smiling faces and sang "I got a feeling..." and they looked right back at me and immediately hit me back with "that tonight's gonna be a good night!". I love my job!
At 11 o'clock I was free! I found my daughter and gave her a big hug and kiss and told her I'd see her soon...and then I jumped in my car and drove into the city to meet up with my friends at our hotel. I saw tweets that Joe was going to be singing live on the WGN news and I was a little sad that I was going to miss it. Then as I was driving I saw a sign for the WGN studios and I was so tempted to go see if I could say hello. I was in the process of passing the exit when I saw the sign though, and I really wanted to go find my friends so I just kept on going. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the front door of the hotel to find that not only was Heidi there waiting for me as expected, but she was joined by Michele, and Jen & her husband Bob! Hugs were exchanged all around and we went back to our room and had a lovely chat. Bob was hilarious and sweet, and such a good sport about our antics! I was having so much fun catching up with everyone that I lost track of time a bit and made myself late for the BH gathering that I had initiated. My apologies for that! I hope that people had fun regardless.
I left Heidi and Michele at the hotel and headed over to the venue on my own to meet up with some of my other friends and to stop by at Lincoln Station to meet new ones. When I arrived I discovered that everyone was gathered around Joe's bus, so I stayed there to chat for a while. Not long after I got there Alex Kramer (guitarist) came out and went to grab a bite at a restaurant a few doors down from the bus. He said hello to everyone and gave us a big smile that showed off his adorable dimples. Sweet guy! Shortly after that, Rob Lewis showed up. I was very excited to see him. We had been chatting a bit over the last few weeks and I've been waiting for the chance to give him a big hug for months. I waited patiently while Rob greeted some other fans and took pictures with them, and then I went over and introduced myself. Rob was very sweet and it was definitely a pleasure to finally meet face to face.
After that I stood around chatting with friends until my toes got so cold that I could no longer feel them, and then I wandered over to Lincoln Station to see who was still around. I met up with several of the girls coming to my pre-party and we chatted for a few minutes. By then it was closing in on 5 o'clock. The venue was telling people that they weren't going to let us in for our party until 5:30 and everyone was getting confused. A few minutes after 5:00 I walked over to the door at Lincoln Hall and a man came out and told us that they weren't quite ready for us yet, but that it would just be a minute or two. They asked us to line up against the wall and they'd be right with us. Finally they opened up the door for us and everyone stepped aside to let me go first. I walked up to the podium where they were checking id's and giving us stamps, bracelets and food/drink tickets and the girl there asked my name. It turned out to be Terri who had worked with me to set the party up. She was very friendly and helpful as one of my friends had VIP and still needed to get a few things taken care of.
We got all checked in and my NECP posse girls and I found a booth and ordered our meals. It was so much fun watching everyone wander in. All the faces were just so happy and excited. Several people came over to thank me for setting up the party for everyone. I just have to say that it truly was my pleasure. Having the opportunity to make so many people so happy for a few hours is such a blessing. I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was really very cool to meet so many people face to face after talking with them online for so long as well. I can never express enough what an amazing group of women BH's are! No one on the outside will ever understand us...but we understand and support each other in ways that I've never seen before!
I love my sistas!
After we finished our dinner we went to the restroom to freshen up before going to wait for them to open the doors. Again- everyone insisted that I be the first in line. Around 6:30 the owner of Lincoln Hall came over and told us that he would be opening the doors for us in a few minutes. He asked that we enter in an orderly fashion, and let us know that they would be opening both sets of doors simultaneously. They opened the doors and of course everyone rushed the stage. A group of girls from the other side got to the stage ahead of us, but as soon as they saw me they pulled me in and made sure that I was set up right against the stage...dead center. I was a little sad that I didn't get to stand with my girls, but they were all right up against the stage too, so I let it go.
I was really excited to find that my videomates managed to get in right behind me so we were all together! Weeks of plotting and it actually worked out! Unbelievable.
We still had quite a wait before the show would start, so I took a few minutes to soak it all in. Was I REALLY there? All my weeks of planning had actually worked out perfectly? I just couldn't even believe it. It was the best feeling. I was in the moment and I was having the time of my life...dancing to the music and chatting with the girls and just feeling so very, very happy.Then Rob, Alex, Ethan and Donald came out and started setting up and the excitement just continued to build.
The next thing I knew, they came and set up the mic about a foot away from my face and I think I forgot to breathe for a minute. I knew he was going to be close, but I didn't realize he was going to be THAT close. It was funny because people who had already seen the show knew that I had been avoiding spoilers and they kept grabbing me and telling me that I was going to DIE. They had no idea.
Finally...the boys started playing and the funky sounds of Here We Go Again were filling the air with pure energy and joy. That song gets me pumped up on a normal day...this was almost too much. And THEN...Joe Mac hit the stage and I found nirvana.
I honestly don't have a clue what order the songs went in. I was having too much fun to notice. Having Heather right behind me was just perfect! We just get each other and there were a few precious moments of bonding with her that I will never, ever forget. Love you Heather!I was shocked at how early in the show I'm Waiting was. I had been avoiding spoilers- but the buzz on that baby was unavoidable! I hadn't watched any videos, but I knew that I was in for quite the experience. Holy LAWD Joseph. You certainly didn't hold anything back. That song is such a work of art, and the performance couldn't have been more perfect (or HAWT!).
I have ALWAYS had a thing for men who can play the piano. I don't know what it is, it just gets to me...so when they came out and set up the keyboard right in front of me, I thought I was going to pee my pants with excitement. Then Joe came out looking all adorable in his red shirt (AWESOME! Did you listen to our advice Joe? Hmmmm....) and my brain slowly oozed out my ears. Then I hear from behind me "Shannon, Shannon...give this to Joe to put on the keyboard!" and Traveling Jon was passed up to me to give to Joe. So we were all there going "Joe! Hey Joe!" and he wasn't really paying attention. Well...he was right there in front of me and my brain was oozing down my neck at that point- so I reached out and tapped him on his leg...right as the strings for The Difference started up. D'oh! He started singing and I pretty much forgot my name, that there was anyone else in the room, or that I even had fingers to touch him with to begin with. (look at this and tell me you wouldn't do it too!)
Forgot, right up until the moment that he finished singing...looked me dead in the eyes and said "You ok?" with this sexy smirk on his face. THIS is what happened next...
(Heather also managed to catch a picture of Joe smiling at me
and Liz got a shot of the shirt I gave him! (Thanks girls! You ROCK!!!!)
After that, the show continued on and I just soaked it all in as much as I possibly could. Joe sang Cover Girl just inches away from my face and I managed to survive it against all odds. When he was singing his tribute to Michael Jackson (Music and Me) he looked me right in the eye and we shared one more little moment together. It was just all so MUCH! How on earth did I get this lucky? (Besides the fact that I'm totally willing to make an ass of myself repeatedly for that man)I can't remember when it happened in the show, but Joe was chatting up the audience and one of my friends held up one of the towels that Andrea had made for all of us. It said "Chicago has Ballssssss!" and Joe took it from her and held it up for the audience to see. Then he took Heather's towel that said "Let's Joe Show This" and made a joke about needing a clothesline for all the towels in the audience. Well I have been calling Joe the Evil Genius for about a year now, and it caught on. I shortened it to EG quite some time ago for convenience sake. It's sort of a thing. Anyway- Andrea had made a towel especially for me.
so I held it up for Joe to see. He saw me and read it and said "EG, What's that?!" and I told him that it stood for Evil Genius. Liz caught his reaction...
He said something like "Really? ME?! Is that like universal or can I brand that?" We were all shouting at him that it was all about him. It was absolutely hilarious. Finally he said to the whole audience "This young girl in the front row is calling me the Evil Genius...My friends call me the asshole with a heart of gold". It was ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS...totally made my night (as if it weren't already perfect).Sadly, as all things must- the show came to an end. Joe sang 5 Brothers and a Million Sisters
and shook hands with as many people as he could before leaving the stage. The band finished the last note, and Alex pitched his guitar pick into the audience...and hit me right in the head.Could the night get any better?!
My friends and I had to wait around for a little bit because Michele had to go upstairs for her M&G with Joe and we weren't sure how that was all going to happen. The guys from the band were breaking down and I thanked Alex for the souvenir. Then Heidi and I went and caught a cab to head over to the after party.
The after party was a lot of fun! It was crazy crowded and a bit chaotic, but Joe was charming and funny and made it worth sticking around. Toward the end of the night he came through the crowd and started hugging as many people as he possibly could. When he got close to me there was a surge of people and some of them were pushing and shoving to get to him, so I kind of backed away from it all. I figured that I have had plenty of attention and opportunities and it wasn't worth it to me to get into all of that. Then this crazy lady started attacking Joe. I'm not sure what it was that she was after, but Joe and Johnny were both telling her that she was done and she needed to leave. I kept getting shoved back even further, but I kept my eye on Joe still hoping for the best. They managed to get the psycho to back off, and Joe looked up and saw me standing pushed up against the post and he looked at me and said "Come here!" and waved me closer. This other girl next to me pushed me again and he gave her a hug first, but then he gave me a quick one armed hug as he was getting pushed forward. I said thank you, but I'm not sure if he heard me through all of the chaos. Still, it was a nice hug and I will never forget how soft his sweater was! I need to get me some cashmere!
After he finished his rounds Joe went back to the VIP area for a bit. Michele, Heidi and I got up close to the VIP area as the crowd thinned..just in time for Joe to get up and dance to Twisted and then he gave a little thank you speech and said good night.
We were all exhausted, so we made the decision to leave at that point. As we were leaving we ran into Alex again. We thanked him and said good night. I told him to look out for me on twitter and he smiled and said he would. When we got outside we decided to just circle the block to see if Joe was still out there, and we found a small crowd of girls waiting by his limo. We decided to stick around to say thanks. A few minutes later Joe came out and a bunch of the girls surrounded him asking for hugs and pics. We saw that his body language was saying that he was just done and exhausted and decided to hang back. Sweetheart that he is- he still gave a few hugs and took a couple of pictures even though he obviously just wanted to get in the limo and go. We said good night to Johnny and thanked him for everything...and then we grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel to unwind.
& That my friends is the story of one of the best nights of my life. I am so happy that so many of you were there to share it with me. It wouldn't have been the same without you!
Special thanks to the Evil Genius himself. You rock Joe! I promise I'll work on my timing for next time.
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