My sister and I had a mini-crisis two days before her wedding, and it was all because of five guys I've loved since I was a little kolehiyala girl. She left the TV on while we were packing some of her wedding paraphernalia, and by chance, we caught Jordan, Joe, Jon, Donnie and Danny on Regis and Kelly. I was transfixed, and for a good five minutes, I completely forgot that they weren't supposed to be my #1 reason for going to the States. But hey, can you blame me? Back in high school, they were the only guys who never disappointed me. They were never hot-and-cold, they never dropped me for a girl they suddenly found more interesting than me, they never told me promises they couldn't keep. With just a touch of a button on my cassette recorder or betamax (!), there they were, ready to sing my favorite songs and put on a good show especially for me. Sure, all the members of the New Kids on the Block are pushing forty now, but here they are again, making my heart flutter. They were an unlikely source of inspiration to me not too long ago, when door after door slammed shut on my face and it seemed impossible that I could ever go back to the kind of writing I truly enjoyed. Then I started reading about a rumored reunion of the five guys; soon after that, they had an album which became #1 in the U.S. And I thought: kung sila nga, nakabalik, ako pa kaya? And true enough... The concert in Concord was the sole determining factor for my departure date from the States. I was hesitant because I didn't want to impose my presence on the newlyweds more than two weeks after their wedding, but my sister assured me that they didn’t mind me staying a few extra days. She even volunteered to go to the concert with me when it became clear that my very pregnant best friend from high school wouldn’t be able to come down from Canada to watch the boys with me. Back in 1992, NKOTB came to the Philippines to do a concert at the Rizal Stadium. Andrea and I were in our fourth year in high school then. I convinced her to buy the second most expensive tickets (P750) because I was uncomfortable plunking down too much money, even if it was for our favorite guys. We went to the concert with Dee, a friend from our grade school. Security was lax that night, and I was able to jump through the barricade separating us from the prime seats. As soon as I landed though, some security people arrived, so I had to leave Andrea and Dee behind. I ended up right in front of the stage. I was so close that I saw that Jordan’s black pants had a patch of darning stiches on one knee! For this concert which was part of the Full Service tour, my sister was only able to get lawn tickets (and it was her treat, thanks sis mwah!) because the good seats were already sold out by the time I was able to purchase my plane ticket. I didn’t mind… I was still so psyched. The night before the concert, I watched videos of their recent concerts until my left eye started twitching. We started the day of the concert with “brunch” at a popular diner where a lady with a plastic flower in her hair waited on us. But my 2 pieces of Southern fried chicken and pecan pie just became a very very heavy breakfast because my sister ended up making baked salmon and couscous when we got home! I blame my excitement for that day’s huge appetite! My sister decided to take a nap before we left. I needed to have something to do, so I decided on using my Grapes of Bath champagne bubble bath so that I’d smell absolutely decadent for the concert. I didn’t plan my outfit obsessively before that day, but when I finished dressing, I called out to my sister and informed her that quite by accident, I had on something old (white cami), something new (red and white striped blouse), something borrowed (her shoes) and something blue (jeans). When we got to the venue after missing our exit (Tomtom was acting up again) and stopping at Toyo Sushi for some yummy fried sushi, I saw right away that my if there was a competition of best fan outfit, I wouldn’t stand a chance. There were a lot of girls wearing homemade shirts declaring their love for their favorite New Kid. Others were in all their ‘90s finery (oversized shirt, vest, leggings). My favorite by far though was this girl who put a wedding veil on her head with 2” x 2” pictures of NKOTB dotting the fabric. Truth be told, I became so sentimental all of the sudden and almost burst out crying in the parking lot. My sister was oblivious of this though because she had a newly purchased wedding magazine with her (she still couldn’t let go of doing wedding-related research even if the wedding was over!). I noticed a table which was selling seat upgrades, so we didn’t have to sit on the lawn anymore! I lined up for souvenirs, but they ran out of the ginormous souvenir programmes I was eyeing. I ended up buying a 6” button with the guys’ image printed on it. But no, I didn’t go to the concert wearing that pin because I wasn’t 15 years old anymore! The two opening acts, Jabawockeez and Jesse McCarthy had already finished performing, but the concert couldn’t begin because they had to wait for it to get dark or else we wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the lights and images from the giant screens onstage. This being California, it was around 9:00 in the evening when they could finally start. That morning, my very pregnant friend and fellow fan Andrea wished my sister luck as she watched the concert with me, knowing that she was not a fan at all. I promised my sister that I’m sure that at the very least, she would enjoy the spectacle that the concert was bound to offer. I also promisd her I won’t scream… not directly into her ear, at least. But as soon as the five guys came out, that promise went out the window. For three or four straight songs, I danced, screamed and sang along to the songs. But after a while, I realized that I absolutely needed to take some videos of the guys so I whipped out my trusty cellphone and used it as my videocam. My sister, on the other hand, had done nothing but taken pictures almost nonstop since the show started. I told her several times to stop and try to enjoy it a little bit, but she was determined to take as many pictures of Jordan as she could for me. Now that’s sisterhood at its finest! Once in a while, they would turn off all the lights in between songs for a dramatic effect. At a certain point though, for reasons unclear to me, when the lights went on at one point, my sister looked at me with crazy eyes and just pushed me forward. It turned out that the guys were standing in the middle of the crowd to sing “Single”, and when my sister noticed, she suddenly couldn’t formulate a coherent sentence and opted to just push me in the right direction. Joe was nearest where I stood. I think he’s my #2 favorite ‘Kid now. Swoon. I loved seeing the guys perform the old songs with the original choreography. I loved seeing them do the new songs. Wasn’t too crazy about the new expanded (and more explicit) hip thrusts though… wanted to tell them, hey guys, you don’t have to do in-your-face reminders that you’re still desirable. Hello, we’re just one step from getting into convulsions, so excited are we to see you… So did I enjoy the concert? Do you really have to ask?