loyal [loi-uhl]

faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations; faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity; characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations

Synonyms include: faithful, allegiant, devoted

If you ever want to see a bunch of 30+ year old career women and mothers act like 11-year old girls, all you have to do is attend a New Kids on the Block reunion concert. I only say this because, well, I am one of those 30 year olds who screamed (or maybe squeal is a better term) like a little girl.

Iya and I were email tagging from work the morning that the tickets were going on sale and long story short - she bought a slew of tickets for friends who were interested. We heard about the comeback a few months back and I have to admit - I was excited. As pathetic as that sounds, you have to understand how much of a fan I was...20 years ago (yikes, i just threw up in my mouth). I'd been a fan of New Edition (their second album was the very first tape I ever got!) and The Jets (remember them?!) when I was a 3rd and 4th grader. It was fun, catchy all around pop music. What's there not to like when you're 8 and 9 years old?

But Hangin' Tough was released soon after and well, call it good timing: Adolescence, meet Boy Band. Suddenly I am talking mom and dad into buying me every magazine with them on the cover (which was mostly everything. Personally, I thought that the poster quality of Bop and Big Bopper topped all the rest, even the iconic Tiger Beat, which is why I took mostly those home after every grocery store visit). I used to check the TV Guide every chance I got to see if they'd be appearing on TV (before TiVo and the DVR existed), I bought all their albums (before iTunes even let you check their songs out). I was part of their fan club, and bless family and friends who gifted me with NKOTB paraphernalia on special occasions. Talk about precursor for the far more severe *NSYNC era. But it just didn't matter, because man did I love them. There was one summer where I spent a few days at my cousin's house (remember, Pin?) and we all just watched (and performed with) the Hangin' Tough live concert video. hahaha!!! My favorite was Jonathan Knight - the quiet, shy, mature, mysterious one.

What I was NEVER able to do was attend a New Kids concert. I was young and mom and dad weren't down to go with me so that's one thing I regret. That's why this reunion tour meant so much - it was my very first New Kids on the Block concert. How could we not go? Iya and I were both like, "Oh man, I hope the concert doesn't suck." HAHAHA! We were not only satisfied, we were all kind of impressed. They can still sing well, the dancing is still there (their choreography isn't strenuous anyhow) and they can still get an entire arena of fans to go buckwild!

The SECOND the lights went off, the intensity of the evening enveloped us whole and for about 2 hours, it was just Donnie, Jordan, Jonathan, Dannie, Joey Joe and and a few thousand of their most loyal fans. Everyone was singing along as the guys sang some old favorites as well as new ones. We performed right along and it didn't matter if you had a front row seat or was a touch away from the Staple Center ceiling. It just mattered that we were there. As a true fan, you can't ask for much else.

The concert was perfect until the last number when the guys donned Celtic jerseys for "Hangin' Tough." I get it, you wrote it for the Celtics back then. But to have KG and PP appear on the big screen and then to come out wearing THAT in the home of the Lakers? BAD IDEA, boys. We'll let it slide this time...only cuz we love you so much.

Thanks for screaming with us, Arlene, Liz & Kathy!!! That was so much freakin' fun! Maybe we'll meet again for another concert =)

Dude, Ate - Nokia Theater the day before Thanksgiving? Hmmm, we'll see...

Thanks for getting the tickets, Iya!! (Iya and I literally talked about the concert and the guys for like 2 days. hahaha! Can we say boyband starved? hahaha!!)