Halloween, I dressed up like Joe with my friends dressing up as their favorite New Kid. I even took a BOP picture of Joe on my 8th grade Washington D.C. trip! I wore a New Kids shirt everyday my 8th grade year only to be mercilessly made fun of but I could've cared less. I was a girl in love......
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| Fighting a boy to not steal my Joe picture! |
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| NERD! |
When their second album came out, I was already in high school and slowly moving on. I still went to see the Magic Summer Tour with my friend Jackie and Kelli at Dodgers Stadium. Somewhere there are pictures of that...Jackie? Kelli? I know one of us has them. Anyways, I was in high school and didn't wear the shirts much anymore. I was never really a pop music fan anyways and slowly moved back to my roots of New Wave and Alternative.
Fast forward to 2008 and the triumphant return of NKOTB. Giddy tweeting back and forth with my best friend Andrea about the return. Sadly facing the fact I may never see them again or so it seemed. Then as we all know last year that all changed. I got to meet NKOTB not just once but twice! I got to see them in concert now three times.
Each time was so special. The one thing I love is the song, '' Tonight'' originally released on the Step by Step Album in 1990. It was a song to their fans about the past few years of touring and their relationship with fans. At the time, it was a hit and was a great song even then. But for me and I think many other fans, the song means so much more as a 30 something woman. How prophetic were those lyrics? a song written in 1990 would mean so much more in 2013. A lot of life was lived by them and their fans, the relationship became so much more for so many.
I have met some wonderful fans who've had the most amazing experiences. I have made wonderful friends all around the world. I have come to respect these five men from Boston, who love their fans like no other band I have ever loved ( well Curt Smith from Tears for Fears is the exception, he is wonderful to us Kooks) They really go the extra mile for fans and sacrifice so much of their family life.
When I first heard them sing this song again at the Mixtape Festival, I got the chills and cried. ''Remember when we said, ''Girl Please Don't Go'' and how I'd be ''Loving You Foreeeeever'' taught ya about ''Hangin Tough'' as long as you've got ''The Right Stuff''
The lyrics incorporating their old song titles and talking about remembering when? now as an adult it takes me back to junior high and the wonderful memories. As a young girl, I could've never imagined being friends with other fans and traveling all over the country to see the band. I met them in California for the first time but have only seen them in concert in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
I would say not only does this song mean more to me now than ever but this band means more to me than ever. It has become so much more than just a girl loving five bad boys from Boston. It has become about friendship and love with a group of amazing women. This is for all my Blockhead sisters around the world. It's been 25 years and I don't see a thing ever changing for me. I am a Blockhead for life.
