Last night was the NKOTB concert in Greenville. I went with Rosie and my friend Mariesa. We stopped by Five Guys for dinner on the way there. We completely missed the opening act, but we’d never heard of the band either. When we walked in, they upgraded our seats from first row balcony to lower bowl. The show was similar to the one in Detroit (the opening set was different) and we had better seats. It was fun having an adult friend come with me…one who remembered the glory days of Jordan, Joe, Donnie, Danny and Jon. Rosie got her gigantic NKOTB button that she paid for with a gigantic handful of ones and change. She also decided that Donnie is her favorite New Kid…which I hope doesn’t mean she’ll go for the rappin’ bad boy types of boyfriends in the future. If you don’t want to wait for my picture mega-post, feel free to look at the album on Facebook.

Tonight Taylor and I had a bit of a tough emotional day. We made sure we had some alone time to eat some dinner at Chick-fil-a and walk around Target. I decided it’s no fun to go to Target when you feel guilty buying even a $5 DVD that you’ve been looking for for years. There’s some cute spring stuff right now that I just had to walk by without gazing at.

Tomorrow night is a big event for work. I’ll get to help set up, meet a lot of important people, eat good food, help clean up, and hopefully be out of the venue by 10 pm. It’s going to be LONG day.

I have been getting back to my musical roots this week…like the stuff I grew up listening to before I had my own specific music tastes. My dad was my biggest musical influence growing up, and this is what I’ve been reaquainting myself with: Beatles, Monkees, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Dave Clark Five, Wings and Crosby Stills and Nash.

Lately I’ve been getting LOTS of requests from marketing and promotional companies who want me to mention their products and services on my blog. I usually decline (I don’t get any compenation out of it) but occasionally one seems like a worthy enough cause to bring mention.

Today’s featured good cause is the Fresh Air Fund. Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities. Whether its a two-week trip to the country to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of their camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities. They are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations to keep our vital programs flourishing. For any of you interested Mid-North Atlantic folks, you can host a Fresh Air Kid. All others who would like to donate, you can do so through this link.

A few months ago, I bought an extra ticket to the New Kids on the Block concert on March 17, 2009 in Greenville, SC. The friend I hoped would join me has decided not to go. It’s a GREAT seat…first row balcony. I’m selling it for $50. My plan is to drive to Greenville from Atlanta after work, and caffienate myself to drive back the same night (it’s about a 2 hour drive). If you’re interested, comment or email me at cuteculturechick@gmail.com .

If you’re skeptical about going, it’s worth going. I took Rosie in Detroit back in October, and they put on a PHENOMENAL show (and this is coming from a girl whose been to dozens of big concerts) When they announced the next leg of their tour, Rosie begged me to take her. She’s paying for her own ticket this time (the running tally of what he’s earned is posted on my fridge). These guys can sing and dance. Seriously. I’d much rather go with a friend than Craigslist it.

NKOTB announced another leg of their tour. Unfortunately, they won’t be performing this time in Atlanta, and the closest location in Greenville, SC. It will be on Tuesday, March 17th (St. Patricks Day). It’s about a 2 hour drive from here. Tickets go on sale January 24th, and will probably be around $40. I’ll probably drive out after work, sleep over in a hotel, and come back early in the morning for work. Anyone with me?

Rosie had such a blast getting ready for the concert! I let her wear her sparkly shirt, makeup, and jewelry. She made the poster, but unfortunately the ticket-takers said no posters were allowed, so we had to put it back in the car.
I was actually pretty impressed with the Palace at Auburn Hills. It looks like it probably received some recent upgrades, because there are restaurants and more-modern-looking features than some other arenas I’ve visited. This pic was taken between Natasha Bedingfield and NKOTB.
Look at my grown-up little girl! She says that Joe is her favorite. Probably because I showed her the original video to “Please Don’t Go Girl,” where Joey is only about 3 years older than she is now.
Even with all the concerts I’ve been to, I have to rate this as one of the most entertaining. It brought back so many nostalgic memories, and I created some new ones with Rosie. The lady sitting next to us couldn’t believe that Rosie knew the words to so many of the songs!
There’s quite a few videos on YouTube from this concert tour, including I’ll be Loving You Forever, Step by Step, and bare-chested Jordan singing Baby I Believe in You.

Just like Donnie punches into his Blackberry at the beginning of the “Summertime” music video….it’s on. I just won my ebay auction for tickets to the NKOTB concert tonight. I got the pair for $75, which is actually one dollar less than face value before convenience fees would be. I’m glad I didn’t buy them on Ticketmaster yesterday…my patience saved me $24. Rosie and I are so excited. She wants to make posters and wear makeup.

Ever since I heard about the New Kids on the Block reunion tour, I’ve really wanted to go to their reunion concert. My first concert, February 14, 1991 was NKOTB at the Memorial Colosseum in Portland, OR. I’ve never denied how much I love NKOTB….even as embarrassing as that may be. I’ve debated and debated over if it’s worth the cost that a pair of tickets would be…as Rosie has already been tainted my my teenybopper obsession and can sing along to about 10 of their songs. Then I heard the date, and connected that it was the same day as Rosie’s Halloween carnival at school. I downloaded “The Block” this week, and very surprised at how much I liked it. But this morning, there was a commercial on the morning news…saying that the NKOTB concert was on Saturday, not Friday. Suddenly the option to go is available again, since the carnival is tonight. Should I do it?

ATTENTION NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK FANS

THE TIME: FRIDAY APRIL 4th, 2008

7AM EST

THE EVENT: BE THERE IF YOU ARE READY…

www.nkotb.com