New Kids on the Block -- July 11, 2009

I'm just putting this out there, but if you're single and looking for that special someone, a New Kids on the Block concert is NOT the place to do it -- unless of course you are a guy(especially if your name happens to be Jordan, Donnie, Joe, Jon or Danny). Last night thousands of women(all over 21 years of age)packed into The Pearl at the The Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to relive the heart thumping memories from nearly 20 years ago when New Kids on the Block originally took the stage. But the night for me was not a scouting venture but rather simply a chance to see if the five guys I remember from my childhood still had it in them to bring me to my feet and scream irrationally. The easy answer to this is, yes, though the stories surrounding this evening are much more entertaining than that simple answer implies.

The chance to relive my childhood and go to last night's concert was not originally a planned adventure. It wasn't until around 12:15 yesterday afternoon that I received a text from a friend asking me if I wanted to go to see NKOTB. In general I would expect this type of invitation from one of my girlfriends, but in this case it came from a guy. Odd right? Maybe, except it just so happened his mom hooked him up with the tickets and he happens to be the type of guy who's up for anything, lucky me.

When we walked into the arena the energy and the scene was pretty incredible: thousands of grown women, some wearing NKOTB shirts, others toting signs declaring their love for their favorite band boy. As we got settled into our seats on the first row of the balcony, I don't think there is a bad seat in The Pearl, we began chatting with the women around us. It was clear that no one realized my friend and I were only friends, but that was part of the fun. In fact I think he may have become one woman's dream man simply because he was at the concert and she had already assumed that I dragged him along. This woman has seen more than 30 New Kids shows and has had the opportunity to meet the band on various occasions. I can only imagine the thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands, she has invested in following the band around the country. Good for her, that's passion, but I can't think of one band or celebrity that I am motivated to do the same for.

After the extremely talented dance crew Jabbawockeez did there thing on the dance floor and the New Kids show was underway it was clear that despite the decades that have passed the boys have not lost the sex appeal that made them famous and every woman was mesmerized by it. Watching all the other women around me swept away by the performance made me think how despite the fact that most of these women have never met or had meaningful interaction with the members of NKOTB, some seem to still have preconceived fantasies of who they are. Based on the signs being flailed around the arena,the lustful looks in so many eyes and just how many of them knew all the words to the songs, I wouldn't be shocked if many of these women still think they would be perfect for any of these guys if they just had the opportunity. (One sign in particular that caught my eye said: "Even Lesbians Love Donnie.")But who these guys are on stage is most likely far from who they are in real life. I think proof of that could been seen during the show by Jon's performance. If you have followed NKOTB for any length of time, then you know that Jon is the older brother of Jordan and has often been portrayed as the shy one. This may be true, but it looked more like he would rather be anywhere but on stage last night. His dance moves were lazy and he even sat on stage and covered his face as his name was voluntarily chanted by the audience. He clearly isn't thrilled with the boy band sexpot stereotype and isn't comfortable with who his fans think he is.

Not to read to deeply into this (it was a New Kids concert after all) but I think often we do this same thing in real relationships. We go into it with preconceived notions of who the other person is (or who we want them to be) and in the worst case scenario avoid obvious signs that things are not how we expect them to be and find ourselves frustrated and let down when that person changes, or we finally acknowledge that things are not how we thought they were. Instead of the relationship thriving one person reacts like Jon and just wants to get the heck off that stage.

If the night didn't prove that I can find a relationship lesson in any circumstance, then it definitely proved I am not one to take myself too seriously. I had an awesome time reconnecting with my inner 10 year old. And on top of that the New Kids did not disappoint -- they even appeared scattered throughout the audience to sing one song. At times I found myself laughing in complete amazement that I was even at the concert. But for me this life is about experiences and if that means attending a New Kids on the Block concert with a good friend, then so be it!