T-9 Days: The NKOTBSB Countdown Continues…

June 28, 2011 by
Only 9 more days till I hike my ass up to the top level of The Pond (the Honda Center) and pray that NKOTBSB doesn’t look like ants. Cross your fingers people!

And so the story continues…

Fast Forward to 2008
I have no idea what prompted me to do an internet search of the boys but I did and something interesting popped up. NKOTB.COM. WTF??? After all these years, they had a website? And all it said was something like Coming Soon with a short video. I think my heart stopped. Lol. I quickly signed up on the site for updates and then started hearing stuff on the radio about them.
I took this same picture at every
concert. I love it!
First, Ryan Seacrest said they were going to be in the studio at KIIS to debut their new single, Summertime. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was that I was going to be in Atlanta on that day. I would have taken the day off work and driven to LA without any hesitation. So instead, I listened to the interview online and almost cried when I heard their new song. It was like putting on your favorite pair of jeans, so familiar and cozy. It’s funny how after so much time, I could still pick out all their voices and was still so pissed when the video came out and they showed so little of Danny. Come on now! You shoot a video on the beach and the guy with hands down the best body of ALL boy banders in the history of boy bands is shown a mere fifteen seconds. Okay, I didn’t really count the seconds, that would be so stalkerish. Haha. But really, he should have been in the spotlight for that one.
Then, JoJo started giving away tickets for an intimate concert at the House of Blues. Perfect. I would call in and get tickets to see them. Not perfect. I called a million and one times and was never the right caller. So I didn’t get to see them there. Damn it!
Danny Kissed Me
Did you hear that? He kissed me! On the cheek, but he still kissed me. And I haven’t washed my face since. Haha. JK. My husband told me I was starting to look a little nasty after a few days. Lol. Just kidding, again. I did wash my face, that night in fact.
Shani and I after sleeping on the
street all night.
My friend Shani and I made plans to attend a meet and greet at Best Buy to pre-order The Block cd. As soon as we found out about the event, there was no doubt I was going to be there. I would’ve gone by myself if I had to, but Shani was more than willing and has been my Blockhead in crime since they’ve been back.
We set out for Burbank at 7pm the night before with blankets, chairs, and music. We listened to Hangin’ Tough on the ride and were not surprised to see that we were about 100 people back in line by the time we got there. Blockheads are some serious and loyal fans. If you call us, we will come.

Are they here yet? Nope…still 20
hours more to go.

We had been waiting for 23 hours by the time the line started moving and we entered Best Buy to meet the five boys, I mean Grown Men, from Boston. I still get chills when I think about it. Can I just say it was one of the most exciting fucking moments of my whole entire life, only second to the birth of my children and marrying my husband.
During our wait, Shani and I made lots of friends, almost got ran over by a semi-truck, and I called in to KIIS to tell Ryan about our campout to see New Kids on the Block. I love talking to him.
So how ecstatic do I look? That’s
me with the insane smile watching
Jordan sign my concert book.

Side Note: I did go on a hiatus from KIIS for a long time because while they’re willing to interview the guys, they never play their music. The Block is an amazing album and it never got the attention it deserved. Lady Gaga is on it for Christ’s sake. No one even knew who she was before she went on tour with them. Proof: I’m a high school teacher and I asked my students about her, and only one knew who she was. Now, they all know her. I swear, if you’re new talent, open for New Kids and you’ll hit it big. I tell you, we’re loyal fans. If I had to guess, I’d say Gaga sales went through the rough while she toured with them because we all bought her music and told everyone about it. There is strength in numbers and the Block Nation has that. So yeah for Gaga, glad to hear KIIS plays your music.

Back to the kiss…
Their table awaits!

After a brief detour, while our new friends held our place in line, Shani and I checked-in to a hotel to shower and change our clothes. Then we checked-out and got back in line.
Refreshed and beautified, NK had arrived and the line was moving. My stomach was doing cartwheels and I was so damn nervous. Here I was, twenty years later about to meet the men who had consumed so much of my life growing up.
I can totally picture meeting them as if it were just five minutes ago. I’m so lucky to have the images still so vivid in my mind. I had my Hangin’ Tough concert program with me for them to sign, open and ready.
With my program in hand, and Danny buttons stuck all over me, and a Danny action figure in my hand, it was my turn to meet New Kids on The Block:

Get out of the way people,
I need a pic of Jon!

Jonathan Knight: Smiling so big, he’s so dang handsome. He didn’t say anything to me, just smiled like he was the happiest guy in the world. Freaking adorable!

Hmm…I wonder what he’s
looking at all curious.
Jordan Knight: Holy shit! This man is gorgeous. He winked at me, and I just smiled like my life depended on it. With a Twix (yes, a Twix) in one hand, he signed my program with his other.
I didn’t say anything. I was still in freaking shock. For evidence, take a look at the picture above.
Joey McIntyre: I know I won’t be the first to say this, nor the last, but he’s eyes are beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to share a moment with him. He was preoccupied telling Danny something about something someone before me did, and he didn’t seem happy. That’s okay though. Shit happens.

This is it!
While I’ve never had the
chance to do a 5* Meet & Greet,
at least I have this. Although, I would
love to meet Danny again some day,
and maybe actually speak some words
he can hear. :)

Danny Wood: Here we go…even though Joe was chattering in his ear, he looked up at me and smiled, and it was like Joe was invisible. He saw my buttons and asked me if I had a camera. He fucking talked to ME! OMG…my camera. They took it from me, but the Best Buy chick (I love her) saw me and ran right over with it. Danny said something about my buttons and I wanted to tell him I had a huge one on my camera strap but I couldn’t get it out. Here was Danny Wood right in front of me, inches away and I couldn’t form a sentence. I was like an effing mime. I was making gestures, but nothing was coming out. Me, of all people, couldn’t speak. We took a picture together, with his arm around me 😉 ;). He told me thank you for coming, he hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek. Ahhh…I have lived. Lol.

Oh shit, there’s still one more. 
Whew! I almost missed
my chance to get a pic!

Donnie Walhberg: Sonovabitch, this guy has special powers. Can I just say Jasper Hale? For the two people in the world who have not read or seen Twilight, Jasper has the gift of being able to control the emotions of a room full of people. Donnie Walhberg, while not a fictitious vampire, has that power. I still can’t believe that after I was such a hot mess from my time with Danny, Donnie took my hand in his, patted it, and a wave of calm settled over me. It was like I was cured. He asked me how I was doing. I responded, with words that he could actually hear. I told him I was so excited about the album. He said he was glad to hear that, all the while my hand still in his. And that was it. I moved on, and the next person got to be taken under the DDUB spell.
I had a plan when I took my tour book to be signed. I wanted them all to sign on one side of the page, on a group shot. There was a vellum page before it, so I thought it would look cool to be able to see the autographs through the page. I even thought I’d (gasp) cut out those pages and frame it that way. Or (much better option), I could frame the book kinda open faced, so I wouldn’t have to destroy it.
So here are the pics:
Alright, 4 out of 5 autographs on the page I intended to
get signed.

Ooops…Jordan signs on the wrong side. :(
Like I was going to stop him while I was smiling
like a lunatic.

This is the look I was going for. You can’t tell that
Jordan’s signature is backwards, right? lol.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the countdown. I thought I’d leave you with my favorite song from The Block, but since I couldn’t find a video of Dirty Dancing to embed, I’m going to go with my 2nd favorite.

It’s 2 in the Morning (got my fingers in the air):

Signature
Filed Under: NKOTB

Comments

  1. Carolyn says:
    June 28, 2011 at 1:19 am

    I love reading about your NKOTB adventures! Thanks for sharing :)

  2. Andrea says:
    June 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    Danny Wood? You got to touch Danny Freaking Wood?! He has been my favorite since the beginning! I have the workout and concert versions of his doll. So jealous!

  3. Shani says:
    June 29, 2011 at 2:47 am

    Awesome recap Julie! Thanks for the memories:)

  4. Julie says:
    June 30, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    Thanks Ladies!