La la la la la la Tonight

T- 5 hours!

I'm getting ready. As Donnie would say "Getting my head right".

Trying to remember what this felt like 19 years ago...

What went through my head? What did I wear? How did I prepare?

I can still tell you the exact date of the first New Kids concert I went to. It was August 10, 1989 @ Old Orchard Beach.

I went with my best friends Erin & Missy. Erin's family had a camp at OOB, and the three of us went there for the entire weekend. We walked the boardwalk, checked out the rides, and played some mini golf. Come to think of it, that may actually be the only game of mini golf I've ever played. I sucked...but it was fun.

We walked from Erin's cabin to the venue...all three of us giddy with anticipation. We fantasized about all of the different ways that we might meet the guys. Once there we met a variety of fellow fans and fell into easy conversations about the group and our lives.

There were two opening acts before the guys hit the stage.

First up was Tommy Page. He was brand spanking new and I don't think that I'd heard of him at that point. Of course all of the girls in the audience ate him up like a piece of death by chocolate.

Next up was Tiffany. Poor girl's star was beginning to fade already. The crowd tolerated her, but it was a long way from the adoration that I had witnessed (and been a part of) only a few short months before.

Finally, the New Kids hit the stage! I probably haven't heard so much screaming before or since...with the possible exceptions of the other New Kids shows I later attended. I really couldn't tell you anything about the show itself. I know they did their whole pelvic thrusting and grinding schtick which illicited a frenzy like few will ever witness, but that's about the extent of my recollections. It's not so much the show that I remember, as much as the giddy feelings and comraderie that I experienced with my fellow fans at each and every show.

I know that tonight I will have the opportunity to experience those feelings one more time.

I promise I'll come back and share soon, but for now...I'm off to get ready!