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.

The dream continues...

I can't even believe that I am about to write what I am about to write.
This can't possibly be my life.

Roughly 21 years ago, I was sitting in my living room with my little sister watching tv. I was flipping through channels when something caught my attention. It was this really cute group of boys singing and dancing on this show on Nickelodeon that I sometimes watched. I stopped flipping and became transfixed. This is what I saw...


I fell instantly in love with the adorable boy with the insanely blue eyes. There was just something about him that couldn't be denied.
I lost track of them for a little while, and then a few months later all of the sudden everyone was talking about this new group who were touring with Tiffany (I had just seen her a few months prior...my 1st concert). I knew right away that it was the same group and I was so excited to have the opportunity to get to hear them again!

That's how it all began...my adventures as a Blockhead. I wish I could share my diary pages so that you could see just how crazy in love I was with those boys (ahem...that BOY), but I'm afraid that someone would use it as evidence to have me committed. I have the same stories as most of my fellow Blockheads...HOURS spent standing outside in all kinds of weather hoping for just a glimpse of the boys. A wave, a nod, ANYTHING. There was one moment during a concert at The Cumberland County Civic Center when I swear Joe looked way up in the nosebleeds where I was sitting, saw me jumping up and down acting like a lunatic, laughed at me, and gave me a little wave. That was it though. That was my moment.

Then in the Winter of 2007-2008 I caught wind that they were coming back.
This blog already documents how this new round of madness went down for me. I won't rehash. Please feel free to go and peruse my archives at your leisure (key words Joe McIntyre & NKOTB should get you where you want to go).

Suffice it to say that it has been a truly amazing ride. Seeing my teenage fantasies come to life one right after another...There is just nothing that I could even think to compare it to. The coolest part by far has been connecting with hundreds of other women just like me. Deep friendships have developed...these women have helped me navigate my way through what could easily have been the worst year of my life. I am more grateful than I could ever hope to express.

After I won the UNBELIEVABLE opportunity to appear in Joe's video, I was almost expecting that I would be dealing with lots of jealousy and negativity. It never happened. NOT ONCE! Just the opposite. Every single day I am told how wonderful and deserving I am. These women lift me up when I'm feeling down and give me the energy to keep on going. It is so beautiful to be a part of.

The last few weeks we have all been on the edge of our seats waiting for Joe's "MacPac3000" to go on sale.

Well last night it finally did. It was such an exciting time! Poor Joe had just had a really rough day (His 2 yr old got his first stitches). He made a late night (for half the country at least) announcement on twitter that the MP3K's would be going on sale within the next 48 hrs. Little did he know that the link had already been activated. What happened next was truly amazing to witness. People all over the world were calling each other and texting and tweeting to make sure that their friends got online right away to get theirs. People were buying them for friends who were sleeping...etc. I jumped out of bed and snatched mine up right away. It wasn't long before Joe caught wind of what was going on (may even have been my tweet that alerted him) and joined in the festivities.

So I was sitting in the dark at my computer as my husband and daughter slept soundly a few feet away. I was shaking with excitement over my good fortune...when the unimaginable occurred. My tweetdeck refreshed, and this is what I saw...

WHAT?!?!?!
There are over 60,000 people following Joe McIntyre. He was following 22...4 of whom were "fans". Ummmm...I guess I have made an impression?

Whatever I did...Thank you Joe. From the bottom of my heart. 21 years of dreams fulfilled with that one simple message. I don't know what to say...but I'm sure I'll think of something. I always do!

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)

hotness

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

I Love my Mom!

I'm back and it was AWESOME!
Worth every single solitary penny.

Don't believe me?

Check this out...



I took that with my cellphone, which I'm sure most of you realize has virtually no zoom.

Yes, they really were that close.

Not for the entire show, but it was enough to make my night.

I'll be back later with more. I should probably go to bed at some point tonight.

Haminahaminahamina

He's so hot that I can't even function after looking at this picture.

Thank you, that is all.