Thursday, November 27, 2008

Los Angeles NKOTB Concert 11/26/08

What an incredible night. Tuesday night, after work, I start my drive out to LA for my last NKOTB concert...of 2008. ;) So many plans. Some Bay Area girls and I had made gift baskets for the New Kids and there were TONS of things in each basket-5 baskets in all. On the side, I had also made a scrapbook with tons of things in there that was personal and time-consuming. I arrived in LA at 3 AM and found a hotel room to stay at. In the morning, I met up with some friends to finish up the baskets. Some people had given us letters, notes and cards to put in the baskets as well so there was a lot of love inside these baskets.

When I arrived at the theater, the area where the 5* was supposed to meet was in the same place as where the guys would pull up when they came. So, a lot of people were there and it was very disorganized. I had my scrapbook along with my autographed "I♥NKOTB" license plate slipped inside because I wanted to be holding it in the 5* picture. When we get there, we were told that we couldn't bring gifts inside the building and I was devastated. We had to leave the baskets behind in the car. My friend brought a big bag with her and was able to fit the scrapbook in there so we took our chances to see if they would confiscate it. I've never had to walk through a metal detector at a New Kids concert before but whatever.

Once we got into the 5* pre party, I started to feel like jello because I was getting nervous. When the guys arrived, we screamed and yelled as usual. I knew this was going to be my last chance at trying to get a Donnie autograph on my arm for my long-awaited tattoo. I decided I was going to take my chances because Robo wasn't there and I felt like taking risks. I also told my friend to leave her bag on the table by the picture taking area so that I can grab it if I get the ok from a New Kid. We had planned on doing a little singing but once I got in there, I lost my shit. I saw Jon and knew that he was the one I wanted to talk to about the scrapbook because it was very important that I get it to them. I explained what it was and asked if I could give it to them and he said yes.

Then I went to Donnie and told him that I HAVE to get his autograph on my arm so I can get a tattoo and that I have been trying since the last LA concert. I told him I had a sharpie with me and if he'll just sign it, I'll be happy. He took the sharpie and signed my arm and I was ecstatic!!! Someone gave him a hat and he took off his hat and put it on my head. I didn't know it was his and I asked if it was his or if a fan gave it to him. He said it was his. Then he attempted to sign my arm at that moment but we had to take pictures. I turned around and let my friend stand in front of me because she wanted to be by him for the pic. I wanted to stand by Jon but by then, it was too late because Donnie wasn't letting me go because he kept trying to read my shirt. Then, he said it was the "best shirt in the world." Haha! Right. We snapped the first picture and for the 2nd one, I'm not sure but I think Donnie put his hat on my head but I dunno. If it's red, then it was his hat. I guess we'll see as soon as the ILAA pics come out.

After the pictures, I turned and he grabbed my sharpie and that's when he signed my arm. I couldn't believe it was happening!!!! Then, we went to get our tickets because they had to renumber the seats because they added some rows, they said. I got my tickets and it was in the pit, 2nd row, seat 318 - 319. I wasn't really sure where that was but whatever. They did the raffle and I didn't win anything. Then Donnie came out again and he started signing autographs. I had him sign my laminate on the front and the back.

Then, it was time to go to the concert. I went inside and they showed me my seat. It was the second row from the left side of the stage in the center section so it was cool. During the concert, Donnie winked and blew kisses at me which was nice. Reminded me of Sacramento's concert. He tried to look in my camera a few times but whenever it didn't come out, I'd let him know and he would look again. When I gave him a thumbs up, he winked. This was during DIBYM. He's such a sweetheart to make his fans feel so special. The concert was spectacular. The highlights: Donnie kissed Jon, we sang Happy Birthday to Jon at Cara's request, the B stage performance was held on the main stage and the guys ran through the audience and right by me, and Joe showed some body on the pose off so clearly he won.

After the concert, I went back to where we were before. There were tons of girls there. Jordan & Jon left first. Jordan hopped into a white van and Jon went into the van as well. When they came out, the girls bumrushed the security and they got overwhelmed. We grabbed the gift baskets with us and went with everyone too. After they left, security told us to get back. I didn't want to carry the baskets anymore so I put them on the floor and waited to see if the security would pick them up. They didn't and then a bunch of girls rushed to the baskets and took them. My friends and I had to grab them back from the people who took them. I didn't know where the other one went. I saw someone had one going down the stairs in the garage and when I got down there, my other friend had already approached her for the basket. We were devastated. My friend had already begun to cry because we had put so much work into the baskets and now, they weren't even going to get them.

Then, the most amazing thing happened. A woman who works for the New Kids had offered to help us get the baskets to them. What a nice lady. I wish we had gotten her name. She went in with them and eventually came back out and told us that she gave them to Donnie & Danny. Since the others had left, she didn't know what was going to happen to them. Then she took our picture and we wanted to take a pic with her too. It was all very nice. I couldn't believe there was actually someone nice on their team that would do that for us. I am very grateful to her. Everyone cheered when they found out they had gotten the baskets. I was relieved.

Afterwards, we decided to go eat. We saw a Denny's and parked. That's when I realized, "OH SNAP!!! My license plate was in the scrapbook!!!!"

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Death Is No Laughing Matter

Did anyone happen to catch Jon's blog today? This is what he said:

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008Jon’s near-death experience!

THIS ISN’T FOR EVERYONE JUST A SMALL FEW!!!!!!!!!!

I saw a post about my bus driving down the wrong side of the
expressway. Yes, this did happen, and I am not happy about it. I was in
the front seat sh***ng my pants. Every night leaving our shows people
like you who posted are going to kill us or yourselves!!!!! You need to
stop driving up on our buses like you do. You are dealing with 22 tons
of steel that cannot stop or change lanes on a dime. Half the time you
are hanging out your windows and flashing your camera flashes into our
drivers eyes, paying no attention to what you are doing! You caused my
driver to become so disorientated that night. A certain few of you need
to chill out and be more responsible adults! What are you trying to
gain by doing this. Do you think we are going to pull over and say hi?
Do you think you are going to follow us to our hotel? 99% of the time
we are heading on to the next city several hours away! Please pull it
together. I don’t want to die in some stupid accident. I appreciate you
coming to the shows, don’t get me wrong. I just had to address this
post because it is real and not some cute fantasy! Please spread the
word to everyone. This is a serious matter. As an adult I am going to
keep it real with you. If you’re acting stupid I will flat out tell you
to your face, “you’re being stupid”. So, in this instance, A VERY SMALL
FEW OF YOU ARE BEING STUPID!!!!!!!!!

Much respect and appreciation!

now that that is off my chest………….happy blogs coming soon!

Jon


UN-EFFIN-Believable. These past few months, I have felt like I've been floating in a cloud, wandering around my childhood dreams and ignoring reality. However, the conscious side of me is always there to keep my mind in check. I don't understand the ridiculous behavior of some of these so-called "fans." If you're really a fan, you do things the proper way. Just because you FEEL like your a teenager again doesn't mean you actually do everything you did as a teenager. Let's face it, many of us who were teenagers must have thought at one point in time that we were invincible, that our skin would never wrinkle, that nothing could hurt us, and we would stay the same forever. Pretty dumb mentality, I know. With this reunion, although we are transported back in time to a place when life seemed so much more simpler and fun, we still have to take responsibility for our own actions.

I hope whomever was chasing Jon's bus realized the extent of the damage they have caused. This really put a damper in my day. I am so annoyed at people who act stupid. If you know me and you know what I do, then you prolly expect I know what I'm talkin' about. It's nice to know someone with some leverage agrees with me on it.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Wrap It Up!

10/9/08

I got to fulfill a childhood dream last night. I finally went to my first New Kids on the Block concert!!! It was such a thrill just to be in the same city with them but in the same room? The same space? The same page? These guys are wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL people. I cannot express into words what they mean to me. I've tried, but nothing can really do it justice unless you are a fan. I have to say that the concert was more than what I expected. No dead space, always entertaining, and they brought their energy with them and our energy bounced right back. It was like a relationship, kinda like a boyfriend performing for a girlfriend. Sigh...I think I can finally die happy. Although, they did say no autographs tonight. Hmmm...that puts a dent in my tattoo plans...what to do? Well, let's see how far my determination takes me.

Here's what I posted on a message board:

Just got back from my very first NKOTB concert!! It was such an experience!! I didn't even care that they weren't allowing photos & autographs at the M&G because Robo was right. He said "If you love someone, what do you do? You hug & kiss them." And that's what we all did. This experience was definitely priceless. And so loud too!! I sat on Floor 1 in Row 4 so my view was pretty good. They seem to go to stage right a lot so that's great for me!! Haha! I need some sleep! But, highlights of my trip:

1. Got a kiss from Donnie
2. Enjoyed a long Donnie hug
3. Donnie liked my shirt, it says "Donnie Wahlberg is God" on my sleeve

Okay, guess all my highlights were Donnie-related. The M&G was fun. I really loved meeting the guys. I got to hug all of them. Danny is like a rock! So much man there. haha! Jordan lost HELLA weight since May! I need to get some tips from him. Oh wait, get sexy. Got it. Haha!! Donnie was next, been waiting for that moment forever since in Burbank, I couldn't spit out even a hello. Joe was sweet, gave me a great big hug and I wished him well for the show. Jonathan was in good spirits. I don't think he's sick anymore.

But anyways...

When I got to Donnie, I promised myself I wasn't gonna not say a word like last time. I hugged him and while hugging him, I said "How do I give you a gift?" and he said, "Just give it to me." So I told him, "Well, since you're gonna be my boyfriend for 2 hours, I made you a slow jam CD. And, since you like rap, this is a rap CD of my friend." I know, I'm so cheesy but I didn't care. Then he took them and thanked me and he was looking at my shirt. He said, "What do you got here?" and was spinning me around to look at all the things my shirt says. No, I didn't mind that he was putting his hands all over me to spin me around. Yah, that was okay. On the front, it says FACE TIME HOLLA! On the back, it says "New Kids on the Block Reunion 2008". On the right sleeve, it says "Baby Baby Baby Bus" and on the left sleeve, it says "Donnie Wahlberg is God". He really liked that last part. He held that part and said to Jordan, "Hey!" and pointed it out. Jordan looked and then gave a smile and a laugh. Donnie's response was, "Almost!" Then he hugged me and I was just so....so....ugh! I can't even describe it. Now I know what a "Donnie hug" is. I wouldn't even call it that. It's more like a "Donnie hold." He just holds onto you so lovingly, and stroking your back. I LOVED IT!!

And Jonathan, I told him how I was there that night when he went to visit the fans at the Today Show Wednesday night and all the while I was telling him, we were holding hands, both hands, and just talking. He's so sweet! Then we hugged and I thanked him for that. Oh, and another part I loved, during a song that Donnie was singing, I was recording the performance and at one point, I swear, I SWEAR Donnie was looking right at me. Probably because of my Face Time shirt and I was so shocked that I didn't pay attention to my camera cuz I didn't want to lose the gaze and the camera didn't capture it!! It cut off his head cuz I was starting to melt! Darn it! Ah well, whatevers. It's all good. Anyways, gotta catch up on some sleep. Going to Sacramento concert in a few hours. Gotta pick up old_school_fan and missmina from the airport! This time, I'll twitter. Hope you guys aren't mad at me for not twittering during the concert. I really just wanted to soak it all in since I'd never been to one before. Good night! Or rather, good morning!

Oh yah, one more thing. I don't know if all the M&Gs have the same food but all I gotta say is, bring mints.

Here's the video where I melted (Spoiler Alert):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igPeN1QAQ1A


10/10/08

I thought Wednesday night was a dream come true but tonight was even better!! We got to Arco Arena and got in line for the M & G. We were in group C to take the pictures. They took us to a room on the fourth floor. I can see the people down at the 1st floor attending the soundcheck. This M&G was much smaller than LA's. There were about 90 people there for this one but still, same rules: no cameras and no autographs. Booooo!! Oh wells. It's all good. Anyways, the guys came into the room and we all cheered. Donnie went straight to the line and hugged everyone in the line. We were going nuts!

When it came to our turn for the pictures, I was going to go up to Donnie but I figured I'd just get to all of them anyway so I walked over to Danny and gave him a great big hug and said hi. He's so nice! Then Donnie came over to where I was and I said hi and hugged him. I told him I didn't get to take a picture next to a New Kid yesterday and then he held onto me and said, "Oh well, stay right here. I won't let you go." Then he looked at my shirt and read it. It says "Sorry Joe! Miss_Ava is a Donnie Girl Now!" He kindly said, "Awww, that's not nice." Then he said "You're Miss Ava?" And I said yes. Then he whispered in my ear, "Don't wear that around Joe." I said okay. Then we took the picture and Robo said we had to leave already. I told Donnie I wanted an autograph tattoo and he said he would give me an autograph. But I said I didn't wanna get kicked out. As I was leaving, Joe walks past me and he grabs my arm and I realize it was cuz he saw his name on my shirt. I pull away to cover the shirt but he pulled me to look and I said "Sorry! I love you Joe!" And he said, "Oh that's okay. Donnie's taking a lot of my girls lately anyway." Whoops.

After the pictures were taken, the guys came around to the tables to say hello. When Donnie came around to our table, I should've asked for the autograph but I didn't. It would've been the perfect opportunity too but I just didn't ask. When Jon came around, he was giving out autographs anyway so I had him sign my high school locker mirror. And then it was over. Time for the concert.

We went down to the floor. My seat was Floor 3, Row 2, Seat 2. I thought, "Cool, that might be closer than yesterday." But little did I know, when they showed me to my seat, it was FRONT ROW CENTER!!! I was in SHOCK! I couldn't get over how the heck did we manage to get these incredible seats!! Never in my lifetime did I ever think I would ever be watching a New Kids on the Block concert in the front row. It was a dreamier dream come true. That's when I thought it would be cool to have my sign with me. I asked the security if I could go out and come back in. He said no. I decided to try anyway. I asked the person at the door who was collecting tickets if I could go out and come back in. He said no. Then I asked, "Well, what if I have to get my medicine?" He pointed me to the security guest services table and told me to ask them.

I went over there and it was this elderly gentleman and a young lady. I looked at him and I didn't wanna tell him the medicine thing because what if they walk me to my car and I have nothing??! So, what I said was, "Hi. I was wondering if I could go out to my car to get something."
"What do you need to get?"
"A sign."
"A sign?"
"Well, they always pull up someone's sign at the concert and I couldn't believe it but I got front row seats and it would be so great if they would take my sign when they perform."
He looked at me and said into his walkie talkie, "Can I get an ambassador?"
Then someone came over to me and took me down the elevator and told me I could come back in through the same door. AWESOME!!! So I went out to my car, got my sign, my marker, and returned. One side says "NKOTB IS ALL HOOD." When I got back in, I wrote on the back, "DONNIE IS GOD". lol! That's my dedication to him since he saw my shirt say the same thing the day before.

So, I'm not going to sum up the concert but just some personal highlights that I've already twittered probably:

1. During Single, Donnie was directly in front of me and he winked and blew me a kiss.
2. During another song, he looked right at me and smiled.
3. During Cover Girl, Donnie motioned for my sign and he held it up with the "DONNIE IS GOD" side showing!!!!! AAAGGGHHH!!! It was so worth it!
4. I got front row vision of all the thrusting! hahahaha!!
5. They played my favorite song, "Big Girl Now" with Lady GaGa!!!

The only thing that bugged me was that the security guard in front of me kept telling me "No video recordings!" and "No flash!" Uhh, hello, there were a thousand other fans doing the same thing. Why did I have to stand by a hater??!


10/12/08

LAX was way crowded. I couldn't move around unless I was dancing in order to flow with the crowd. I don't even wanna talk about it. They came, they sang, they partied, they left. The end.

My 5* Experience
Yah, it's a little late to be posting this but just wanted to document my NKOTB week. I went to San Jose's concert and I didn't do 5* for that concert so, not too many highlights. Although, one highlight I do have for San Jose is that Donnie dropped his pants after singing Cover Girl. He had long shorts on though. What a tease! haha!!

Anyway, for my 5*, I was placed in Group C. I got in and there was this girl there who was all up in Joe's face. Joe kept telling her that she needed to get back. I don't really know what was going on but I knew she had already gone in because she was in Group A. I went to Jon since he was not near that girl. The rest of the guys, besides Joe, were talking to fans while at the same time, watching what was going down between Joe & that girl. Security was trying to pull her back. I talked to Jon a little bit and hugged him. When that girl wouldn't leave, Jon pulled us away from that girl and said, "Let's go over here."

After that, I went to Jordan and gave him a hug but I didn't really have much to say to him so I didn't say anything. All the other girls were swarming around Joe and I couldn't even find Danny. Then I waited a little bit and stood near Donnie. I figured everyone had already talked to him. Donnie looked at me and pointed at me and said, "You." He smiled and gave me a great big bear hug. Then I told him about my Sacramento story and how I didn't wanna bother him during his personal time and he said, "You shoulda came in! I LOVE seeing you at the shows!" And I said, "Well, you were eating and I didn't wanna bug you and stuff, that's your time to yourself." And he said, "What did I say about Face Time? I was with fans! You shoulda came in!" And I was like, "I didn't know if it woulda been okay." And he was like, "Didn't you see me winking at you and blowing kisses at you?" Agh!! Then he hugged me again and I told him I loved him and how I wanted to get his autograph on my arm cuz I wanted a tattoo but I can't find him and he said that I gotta "get smart." Hmmph. :P Well Mr. Donnie Wahlberg, now that I have your permission, I will see you soon.

10/25/08

Today was a whirlwind of non-events, events, and could've been events. I arrived in Chicago an hour late because of a delay in my flight. Due to the $15 charge for checked luggage, they ran out of carry on space in the plane and my bag had to be checked. If I had known they were going to check my bag, then I should've done that in the first place and I wouldn't have gotten my hairspray confiscated.

Anyway, Keem picked me up at around 2 AM, Central time and I was exhausted. We went to Susie's and got some fries and he got a burger. It was yummy. Then we swung by the bank and headed home. I slept for about 3 hours and woke up at 7:30 AM. I was determined to go to the Allstate Arena and see if I can find the guys. I got there and there were about 20 girls already there by the bus area. I waited and waited but nothing. I ran into Ron, Lisa & Robin from the Today Show. They're doing well. I met a couple girls named Kathy & another one named Jennifer. I met up with Misty from fans.com and we hung out for the rest of the day before the concert started.

Misty and I decided to leave around 2 PM. I was tired, hungry and I needed to use the restroom. We walked over to Starbucks and I ordered a Salty Caramel Hot Chocolate and a Mushroom Piadini. It was delicious. Anyways, after waiting for a long while, it was finally time for me to go to the 5* thing and we parted ways.

At my M&G, there were 200 people. I had to give my stuff to Zach instead of directly to the New Kids. I handed over Suzanne's card to Donnie, Mimi's letter to Jordan, and my magazine to Danny. I didn't really want to let it go but since it had his mother on the cover, I thought he would like to have it. I already photocopied it since I will never see it again. :(

At my meet & greet, it was cool, but different. Different because I went alone. I didn't really know anyone there but that's okay. I did my best to avoid eye contact mainly because I was feeling shy. When it was my turn to meet with the guys, I went in and went to Jon first. I gave him a hug and then I hugged Jordan. He asked me what the BH4U pin meant and I told him it means Blockhead For You. He still didn't get it and I told him it was from nkotbfans.com but he stil didn't understand. By then, it was time for the picture. I turned around and there was Donnie. His first words to me? "Hey You" and he smiles as if he remembers me. Whether he did or not is beyond me. But it seemed like he did. After the picture, I gave him a hug and said that I missed him. I said how are you and he said "I feel much better now that you're here." I swear, when I talk to that man, it is as if we're the only two living beings in the world.

Then it was time to go but I had to tell Danny what I left for him. He said thank you and we hugged. Then I went to Jon and gave him a hug as well. I also said hello to Joe and gave him a hug. He wanted to look at my shirt but I was embarrassed to show it. But he said he wanted to see it. The shirt I had was customized. It was my "WANTED: Donnie Wahlberg aka God" shirt. I never even got to show it to Donnie. Oh well, maybe next time. Haha, there is no next time. :T

Anyways, the concert was great. I did mostly video today because I was in a spot where they couldn't reach me to tell me to stop recording like they did in Sacramento. I finally got Baby I Believe In You on video. I love that part of the concert even though I'm not a Jordan girl.

Anyways, it's 4:30 AM and I need to wake up at 8. I'll blog more in the morning if I have time. Good night.

What's up?

I know, I know, maybe my love for NKOTB has died down, you might think, since I haven't been bloggin much. Actually, a lot is going through my mind and I simply haven't been able to put it into words. I've decided to group together with some fellow "co-workers" and we're going to give the New Kids some form of "Hello" when I see them at the last US concert of 2008. Probably a letter or something. We just wanted them to know what kinds of fans they have and what kind of people we are. If they are genuinely interested in the lives of their fans, then it is possible they will read it.

I can't wait until my next concert. Just a few more days. A normal person might think 5 concerts is a bit excessive but honestly, I think it would just really depend on the level of your passion. If you're passionate about something or someone, it's hard to ever get enough. I can still remember the first time I met NKOTB. Well yah, it was only 2 months ago. I recall the unrelenting anticipation, the uncontrollable sweating, the heart palpitations, etc. But nothing could have prepared me for the excitement I beheld when I stood in front of the man who made me who I am today: Donnie Edmond Wahlberg Jr. I spent so much time in line thinking of what to say, preparing, organizing, and planning. In the end, all is a lost cause and I was at a loss for words. After that moment, I got to see him at a Meet & Greet a 1 1/2 months later and my voice finally came back. I should really copy over my experience to this blog just to have a record. I shall do that tonight.

I recently found out there is some picture of me on a message board I'm not a member of and they were talkin' smack about my customized NKOTB shirt. I find this type of behavior to be the exact opposite of the type of fan the New Kids would want to have. There is no doubt in my mind that it is just their jealousy talking behind my back.

Anyway, not worth my time nor energy. As for the project below, did anyone catch it? I thought that was quite interesting. I've never been quoted before and not given any credit for it. :T Ah well, as is the life of a blogger.