Living a Teenage Dream

This past weekend I went home to San Francisco to go see a concert with some of my high school friends.

Girls Night High School Reunion

Which concert did we see you ask? This video should give you a hint:

Yes, we did go see NKOTBSB! We were all huge fans of NKOTB as 'kids' and there was no way we could pass up a chance to see them again live in concert!

NKOTB Back in the Day

My best friend and I actually saw NKOTB perform back in October 2008 when they first returned to the concert circuit. We loved the show and screamed our heart out like little girls. It was so much fun and made me feel like a starry eyed 12 year old again. 

Waiting in Line for Shirts

I've seen girls/women on TV before at concerts/celeb sightings screaming and jumping up and down when they saw their star crushes. I never thought I'd be one of those girls. But guess what, at this concert I was. Something between the energy of the concert and the crowd, being with my best friend of 20+ years and other good high school friends, and remembering how I felt when I listened to these songs as a little girl on my cassette tape player (old school!) turned me into a screaming giddy girl .. and it was fun! The appeal of this concert and the way it brought me back to those pre-teen feelings reminded me a lot of why I love the Twilight books. For a moment if you close your eyes, you can remember what it feels like to have your first crush. Real or celebrity, its a warm fuzzy feeling. (More about my Twilight obsession on my blog "I admit it, I'm a Twihard.)

Being "Gidiots" (aka Giddy Idiots)

NKOTB Sure Has the RIGHT STUFF!

NKOTB Making Grown Women Scream!

When we saw NKOTB a few years ago we got the cheapest seats that they had and sat in the very last row in the upper balcony. This time we got better seats and were much closer, but not close enough!

View From our Seats

When the concert started we had a pretty good view of the stage and the screens, but we weren't close enough for my pictures to turn out too well.

Concert Views

This View Definitely Requires a Closer Seat

Video of Donnie for the Ladies

Before this concert I didn't consider myself a huge Backstreet Boys fan. I bought the album years ago but always preferred N'SYNC. I was surprised though to realize I knew the words to almost every song they performed!

Backstreet's Back!

The show was set up so NKOTB would perform on one stage (front or back) and then as their song ended it would blend right into a BSB song with those guys on another stage. Rinse repeat.

NKOTB on the Closer Stage

BSB Serenading Ladies from the Crowd

The concert was great and a few times I looked around and was amazed to see that the whole stadium (filled with my fellow middle aged women) had everyone standing up in their seat screaming and singing at the top of their lungs. Well, everyone but the guy sitting in front of us. I can't believe this guy's girlfriend couldn't find a companion who actually wanted to be at the concert!

Seriously? Why Even Come?

NKOTB Still Has the Moves!

 The concert was pretty long and covered all of the songs I really liked from both groups, and I figured that the two most popular songs had to be saved for last. For the second to last song BSB performed "I Want it That Way" and NKOTB performed "Hanging Tough". 

My Fave BSB Song - I Want it That Way

Have you ever seen the HP Pavilion full of girls all waving one arm over their head back and forth? I have!

NKOTB's Iconic Song - Hangin Tough

After two hours of screaming, singing, and jumping around, the concert sadly came to an end. I found that my voice was hoarse and I was exhausted. This old lady usually goes to bed by 10pm and the concert didn't wrap up until about 11pm. 

Finally the Finale - Aww!

My best-boyfriend-in-the-world David had dropped Garley and I off at the concert, and was planning to pick us back up at a corner behind HP Pavilion. When we walked out there right after the concert we saw a big crowd, and realized that all the people were waiting for the tour buses to leave with the groups! We waited on the corner with the crowd for David to pick us up (with me mentally willing him to be late enough that we'd see a bus leave.)  Turns out David got stuck in traffic and road closures and he pulled up right after we saw the first bus leave with the Backstreet Boys. Great timing!

Tour Buses Out Back

 

Here Comes the Backstreet Boys!

We all had a great time at the concert and Garley and I agreed that "next time" we go, we get even better seats. I joked that as we got older and older we'd be able to afford better and better seats and that finally when we're 40 we'll be one of the lucky ladies in the first row who got picked to go up on stage. Haha. Guess we'll see what happens if they tour again!