The Total Package (part 2)
Again, copying this over from nkotb.com so that I'll have a copy here.
So here's part 2! First part was about the pre-show stuff and meet and greet, this will be about the show. (if you want to avoid any spoilers about set lists, you may want to pass this one by)
Our seats were in Pod T, row 1. The stage was higher than I was expecting, even though I had read people's previous experiences. It was at eye level for me and I'm 5'6". I was a little worried about how well I'd be able to see, but it turned out not to be a problem. As long as I stood back a step or 2, I could see just fine. The "petals" were just above waist high, and I knew that the guys spend a lot of time on them, so that was cool.
Boyz II Men were up first, and they were great! So much energy, and such great voices. I know their songs, but I don't know their names, I'm terrible. During "I'll Make Love to You", one of the guys was standing right above us handing out roses. I shoved D in front of me so she could get one. Lucky me, he had a lot, and after tossing a few out further into the crowd, he handed one to me too! Later, during "End of the Road", another one of the guys was standing on the petal nearest us and put the mic out to us to sing the chorus. I've always wanted to be close enough to the stage for that to happen, so that was a high point. I loved some of the old school dance moves they busted out during "MotownPhilly".
98 Degrees brought a lot of energy to the show and put on a nice set. I don't know any of their songs or one guy from the other. LOL But D had loved them when she was younger, and she knew every song, so that was cool, watching her have fun. We got smiles and hand touches from most of the guys. Maybe all? I don't remember. Honestly, while they were pretty good objectively, they just weren't who I was there to see, so I don't remember much of it.
Between sets, we debated whether we had enough time to run out and grab another drink, but remembering how long the lines were before the show, we decided against it and just sat and chatted. It was nice to have a little break in between.
Then it was the moment I was waiting for. New Kids took the stage!! I'm so glad they opened with "We Own Tonight". It's my favorite song off "10" and I feel like it's just such a perfect boy band song, it showcases everyone so nicely. We were pretty far from the end stage, so seeing the guys come down the ramp onto the main center stage was super exciting. They're coming closer to us!! I really don't remember what order the songs came in after that, I was just in the moment, soaking in the view. We got a lot of interaction from Donnie, smiles, winks, and my favorite....he pointed at me, then D, then the girl next to her and gave us each a hip thrust. At another point, Joe was right above us, and looking down, in the dark, waiting for his turn to sing. I smiled up at him, and he gave me the most beautiful smile back. I know at points, I made eye contact with all the guys, which was fun. The one tiny downside to being so close though, was that when the platforms went up, it was really hard to see the center platform, and of course, impossible to see the petal platform above us. I'm really glad they did it that way, it was a great view for everyone else in the arena, it was just weird looking up and seeing the bottom of Joe's shoes! I was able to see across the stage to Jordan's petal when he sang "Kiss", which was just amazing. I love his falsetto, and that song is sexy to begin with and he makes it even more so. I almost died when he pulled his shirt up and reached down his pants. *faint*
And now, we come to the absolute high point of the show for me, and really, the high point of the past 5 years. The guys were singing "Single". Joe came down to the petal next to us, yay! Then he got down on his knees and held out his hand...to me! He took my hand and looked into my eyes while he sang "he don't tell you that you're beautiful, let me tell it to you to the beat". It felt like way longer than those few seconds!!!! I didn't know whether to sing along or just stare at him. I think I sang along. I'm so lucky, someone on the Facebook page for this show had VIDEO of it! I've watched it a million time already. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRK_yvHUynA]Look![/url] I just stood there in shock after he stood back up and sang more. Eventually I turned to D and hugged her and said "did that really just happen???" and she was like "yep. It was up on the big screen and everything!". Wow.
The rest of the show was fantastic too, but I was still just in (happy) shock after Joe sang to me. I know D loved "Cover Girl" when Donnie took his shirt off. LOL I got a great picture him standing right over us shirtless.
When they got their Boston Strong jerseys, I knew "Hangin' Tough" was about to begin and it was the end of the show. It was bittersweet. This is probably the last show I'll see on this tour, so I didn't want it to end. On other hand, "Hangin' Tough" is just the perfect song to end with.
And that's my story! Forgive me if bits are out of order or a little disjointed. My kids have been interrupting me this whole time I was typing, but I wanted to get it all down before I forget anything else!
So here's part 2! First part was about the pre-show stuff and meet and greet, this will be about the show. (if you want to avoid any spoilers about set lists, you may want to pass this one by)
Our seats were in Pod T, row 1. The stage was higher than I was expecting, even though I had read people's previous experiences. It was at eye level for me and I'm 5'6". I was a little worried about how well I'd be able to see, but it turned out not to be a problem. As long as I stood back a step or 2, I could see just fine. The "petals" were just above waist high, and I knew that the guys spend a lot of time on them, so that was cool.
Boyz II Men were up first, and they were great! So much energy, and such great voices. I know their songs, but I don't know their names, I'm terrible. During "I'll Make Love to You", one of the guys was standing right above us handing out roses. I shoved D in front of me so she could get one. Lucky me, he had a lot, and after tossing a few out further into the crowd, he handed one to me too! Later, during "End of the Road", another one of the guys was standing on the petal nearest us and put the mic out to us to sing the chorus. I've always wanted to be close enough to the stage for that to happen, so that was a high point. I loved some of the old school dance moves they busted out during "MotownPhilly".
98 Degrees brought a lot of energy to the show and put on a nice set. I don't know any of their songs or one guy from the other. LOL But D had loved them when she was younger, and she knew every song, so that was cool, watching her have fun. We got smiles and hand touches from most of the guys. Maybe all? I don't remember. Honestly, while they were pretty good objectively, they just weren't who I was there to see, so I don't remember much of it.
Between sets, we debated whether we had enough time to run out and grab another drink, but remembering how long the lines were before the show, we decided against it and just sat and chatted. It was nice to have a little break in between.
Then it was the moment I was waiting for. New Kids took the stage!! I'm so glad they opened with "We Own Tonight". It's my favorite song off "10" and I feel like it's just such a perfect boy band song, it showcases everyone so nicely. We were pretty far from the end stage, so seeing the guys come down the ramp onto the main center stage was super exciting. They're coming closer to us!! I really don't remember what order the songs came in after that, I was just in the moment, soaking in the view. We got a lot of interaction from Donnie, smiles, winks, and my favorite....he pointed at me, then D, then the girl next to her and gave us each a hip thrust. At another point, Joe was right above us, and looking down, in the dark, waiting for his turn to sing. I smiled up at him, and he gave me the most beautiful smile back. I know at points, I made eye contact with all the guys, which was fun. The one tiny downside to being so close though, was that when the platforms went up, it was really hard to see the center platform, and of course, impossible to see the petal platform above us. I'm really glad they did it that way, it was a great view for everyone else in the arena, it was just weird looking up and seeing the bottom of Joe's shoes! I was able to see across the stage to Jordan's petal when he sang "Kiss", which was just amazing. I love his falsetto, and that song is sexy to begin with and he makes it even more so. I almost died when he pulled his shirt up and reached down his pants. *faint*
And now, we come to the absolute high point of the show for me, and really, the high point of the past 5 years. The guys were singing "Single". Joe came down to the petal next to us, yay! Then he got down on his knees and held out his hand...to me! He took my hand and looked into my eyes while he sang "he don't tell you that you're beautiful, let me tell it to you to the beat". It felt like way longer than those few seconds!!!! I didn't know whether to sing along or just stare at him. I think I sang along. I'm so lucky, someone on the Facebook page for this show had VIDEO of it! I've watched it a million time already. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRK_yvHUynA]Look![/url] I just stood there in shock after he stood back up and sang more. Eventually I turned to D and hugged her and said "did that really just happen???" and she was like "yep. It was up on the big screen and everything!". Wow.
The rest of the show was fantastic too, but I was still just in (happy) shock after Joe sang to me. I know D loved "Cover Girl" when Donnie took his shirt off. LOL I got a great picture him standing right over us shirtless.
When they got their Boston Strong jerseys, I knew "Hangin' Tough" was about to begin and it was the end of the show. It was bittersweet. This is probably the last show I'll see on this tour, so I didn't want it to end. On other hand, "Hangin' Tough" is just the perfect song to end with.
And that's my story! Forgive me if bits are out of order or a little disjointed. My kids have been interrupting me this whole time I was typing, but I wanted to get it all down before I forget anything else!