Monday, July 20, 2009

Ahhhhhhhhh memories . . .

I went to the New Kids on The Block concert this weekend.

Yes, I said the New Kids on The Block. Don't judge me.

When I was in 8th and 9th grade, I was IN LOVE with the New Kids on The Block. Yes, I said 9th grade. You can re-join us when you quit laughing. ANYWAY, I lived for the next New Kids poster, tape, or concert. My room was covered in posters of Joe McIntyre and pictures of him that I had torn from The Big Bopper or Teen Beat. Life was good. Until they started saying "Hell" and singing songs called "Dirty Dawg" (they were sooooooooooooooo edgy) and then fell off the face of the Earth. It was a very dark time in my life.

Stop laughing.

Last year the New Kids returned to the stage after a hiatus of 20 years. We went in October when they came to Houston and we went this weekend when they came to The Woodlands. And I had a blast both times. It was such a stroll down memory lane and I loved every minute of it. It's an interesting stroll, too, because on one hand you see so many changes that can come in 20 years and, on the other hand, you see that somethings are the exact same.

For example . . .

SAME: When you go to a New Kids concert, you can spot the girls who are hoping to hook up with one of the New Kids after the show. They are usually wearing skin-tight mini dresses that are at least a size too small, 4 inch heels, and no smiles on their faces. Rather, they don their best Posh Spice face lest they look "cute" instead of "sexy." These girls are entertaining to watch because they have NO idea how silly they look. It's awesome.

CHANGE: Although I never dressed in a skin-tight mini (you're welcome) when I was 14, I did dress in the hopes that Joe McIntyre would see me and fall in love with me. And my outfit of choice to achieve that end? Why, acid wash jean shorts and a Joe t-shirt, of course. But 19 years changes you. Now I'm 33 and know that Joe is not going to see me and fall in love with me. And I don't have acid wash jean shorts anymore. So, since it was July and we were going to be in an outdoor venue, I was really just dressing to minimize butt sweat this time around.

Now THAT'S sexy.

SAME: Joe McIntyre is still hot.

CHANGE: Joe McIntyre is now married. Dangit. Her acid wash jean shorts were better than mine.

SAME: I still scream like a 14 year old girl when I see Joe on stage. I can't help it. At one point, the New Kids went backstage and the band played music while pictures of Michael Jackson were displayed on the screens. We all sang along to an MJ song and waited for the New Kids to come back out. No disrespect to Michael. Then, without warning, Donnie popped up on a platform about 20 feet away from me to my right. I looked to see if Joe was with him and wondered how the rest of the Kids would fit on the platform. Jill was hitting my shoulder and I thought she was doing it out of excitement at the whole platform thing. I just nodded, shouted happily "I know! It's so cool!" and kept watching Donnie's back. Then she started hitting my face since the whole shoulder thing was apparently not working. She's very nurturing like that. ANYWAY, in response to her subtle cues, I turned to my left and saw that JOE FREAKIN' MCINTYRE was 20 feet away to my left. 20 FREAKIN' FEET!! I completely lost control of myself. He was so close I could CLEARLY see his face. And, let me tell you, it was CUTE. I doubled over, screamed like a little girl, and started jumping around. I mean, I'm pretty sure we made EYE CONTACT!! Where oh where were my acid wash jean shorts??

CHANGE: Now I notice how ear-piercing it is when thousands of women are screaming. It's really loud, in case you're wondering. And you might be tempted to plug your ears (yes, Tracy, I'm talking about you . . .) but you can't give in to that because that's admitting that you're old (yes, Tracy, I'm talking about you . . .).

SAME: I suddenly became 14 again and sang all their songs at the top of my lungs.

CHANGE: I suddenly became my mom and found myself saying "What did he say?" a LOT.

SAME: Like a teenager, I hung onto every word they spoke.

CHANGE: Like my mom, I shook my head when they unexpectedly dropped the F-bomb 4 different times and I found myself getting my Nora on by putting my hand on my heart and saying "Now why would they say that?"

SAME: New Kids concerts are the best concerts EVER!!!

So my stroll down memory lane was fun and nostalgic. I loved looking around at all the women waving their arms in the air singing Hangin' Tough, I loved hearing all of us lose ourselves in the moment and just scream like little girls, and I loved hearing songs that instantly took me back to a really fun time in my life.

Good times, people. Good times.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Did you get any pictures?

Crystal said...

I am so glad to hear that you are a fan of NKOTB! I was there too (with my mom!) We went when I was in the 4th grade so naturally we had to go again 20 years later. Your post was hilarious and I could totally relate. I was obsessed (maybe I still am a bit?) with Donnie. Jonathan was 2 feet from me when they sang in the crowd. I reached and jumped up and down and screamed so much that I'm concerned if there is something wrong with me? I mean, I'm 30! Anyway, I'm still singing Summertime and Hanging Tough throughout the day! They have a NKOTB cruise in 2010 - I can only imagine the way some fans will be dressed on that trip!

Catherine said...

I DID! Well Jill, Tracy, and Tiffany did so I need to get copies. IT WAS SO FUN!!!

Catherine said...

Oh my gosh, Crystal - we should totally go on that cruise!!! It would be so much fun and would give me enough to blog about for YEARS!!

Phyllis Eddings said...

I linked to let my friend/co-worker read your blog, as she is a big NKOTB fan as well. Alas, they were after my youth, and I am too old to care. LOL