NKOTB concert: 17 again

Admitting to the web that one voted for John McCain makes little posts like “I went to the New Kids show last night!” so much easier to write. You already know I’m … different.

Just to make it all clear before I start… I’m not talking opera, or Mozart or even Dave Matthews Band. This is a post about a New Kids on the Block show. Non-believers can scoot away right now and I’ll see you later in the week.

Everyone else still with me? Good. Let’s start…

We got to the Susquehanna Bank Center about a half hour before the opening act was scheduled to hit the stage. There were actually tailgating parties. I realized 3 things: 1) NKOTB music sounds funny being blasted out of a car; 2) The lot looked like a bunch of Moms gathered outside a soccer field while their kidlets played, but with booze and 3) There are far too many minivans and SUVs in the world.

I thought I’d never see NKOTB merchandise for sale, NEW, again. We had plenty of time to pick a non-muddy spot in the center of the lawn. Target sells plain stadium seats for $7.99 each that really helped the comfort factor. We also bought an “emergency blanket” for about $2.00 to put below our towels to keep from getting wet. Good investment.

The show wasn’t sold out, so soon Event Staff came out with stacks of tickets to sit in the pavilion. Word soon leaked out that this was happening and soon the staff were swarmed. You’d have thought Oprah had shown up herself.

We passed on the seats, since our camp was set up.

The opening act was a dance troupe called the Jabbawockees. They danced to a bunch of popular songs. They were okay, but they had to know we weren’t much interested. We were focused on one group and one group only.

By this time I was literally bouncing with excitement. I’m still not a fan of their matching suits but I gotta say it worked for them.

They had a great mix of their old stuff (which really brought out the screams of glee) and their new stuff. One of those songs is called “Dirty Dancing” and they prefaced the song with the legendary clip of Patrick Swayze saying, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” We all squealed at the clip. That’s called “knowing your audience.”

I was afraid to bring our new, awesome camera, so I brought the point and shoot. I took dozens of horrible pictures, but some turned out okay. Jonathan (my fave, if you care) is behind that burst of light on the left. Then there’s Jordan, Danny (in track suit) and Donnie (baseball cap). Joe’s not in the pic, but he was at the far right. The dancing chicks are behind them.

Part of the stage power died not once, but TWICE. The first time, this happened, all the lights, audio and video screens died out for a good five minutes. The second time, it happened in the middle of Donnie’s 40-year-old voice singing “Cover Girl.” That time it was just the lights and videos that went down.

All of that gave Donnie the opportunity to freestyle a song.

“I ain’t going nowhere ’til they FIX THIS SHIT!
We ain’t going nowhere ’til they FIX THIS SHIT!
I don’t know who broke it but FIX THIS SHIT!”

And it went on and on and now I have a new song to sing at work when my computer decides to die. But hearing a venue full of women in their 30s screaming “FIX THIS SHIT!” was hysterical.

Once the power came back on, he started the song from the top again and all was good.

Then he sang “Stay With Me, Baby” which always made me smile with its bad reggae beat and Donnie’s horrible accent. Loved it to pieces.

Actually, everybody (with the exception of the venue staff who congregated behind me and mocked the entire show…very professional, guys. Someday you’ll be old too.) enjoyed everything.

I am SO glad I spent the money to go. For me, it was an evening without war and recession and job worries. Where I could be 17 again and just enjoy my guys one more time.

Closing observations:

• They sang a lot more than I remember them doing. There were audio tracks behind them but there was NO doubt that these guys were singing.
• They didn’t dance like they used to. No biggie, I can’t dance like I did 20 years ago either. But they had female backup dancers that did most of their old routines while they sang. That was a nice touch.
• Donnie, Donnie, Donnie. You were never my favorite (too “bad boy” for my squeaky clean late-teens taste) but you were last night. It’s about time the group had a true front man.
• I probably couldn’t even squeeze one bewb into the NKOTB shirts I owned when I was 16. Many ladies there managed to squeeze both bewbs AND a muffin top into 20-year-old tee shirts. Not a great look.
• One lady there created a sundress out of the NKOTB sheet set from 20 years ago. It was REALLY cute, if a bit over the top.
• NKOTB still spans all economic strata. I saw blue-collar girls next to ladies with designer sunglasses and mani/pedis.
• The collective screams of women in their 30s sound the same as the collective screams of girls in their teens.
• WM is truly an awesome guy. He came along and actually stood for half of the show while I bounced around like Tigger on crack.

I wore my new t-shirt to bed last night. I’m still wearing my dopey grin this afternoon.