What was your first concert?
My best friend just bought tickets to the New Kids on the Block concert coming to town near her this summer. It’s gotten me thinking about the New Kids (now called NKOTB) and how meaningful they were to me at one point. The first album I bought was their “Hangin’ Tough”, the first bubblegum pop crush I had was on Danny, and my first concert was to see this mega-group. By the way, there is no doubt that, at the time, I would’ve fought anyone who suggested that this group and their music was anything less than stellar. And don’t even get me started on the high-pitched lunchroom discussions on which Kid was the hottest. (Danny, of course.)
As NKOTB head out this summer to tour with another boy band that you may have heard of called the Backstreet Boys (BSB), I can’t help but to think back to their concert – my first concert – that I attended when I was in 3rd grade. My friend Katie had called me on the phone to invite me to go with her, as her grandpa had bought her several tickets for her birthday. I was so sure she was pulling my leg with having ANY ticket to this momentous concert, let alone NUMEROUS tickets, that I hung up on her. It was only when her Mom called back to speak to my parents, to explain that Katie was not kidding, and despite the fact that I had just hung up on her daughter, that they still wanted me to go, that I began to bounce around the house like a hysterical pre-teen. Needless to say, that concert still resonates in my memory as one of the best nights of my life. I remember the lights, the piercing screams of hundreds of girls, the tears, the songs, and the 5 man/boys that we were all sure were singing just for us, especially when they sang “Please Don’t Go Girl.”
I hope my friend has fun at the NKOTB concert this summer. I hope she sings along loud and proud as they sing “The Right Stuff” and “Hangin’ Tough.” It should be a whimsical experience. Wonder if she’ll break out the neon colors, the teased hair, and the slap bracelets that were of that time period, too? And in case you’re wondering, I won’t be headed to the NKOTB concert coming to a town near me. Nope. Not with grad school kicking into high gear again this summer. However, I’m headed to iTunes right now to download “Step by Step” and other pieces of my childhood.
annaemango 