NKOTB at the Allstate Arena 10/4/08 - Part I

You know the hardest part of arranging the trip to see NKOTB in Chicago wasn't finding a hotel, paying for the tickets, or finding a babysitter; it was deciding who we'd ask to use the third ticket that Jolene had forfeited.

We asked my nephew, but he had a date for homecoming. Our niece KayKay briskly turned down what would have been her first ever concert, unquestionably out of the inherent anxiety/fear that runs through my gene pool. Her claim that she didn't like them was absurd, since she's even used NKOTB for a music class project. Whatever.

We thought about YaYa but weren't confident she'd keep her cool. So in the end we decided to give the ticket to our friend Chris. Saturday morning we did the standard routine with swim class, dropped the kids off, picked up Chris and headed for Chi-town.

We got to our hotel and I went in to check-in. The lobby was already filled with New Kids fans, mainly young women with an assortment of homemade and official shirts declaring their love for one or all of the group. There was a married couple checking in at the same time, and they were attending the concert, so at the very least I knew going into it I wouldn't be the only guy at the show.

The three of us headed down to Chili's for dinner but it was packed to the rafters with New Kids fans, none of whom were probably older than ten when the band broke up. One shirt read 'MILF', and another 'I'm Legal Now', so there was little doubt what they hoped the guys would be doing after the gig. We headed out for a neighboring restaurant, then picked up some booze and headed back to our room to get ready.

Man I hate pictures of myself. They just sooooo fail to capture the rugged glory of my features.

[overheard in the liquor store: a cell phone call where the guy in front of me was ridiculing his friend for not coming to the concert with him. "You screwed up man, there are THOUSANDS of chicks here and every one of 'ems gonna leave that arena dying for a man . ."]

When the time came we walked to the Allstate Arena, a five minute stroll down the road.

We got there plenty early and spent a good half hour walking around trying to get to the front of the already crowded merchandise stands. I had more success than Lisa and Chris - a man of my size typically doesn't make a beeline for the pink baby-doll 'Click Click Click' shirts - but the one item we had our eyes on was sold out in everything above 'medium'. It was a black hoodie with NKOTB across the back shoulders and the number 08 below it - $75 I think.

Anyhow, Lisa and Chris got some more drinks while I went to the restroom. As you can imagine the men's room was rather deserted while the ladies room line stretched on forever. As I was standing at the urinal doing my business a group of women, sick of waiting, came in and walked right past me. "Hi," one said. "Hello," I said. It was he first and only time in my life I've thought a companion in a men's room was hot (minus that time at band camp of course).

Later I brought this up to a security guard I was chatting with and he promised swift retribution. "Why?" I said laughing. "For a second I thought I was in the opening scene of a porno. It's all good."

Our seats were Section 216 Row Q Seats 58-60. Not great seats by any means, since Jolene's original plan to attend meant finding three and only three consecutive seasts, but they were aisle seats and with a good view of the stage and a video screen. Since it lacks a zoom my camera phone does a lousy job of capturing the true distance, but here goes:

While the opening acts were on stage (Colby O'Donis and Natasha Bedingfield) I wandered off to a now deserted merchandise stand.

I bought a poster ($10), a tour book ($25), a keychain ($5) and passed on the tees. I asked for a set of $10 magnets first and foremost but the girl left that to last, and in the meantime another customer had requested the last one on the table - uh uh sister. I had a hissy and said that I'd ordered it first. You better believe I walked away with them.

At 9 o'clock the lights dimmed again and it was time for the New Kids to take the stage . ..