Wednesday Wishes - BSB style

(yes, another BSB post... but from the comments I take many of you love them like I do!)

I love the Backstreet Boys and I’m not ashamed to say it.

I went to a movie in the summer of 1998 with a friend and a song was playing in the theater she told me who it belonged to and that was it. My dad took me to 3 different stores that same day to find the CD. I went to my sisters’ house for a couple of weeks that summer. Coincidently they were doing a show in a nearby city and my brother-in-law offered to take me and see if we could get tickets.  Someone was selling lawn seats for $19 each. Score.

I’ve lost count of how many concerts I’ve been to. I know I went 4 times in one tour, so I’m guessing I’ve seen them in concert at least 10 times, the most recent back in 2013.  Some of you around my age will remember the MTV show FANatic. My best friend from high school and I submitted a video way back when. We became friends with the local DJ (who ended up joining the band for a 100 hour trip around the world many years ago) and slept outside the Jay Leno show to see them.

I was an avid fan throughout my high school years, then, around the time I went to college they sort of slowed down. Kevin left the group and the other guys released a couple of albums without him which I thought were okay, with some good songs, but mostly I wasn’t impressed. I did go to their shows – and had alcohol as I was over 21 by that time.

I never stopped liking them, but life changed and so my music listening habits changed. Other than listening to them I don’t generally listen to anyone. Talk radio is the setting in my car.

Then they came back in a big way with their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a free show relatively close to me (which Thomas took me to along with Nikki) and then their tour (which I went to with Nikki) – it all came rushing back. Their latest CD, In A World Like This, is amazing. It’s the first one they produced themselves and they wrote or co-wrote many of the songs on the album. It made a difference. They sound great and it makes me feel like I did when I was a teen.

Somewhere in between something great happened. My eldest niece, Mika, started being a fan. She became obsessed with them like I was at her age (I was about a year or two older actually). I didn’t even instigate it (although my sister does blame me). I think it’s great, though, because now I can share this with her. When I visited her in January we spent the entire weekend watching their videos on YouTube (something that wasn’t as readily available back in my day). Her dad took me to my first BSB concert and took her to her first last year. And now we get to text each other about our loves.

The guys released a documentary about their rise to fame as well as their private lives growing up in January and Mika went to see it that night with her dad. I got to see it later on in the weekend – I took Nikki since Thomas would not go with me (how rude!). The documentary was great. Not only was it enjoyable to watch the movie and see their lives, but it was great to see it among other women who still love the guys as much as I do.

I can’t wait for the next 20 years of their careers!

10 Awesome Things - Backstreet Style

In honor of the Backstreet Boys releasing their documentary “Show ‘Em What You Are Made Of” last week, I dedicate this month’s Awesome Things to them.

1. The Backstreet Boys have been around for over 20 years and have released 8 albums which have sold over 130 million copies – more than any other group (boy band) in history.

2. They are truly devoted to their fans. They host cruises every year that allow fans to get up close and personal with them. They stop to sign autographs whenever they can. They don’t spit on their fans. And when you do meet them they talk to you like they’ve known you forever and are a friend – not just like a “fan”.

3. Their music is amazing. Their voices harmonize incredibly well together and it can bring me up from a bad mood at any time.

4. Now my nearly 13 year old niece is obsessed with them – which is awesome. It’s a connection we have and we love to watch their videos together.

5. They are honest. They share their trials and tribulations with the public. From alcoholism and drug addictions, to loves and heart breaks, to vocal cord problems, they are open and honest with the fans – it makes a difference.

6. They made a movie/documentary that gives us an even broader view into their lives. The documentary was great, I loved it and can’t wait to see the extra footage when they release it.

7. They perform amazing concerts. From doing it in the round so that there were front row seats all around, to flying high above the fans and getting closer to the ones higher up in nose bleed seats. Their shows are never boring, the guys are moving the majority of the time – dancing their butts off. They do a capella songs and sing-alongs to keep the audience involved.

8. Now that they are on their own label and they get to choose which songs go on the albums and which don’t I’ve found that their songs have improved lyrically and performance wise. These songs matter to them and it shows in the songs themselves. They are also utilizing more of each of their talents instead of sticking to one or two lead singers.

9. They show the determination to keep performing and putting out music as long as the fans are around – which they will be if they continue to produce the music they do and stay true to the fan base.

10. I’m not big into music, I typically listen to talk radio in the car. I will like certain songs every now and then – but with them… I can be obsessed. The music, the performance, and the men themselves. It has been amazing to grow with them and see how they’ve changed and the things they’ve gone through. It is awesome that something that I’ve loved since I was 13 is still around now that I’m 30!

Grateful Heart Monday - Mika

As you may have read, I spent weekend before last in the Bay Area visiting my sister and her family. 

My sister is 15 years older than me and got married when I was 9. I would spend 2-3 weeks at a time visiting her and her husband all during my middle and high school years. Her husband is a great guy and very good with kids. They had my eldest niece Mika when I was 17 and I was able to spend the first few of months of her life with her (since I graduated high school a month after she was born).

Mika was my princess for nearly 3 years before my other nieces were born (the next two were born 3 months apart, one is Mika’s little sister, and the other my brothers’ daughter). I feel like I have  a special connection with her. She’s 12 now and she is becoming a full blown teenager. I feel like kids are much older these days. 

I love all my nieces dearly and equally, but I think that the few months I spent with Mika gave us a special bond. Now it’s grown because of our common love for the Backstreet Boys. I didn’t even do it! She, on her own, began to listen to them and began loving them just like I did when I was about a year older than she is now. It was nice to spend the weekend listening to their albums and watching videos on YouTube. 

As I boarded the plane to go home I got a text from her saying she wished I was sitting with her watching videos right that moment. On Sunday night she hugged me and called me her best friend. I felt all the feelings right then. 

We spent a big part of the weekend getting ready for my younger nieces’ birthday party. She had a few friends over and they played, watched movies, and ate ice cream. We tried to go bowling but the place was packed and didn’t have lanes available (oh well). We went to a local ice cream parlor right before our flight home to enjoy some sundaes - a tradition of theirs. 

It was a very nice trip. The girls had been coming to spend a week or two with us over their vacations and it was nice. I used to be a teacher so I had the same breaks so I could take them to do different things. Now that I don’t get extended breaks it has become harder, and now that I’m married it will be even harder than ever. As we were leaving Mika asked her dad if they could come spend spring break with us, we’ll see if that happens or not . 

I’m glad I got to spend the weekend with the girls (oh, and I guess my sister and brother-in-law as well).