I'll Be Lovin' You...

Monday morning dawned bright and clear. Here it was - the day we'd all been waiting for since we were preteens. We had to hang tough to get here, but it was worth it. When I was 12 or 13, I never thought this day would come. And I especially didn't EVER imagine I would be 29 when it finally did. But step by step, things worked out just right. That day I just kept thinking "Tonight, tonight!" We made sure we had all the right stuff, and we really looked like cover girls by the time we were ready! It just about blew our minds!

Okay, was that hint subtle enough? If not, maybe this will help...


Get the picture now? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, we went to see (drumroll please) New Kids On The Block!!!

I know, I could hardly believe it either. It was almost surreal...in a Back To The Future sort of way.

It was actually Karena and Krystal that got Camille and I interested in the New Kids in the first place, so how appropriate was it that we were going with them?! It was technically a surprise 30th birthday present for Krystal. She was the most hard-core fan I've ever seen! Good times!

So, we decided that we needed to go all-out for this concert. "All-out" includes making t-shirts complete with New Kids photos, glitter puff paint, beaded sleeves/hems, 80's jewelry, etc. At first Camille was quite embarrassed to be seen in her amazingly cute concert get-up, but as the pre-concert festivities wore on and we were complimented again and again, she finally came around. Yes, our homemade concert attire was the toast of the town (I particularly loved my star-belt!). I'd even go so far as to say that we were everybody's favorite girls! Okay, okay, I'll stop with the random song-title blog distribution.

Before the concert, we got a hot tip to go around to the back of the arena and maybe we'd be able to see a New Kid or two. We got lucky! Jonathan Knight (!) came out and waved to us! He was pretty aloof, and only waved after Krystal shouted "I've waited 18 years to see you!" at the top of her lungs. Who wouldn't have pity on that? We also got a few waves and blown kisses from Natasha Bedingfield, who opened the show. I have to say, I was quite impressed with her performance! I don't care much for her songs on the radio, but hearing her live was a different story. She's a great performer and singer. Plus, she seemed like a decent person, which always helps...

I didn't quite know what to expect from the New Kids. Most of them are 39 or so and not exactly the young heart-throbs they once were. But I was very pleasantly surprised! The vocals sounded better than when they were young and they did all of their old songs. That little Joey MacIntyre (who happens to be older than I am) has got some chords! Not quite the range he used to have, but it's okay - he was so little back in the day!

It was such a great blast from the past! Some of the old dance moves were included and everything! I was especially surprised when Jordan Knight (my favorite New Kid) broke out an exact replica (only with better hair) of this little number. Careful ladies, don't let your hubbies or children catch you watching (and drooling over) this or you may have some explaining to do - it's a little scandalous...

We did our homework before the concert, of course. We spent three days listening to the songs and watching the old music videos. I couldn't believe how quickly it all came back to me!

The audience was SO crazy! It was full of 30-something women screaming their lungs out. Absolutely nuts! Okay, I admit...I couldn't talk properly for a few days afterward myself. But it was so much fun! I think the SLC concert is next weekend, so if you don't have tickets already, I recommend it. Maybe you can be Jordan's next Valentine Girl!