I am a rare bird in my love for New Kids on the Block. I'm considered too young to have enjoyed their older music, but my Aunt Melissa is 8 years older than me and was at a perfect age to be obsessed with them (which led to obsession in my 3 year old self as well). I had t-shirts, dolls, a sleeping bag, etc. and they're the indirect reason I moved to Boston. That said, I developed a love for Backstreet Boys in 5th grade and they were my first concert. When it was announced they would be touring together, it was like the gates of heaven had opened up just for me. Okay, slight exaggeration.
Regardless, it was a fantastic show. Having a love for both bands made it absolutely unforgettable. I had a seat on the field, so when I got there I went straight in and down to my seat. There was no line at the beer table, so I grabbed a beverage and started with the pics. It was fantastic to be right at the Green Monster and be able to stand in the outfield.
I limited myself to two beers (an adequate amount to get the experience, little enough that I could still claim I was carbo-loading for my race) and sat down to wait for the start of the show. Jordin Sparks was the opening act and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her. I'm a fan of her music, but never would have paid for a concert of hers alone.
When her set appeared to be nearing its end, I went to the restroom to get it out of the way. In line I encountered a woman with a VIP sticker, initialed by "JK" at the bottom. She told the girl behind me that she knows Jordan (her husband grew up with him and he's the god father of her kids!), but that it unfortunately didn't get her out of bathroom lines. I guess for some things it doesn't matter who you know. Luckily I avoided most of the line by not waiting until Jordin Sparks finished. As I was leaving the bathroom people were swarming that way.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting (and checking Twitter incessantly), Donnie tweeted "it's time" and, sure enough, out came Mayor Menino. The man couldn't get through a single sentence without looking at his notes. The surprising piece was that he didn't introduce NKOTBSB. He introduced the person who would introduce them: Mark Wahlberg!
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| Oh hey, Marky Mark! |
Once Mark had finished introduction, the guys were officially announced Red Sox lineup style! Once all 9 guys took the stage (Kevin has distanced himself from BSB), it was surreal.
From that point on, the guys did some individual songs, some collaborations, and just overall rocked the house. Between BSB doing their characteristic "bring a girl onstage" for I'll Never Break Your Heart, to Donnie being Donnie (see below), I was in heaven. There was a series of fireworks (full fledged because we were outdoors) that made it even more spectacular.
Even when it started raining (read: pouring), people stuck it out by pulling out ponchos and mini umbrellas. I had a plastic bag that I chose to use to cover my purse, rather than myself. I had a hood though, so it's not like it was terrible. Okay, I was pretty drenched.
The guys were sliding and diving across the stage, having a fabulous time. I finally managed to capture the NKOTB sign in its entirety, despite a little rain-induced blurriness.
Two encores later (one in Bruins jerseys, one in Celtics jerseys atop the Green Monster [BSB in Orlando Magic jerseys]), my dream come true came to an end. Totally worth the price, totally worth standing in the pouring rain on the field at Fenway, totally worth the cab ride to Joe's and the slight exhaustion the day of my race.
Totally worth it.
