As I sit back and reflect on my 2012, I realize that I had another great year even though it was vastly different than my 2011. 2011 had been filled with quantity, while this year seemed to be all about quality. Because I did so many events in 2011, my Top 11 of 2011 contained specific happenings within my events. However, my Top 12 of 2012 tends to contain events as a whole because there weren't as many of them as 2011 and because the events I did go to brought quality interactions as a whole.
Danny Wood tweets me a "thank you" with a photo he
found and cropped himself
12. Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure - In 2011, I had attended six NKOTBSB concerts and at each one I became more and more inspired by Danny Wood and his commitment to fighting breast cancer in memory of his mother, Betty Wood. With my grandmother being a breast cancer survivor, I decided that it was my turn to join in the fight. So, I began a Team Betty for the 2012 Chicago 3-Day and started my fundraising and training. $4,120, 60 miles, and one congratulatory tweet from Danny Wood himself later, I could not have been more proud of my accomplishments.
My Backstreet girls in the
nation's capital
11. Backstreet goes to Washington - What is the next best thing if you can't have the Backstreet Boys? Having a fun filled weekend with all your Backstreet friends, of course! After the 2011 Cruise, us Backstreet fans had no idea what was in store for our 2012. We knew NKOTBSB would be doing a European tour and that chances were there would be no cruise in 2012. How could we go an entire year without seeing the Backstreet Boys, and in turn, not seeing our Backstreet friends? We fixed that quickly with a Backstreet reunion in Washington, D.C. in June. It was great seeing all of the girls again as we had Backstreet dance lessons in front of the White House, designed Backstreet superheroes (Nick was a ninja!), privately did Backstreet karaoke, ate tons of Mexican food (because DC is where you go to eat Mexican apparently), talked non-stop about Brian's sparkly blue eyes, and recounted all of our favorite 2011 cruise memories (mostly how the blue team played #betterly than the yellow). At the time, I thought it would be my the only time seeing the girls this year...however, the Backstreet Boys came through in the end with a group of concerts on the east coast.
Aaron Carter and the "blue monkey
head"
10. A "Fantastick" Day in NYC - When the Backstreet Boys announced a few shows on the east coast at the end of December, my Backstreet friends and I were so happy to be able to see one another again. Many of them had the opportunity with MixTape and Good Morning America to see the Backstreet Boys and each other...I was not so lucky. The two of us that were actually flying in for the shows decided to extend our trip at the beginning, giving us the opportunity to spend the day in New York City. In Madame Tussaud's wax museum we showed the shapes of our heart to the large BSB mural on the wall and told 'N Sync how we really felt about them. We then later spent the evening in a vicious cycle of laughter with the cast of "The Fantasticks," including Backstreet brother, Aaron Carter.
9. BSB Tweets - Sometimes it really is the smaller things in life that can make a person so happy. Sometimes all it takes is something as short as a three word tweet or a message to thousands a fans displaying a video you recorded at a concert to make you jump out of your bed, run into the living room, and do a major happy dance in front of your husband. 2012 marked my first tweets from a Backstreet Boy (two from Nick and two from Brian). While my Nick tweets did not mention me specifically, he was sharing my videos I had taken at his February show in Chicago. This led to a huge jump in views for these particular videos, as well as a growing number of subscribers to my YouTube account.
Brian's tweets, however, were directed at me...with one of them incorparating my other favorite thing, the Wildcats!
Doron Lamb (Milwaukee Bucks) and Marquis Teague
(Chicago Bulls)
8. Meeting former Wildcats turned pro - I received an early birthday present this year when I got to meet two University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball players that were on the 2012 Championship team when they sat at a table next to me at a restaurant in Lexington. While I find that the UK Baseball players I have met are MUCH more personable than these two were (maybe because they have been drafted into the NBA), I was still greatful that they agreed to take a photo with me. For some reason I think of the student athletes at the University of Kentucky as celebrities even though they are just students who happen to play a sport there. Maybe its because I treat University of Kentucky as others would treat a professional team....or maybe its because these college athletes may eventually go on to become professional athletes (much like these two).
Corey Littrell...yes, you read the
last name right
7. UK Baseball Regionals - I think all of my readers knew that I was a UK basketball and football fan, but they probably don't know how my love for the University of Kentucky baseball team (Bat Cats) has grown this year. 2012 marked the year that I FINALLY got to see the Bat Cats play in person thanks to the fact that they played their NCAA Regional tournament just a short 45 minutes from my town, rather than the 6 hours it would take me to travel to Lexington to see them play. Here I got to meet my favorite Bat Cat, as well as his family, and witness the longest baseball game I have ever seen...a marathon 21 inning game. This wonderful experience also led to a later baseball adventure in New York.
Michael Williams (#35, Hudson Valley Renegades),
Tim Peterson (#22, Brooklyn Cyclones), and Luke
Maile (#21, Hudson Valley Renegades)
6. New York Baseball Bonanza - After the amazing time I had at the NCAA Baseball Regionals, I decided that I wanted to try to go see some of the newly drafted Wildcats on their new minor league teams. It just so happened that two of the players that were drafted onto the same team were playing the team that a sorority sister works for. So, I made my way to the state of New York to attend not one, not two, not three....but FOUR minor league baseball games and meet three former Bat Cats.
Nick Carter and I
5. "I'm Taking Off" with Nick Carter - 2012 marked my first Nick Carter solo concert in February. It also just so happens that I bought a VIP for this show, allowing me to get my first solo photo with Nick. This is also the concert that led to number 9 on this Top 12 list. The concert was so amazing that I wanted to just drive onto the next stop on the tour.
Brow down, goggles up...we
brought 8 back to Rupp!
4. NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four - The University of Kentucky men's basketball team dominated in 2012 so it was no surprise when they made it to the Final Four in New Orleans...and how convenient was it that it was during my Spring Break for work? As the dominant team all season, chances of them winning the championship were very high so I felt that if I was ever going to be able to witness a championship in person, this would be the year. As streamers and confetti rained down upon the Wildcats after they won their 8th National Championship, I couldn't have been more excited to be there to witness this very special team win a special game.
My four favorite guys and three of my favorite girls (sad face
for my other favorite girlies not being in the photo)
3. BSB in Atlantic City - While BSB had several special events in 2012, I was not able to attend any of them. Imagine how happy I was when the Backstreet Boys announced several shows that they would be doing at the end of December on the east coast....especially since it had been over a year since I had last seen them as a group during the 2011 cruise and some very good friends just happened to live right in the middle of all of the excitement. The Silver VIP that my friends and I bought allowed me to see Brian after a very special and important conversation that we had back in September. The concert allowed the Boys to do a combination of older and newer songs, as well as allowed each member a solo song. It was similar to the 2011 cruise concert but included enough differences to make it a unique show. Besides, it allowed another year to see the Backstreet Boys. I also tried my first ever after party, where I was lucky enough to get a photo with Howie.
Bringing in the new year with great
friends
2. New Year's Eve with the Backstreet Boys - I had trouble deciding if this would go under 2012 or 2013 since this particular show started in 2012 and ended in 2013. Why can't it be a part of both my Top 12 of 2012 and Top 13 of 2013??? My friends and I dominated the soundcheck with the Bronze VIPs that we decided to buy at the last minute by having two of our requested songs sung and two of our questions answered. Anyway, this concert was very special and nothing like I have done before since I actually got to bring in the new year with not only some of my best friends, but the music group that means the world to me. The Backstreet Boys helped the audience bring in the new year by pausing their concert for a countdown, balloon drop, and their own special rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." By bringing in the new year with BSB, I fully expect 2013 to be the best one yet.
A birthday dream come true with Brian
and Leighanne
1. Wylee Party in Roswell - There were so many things that made this event amazing and number one on my list. First, it was on my birthday. Who wouldn't want to spend their birthday with Brian and Leighanne Littrell???? Most of all, I had the most amazing conversation with Brian that lasted a good 45 minutes....and not just any superficial conversation, but a real heart to heart where he gave me advice and shared his own personal stories that I had never heard before (if you haven't heard the story you need to click on the link and read it NOW!). Most importantly, I finally got to thank him for influencing me to make the best decision one can make....becoming a Christian. As I am typing this I am getting goose bumps just thinking about that weekend and what that day meant to me.
As I read back over this list, I also realize one thing.....I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! I am so behind.......
And as will become tradition, my collage of meeting "celebrities" in 2012 (in quotes because of the UK athletes pictured) in collage format...
My total approximate mileage travelled in 2012 was 9,433 miles to 14 cities and 9 states....overall a pretty good year I say!
*Title Credit - "Shape of My Heart" - Black and Blue - Backstreet Boys*
I know this post is a very long time coming since it has been months (okay two months shy of a year) since we got off of the Carnival Imagination. Sometimes life just happens. This is the last of my BSB Cruise 2011 reviews so I hope you have enjoyed my reviews as much as I enjoyed being on the cruise.
Ashley and Cortney's
Winning Door
The last day of the cruise began with the phone ringing in our cabin. All I could think about was the fact that it had been another late night the night before and I still had another 30 minutes until the alarm went off. I had no idea who was calling and I thought maybe the clock on my iPod was off and we had overslept and were going to miss the photo. I answered the phone and heard Ashley's excited voice on the other end. She was calling to tell us that her sister and she had won the door decorating contest! Their prize was front row seats to the group A concert that evening...the lucky ducks were going to get to see the concert again! Their door was great and they totally deserved the win.
After Ashley's phone call, all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep for days. However, we had a full day of photo shoots, karaoke, enjoying the sea, and the pajama deck party. I decided to drink down a 5 hour energy shot to see if that could get me going. Between that and knowing I would be meeting BSB again in a few short hours, my energy was back and I hoped I could make it through another long day and night. We got dressed for our photo and decided to explore some more door decorations. There were some very creative doors and we loved seeing all of them. There were not nearly as many as last year. My guess is that it had something to do with the fact that no official door decorating contest was announced. After we killed some time, we decided it was time to go get in line for our photo with the Backstreet Boys.
Bottom Row: Jen, Ashley
Middle Row: Cory, Chrissy, Laura
Top Row: Anne Marie, Cortney
Fans were supposed to be in groups of 8 for the photo (2 girls for each boy). We had seven and hoped that there would not be an individual to be put into our group (although I would not be the one to be alone with the Backstreet Boy of my choice). However, there was an individual person who needed a group and it just happened that she wanted AJ, who happened to be the Boy with only one person in our group. This fan seemed nice enough and was very grateful we let her into our group. We took some nice photos while waiting to meet the Boys and tried to get over the nervous feelings we were all feeling. Yes, I have gotten several photos with the Boys but still get star struck every time I meet them.
We spent the biggest marjority of the time in line figuring out what kind of pose we wanted to do. It was decided that we would each do "Huggie Pose" and have everyone hugging whichever Boy they were paired with. We had it all planned out but as we got closer and closer, some girls decided to get a bit nervous, especially after the security guard told us "no hugs." They didn't want to get in trouble if we did huggie pose. The rest of us knew that it was going to be okay, it was more that we couldn't give them hugs before or after the photo. As we got closer, we got into the order we needed to make the photo go smoother and faster...we didn't want to be scrambling when it was actually time for the photo. Howie was up first and I told him how much I loved his album and he thanked me for the compliment. Then I asked Nick if he would be coming to Chicago for his tour (he had released some of his tour dates but had announced that there would be more dates added). He told me "probably." That made me happy. By that time we were all next to the person we were going to be standing next to in the photo so we all stayed where we were as we knew we could continue with the rest of the guys as we left the photo. Brian squated down in the front of the group and Cortney and I kneeled down with him and then threw our arms around him. As we did, he giggled and stated, "Oh their holding me." It wasn't until I got the photo that i realized that he had his hand wrapped around mine.
So it appears that two of the girls chickened out on "huggie pose," I guess that is their loss! After the photo we continues on with the rest of our greetings. Brian shook my hand and said, "It's good to see you again Kentucky Girl." I couldn't believe it! He had remembered me three days later, in a different setting, and a different outfit. I simply placed my hands over my heard and exclaimed, "Oh, you remembered?" He smirked and nodded his head as I moved on to shake the hand of the final Backstreet Boy, AJ. I also told AJ that I loved his album. Even with all of the amazing things that happened on that cruise, I think this was my most memorable moment because it was a special personal moment. It made me truly believe that Brian was actually starting to remember me.
After the photo session we knew we had time to kill before karaoke began. We did what we always seemed to do when we had time to kill...we ate. We also took the time to grab some photos around the ship.
As we waited on the Lido Deck for Karaoke to start, we noticed the skies getting darker. Karaoke was a little different during this cruise than the previous. Before the cruise, Rose Tours sent out an e-mail with a sign up for karaoke. Those who could potentially sing, were picked and placed into the VIP area. The guys then had the names of the people and songs in their pockets that they chose from so not everyone who was originally sent an e-mail was chosen. But first, karaoke started with something very special. A fan had tweeted the guys sometime before the cruise explaining that she would be going through chemotherapy and wanted them to shave her head for her. So that is exactly what happened. I thought it was a very cool thing for the guys to do and an experience for the fan to maybe associate something good when she was going through chemo.
BSB Hair Cut - Part I
BSB Hair Cut - Part II
I think that was the shining moment of karaoke on this cruise. I have to say that, overall, I was not impressed with the event for a number of reasons. First, the location of the event was not ideal. The bars on the deck made it difficult to see at times. Second, the guys weren't as into it on this cruise as they were the last. Granted they would sing every now and then with the girls, they didn't do all of the dancing that they did the previous year. They did bring back the "Baby Got Back" fan but if you were on the first cruise, it just wasn't as good because you knew it was coming. It wasn't as spontaneous and surprising as on the first cruise. Karaoke was also cut short when it started to rain. I think that shaving the girls head took them a little longer than they had expected, which also cut into the actual singing. While I think this was my least favorite of the events, it still had its funny and good moments.
My favorite featured none other than my favorite Backstreet Boy, Brian Littrell, singing a little country music....and divulging a little information about fellow group member, AJ, regarding a situation with an ex-girlfriend. (I had to take my video of this song off of YouTube because of copyright issues but I'm trying to find a way to get it on here for all of you.)
The Backstreet Boys decided to do a song with just them. Again, not as good as "Bust A Move" from the 2010 cruise, but its still the Backstreet Boys singing. They could sing the alphabet and I'd love it. Now, if only they truly understood how sexy they really were.
BSB Sing "I'm Too Sexy"
After karaoke, my roommates and I decided we needed to grab a quick snack since we still had some time before dinner so we made our way to the sushi bar. There we chatted away about anything and everything we could think of. We also had a Lauren and Nick sighting in the casino as we sat there. Finally, we made our way to dinner....where we totally took advantage of paying for the food with our cruise fees. Several other of my dinner mates and I decided that we wanted two appetizers and two main courses....as well as dessert. And it was all delicious. Dinner just wasn't the same without Ashley and Cortney since they were at the concert because of their door decoration win. Dinner was also very hard because we knew at that moment, the Backstreet Boys were performing a concert and we weren't there to see it. I think we were also getting to the point that we knew the cruise would be ending soon...it was our last night together and with the Backstreet Boys. After dinner, we all went back to our rooms to change for pajama night and attempt to pack so we wouldn't have to do it later, when all of a sudden we heard an announcement that the deck party location would be changed to the Atrium due to the weather. Laura and I bolted out of the room and joined the hundreds of girls running towards the atrium to get a good spot. Apparently, they had made this same announcement at the end of the concert because the atrium was already full of girls. Despite the change, this ended up being the best night on the ship!
First of all, my group had shirts made for PDA Pajama Jam night that said, "I dream of BSB," as well as pants that had "BSB Cruise 2011" down the pant leg. While I purchased these items, I went a different approach with my pajamas...the University of Kentucky approach. This included a Kentucky t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt with UK repeated on the sleeves, UK pajama pants, my UK shoes, and my UK earrings. I also ran into what appeared to be a fellow Wildcat fan (sometimes I don't know if fans wear it because they are truly a fan or because Brian is a fan). The only problem with my ensemble was that it was HOT during the "deck" party and the shirt layers were not helping. I know some of the girls actually went and changed from their pants into their shorts at one point because it was so hot.
As I mentioned earlier, this was, by far, the BEST night of the whole cruise. I was truly grateful at this time that this cruise happened to be a full charter so that they could move the deck party into the atrium. This avoided the disaster that was Black and Blue night on the first cruise. I don't know if this particular night would have been the same if we had been out on the deck so I was perfectly happy with the way things happened to play out. So why was this evening so good? Three little words for you....TRUTH OR DARE. Words cannot really explain this evening in its entirety so I'm just going to have to show you.
Brian crowd surfs and it wasn't even a Dare
Nick shares his marshmallows with some fans
Brian's Dare - The Worm
Howie's Dare - Love the Pillow
AJ's Dare - Tickle Nightmare
Nick's Dare - Massage by Fans
Fan Dare - Booty Dance with Nick and AJ
Fan Dare - Beg to be spanked by Brian and Howie
There....I hope those videos explained to you why exactly this was the best night of the cruise. Because of the lighting, it was difficult to get good photos at times but here are some of my favorites from the evening. I think the two photos with alcohol pretty much sum up that night on the cruise for Nick and Howie...
We left the party sometime after 4am but we weren't quite convinced to go back to the cabin to sleep just yet even though we were tired, our legs and feet hurt, we were starting to get some cold like symptoms, and we really just wanted to do this right where we were...
We thought we would grab one last bite to eat in the 24 hour pizzeria (most brilliant idea by the way) before we went back to our cabin to call it our last night. As we ate, we kept hearing cheering coming from the balcony just behind the pizzeria. We thought that it couldn't really have anything to do with the Backstreet Boys at this hour of the night. We were pretty sure that all of them had gone to bed. However, it piqued our interest. As we stepped onto the balcony there was a large swarm of girls surrounding Nick and AJ. They were having a nice intimate Q&A session...no photos, no videos allowed. It was very hard to hear them at times because they were just talking and there were some very rude fans behind us who wouldn't stop talking and laughing. Because of the nature of this event, I feel like it is my duty to keep what was said private. There may be others that have discussed what was talked about but I don't feel like its right for me to divulge what was discussed. The fact that this happened is one of my top cruise moments because of its intimacy and the fact that we have stumbled upon it by chance.
I honestly don't know what time we finally went to bed that night but I do know that we had to get up early the next morning to debark the ship. It would be the final moments on the Carnival Imagination with the Backstreet Boys and my friends.
Sometimes, it is the little things in life that make one incredibly happy. Today, I spent most of my day reading Charlie St. Cloud (yes, the whole book) and have been online very little. When I did get on, I had several e-mails in my inbox from Twitter as well as from a few Backstreet friends. I wondered what exciting new Backstreet information I was going to find out this evening when I went to go in and check them out. Here is what it basically came down to:
When you click on his link in Twitter, it takes you to this video...
That's right, my video of "Free Falling" from my Chicago I'm Taking Off show last weekend was linked to by Nick Carter himself. While, I am not mentioned specifically that is still MY video! When I found this out, I literally ran into the living room to show my husband. He just kind of shook his head and laughed at me.
Later, I was scanning Facebook and came across this....
He had posted the link on his Facebook account as well! I ran into the living room again to show my husband. He asked me if it was the happiest day of my life. Not quite but this day definitely ended on a super high note after a very depressing week.
**Note: My lyric title is obviously not the lyrics of a Backstreet Boys (or solo) song. However, they were lyrics sung by Nick Carter during his cover of "Free Falling" so they are totally fair game!**
**2/11/2012 - I'm Taking Off - Nick Carter - House of Blues - Chicago, IL**
This weekend was another first for me...my first solo Nick Carter concert. And what a show it was! If you recall, when Nick first released news of this tour, I had hoped that he would come closer to where I live or add more weekend shows so that I would be able to go. During the Pre-Cruise event in December, I asked him if he would be coming to Chicago. He replied that he probably would. Not only did he add a Chicago show, but it was on a Saturday. I was happy I was not going to have to miss any work to see him.
I decided right away that this would be the show that I wanted to see and I wanted VIP. I saw how quickly the VIP sold out for the other shows so I knew I was going to have to join his fan club in order to even have a slight chance of getting VIP, let alone four of them for the group of girls I was going with. So, I paid the small fee to join the online only fan club and waited patiently for my tickets and VIPs to go on sale.
The tickets went on sale one hour earlier than they were supposed to and luckily I happened to be waiting and ready for those VIP sales. The concert was going to be General Admission so getting the tickets right away was not a huge deal. My fingers moved like lightening as soon as those VIPs went on sale though. Within a minute, I had four VIPs in my cart and paid for. By the time I finished, VIPs were sold out. I found out this weekend that two more rounds of VIPs were released between then and the concert.
When news was released the week before our show of the death of Nick's sister, Leslie Carter, we were not sure if the rest of the tour was going to be cancelled or not. We had been making plans on renting a limo so that we would not have to drive into downtown Chicago and Susan was supposed to book it on the day that the news was released. Luckily for us at that time, the company's credit card machine was down and she was not able to book it. This was a good thing since the deposit could not have been refunded of the tour was, indeed, cancelled. I personally thought he should have at least postponed the first few shows after the death of his sister but he chose to go on with the tour as planned because performing was going to help him. I know he had some trouble at his NY show, which was the first after Leslie's death but after that I believe he stayed pretty strong. I do know one show was cancelled but there were several rumors as to why...he was either sick or the show did not sell well. Anyway, we never did end up booking the limo after we found out the tour was going to continue because the limo place never did return any of Susan's calls and all the other places were more expensive.
On Friday and Saturday, Northwest Indiana had a Winter Storm Warning and the temperature was significantly lower (Teens) than what it had been the rest of the winter (40s). Chicago itself was not under the Winter Storm Warning but it was going to be cold. We knew that with our VIPs we would not have to wait in line forever to get a good spot. We just hoped that we would not have to line back up outside after the VIP for the show. Because of the weather and the notorious Chicago traffic, we made sure to leave with plenty of time to spare. Once we got into Chicago and parked, we had several hours to kill. We had decided that we would get a late lunch in order to kill this time we knew we were proabobly going to have.
We decided to stop in at Bar Louie's which was right next to the House of Blues. When we walked in we were told that they had $1 martinis as their special. We knew this was our place! We then found out that they also had $1 appetizers....could we get any luckier??? We each ordered our first round of drinks, an appetizer, and an actual meal. We could have gone without the meal because sharing the appetizers would have been plenty for us. We took our time eating, drinking, and just socializing before it was time to head to the venue. None of us had been to the House of Blues before so it took us awhile to find out where to go. There were so many VIP girls! I later heard that there were about 120 of us. We were given one very simple set of instructions...do not bring up anything regarding Nick's personal life from the last weeks...AKA the death of his sister, Leslie.
For the soundcheck, we were about 8 rows back. Nick came out and sang two songs, "Fly Away" and "Free Falling." I liked the fact he did other songs that we would not be hearing during the concert...or so I thought.
"Fly Away"
"Free Falling"
After two songs, it was question and answer time. Here are the questions that were asked that I remember. They are not word for word but get the idea across...
Q: She liked the fan club t-shirts (my guess is the ones that come with the non-digital only membership) and asked if there would be anymore like it.
A: He said that he liked designing shirts that have more than just his face plastered on it so that there would probably be some more in the future.
Q: Could he teach us the Burning Up dance?
A:
Teaching the "Burning Up" dance
Q: Is there anything special planned for the Backstreet Boys 20 year anniversary next year?
A: Yes there are plans being made but he could not elaborate on it.
Nick got a kick out of the ice cream question
Q: A fan showed him a photo of "Shweaty Balls" ice cream and then asked him what kind of ice cream he would be.
A: He'd throw in a bunch of things that don't mix. Popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, Warheads. He hates chocolate ice cream, although he "likes other things that are chocolate." This got a laugh from the audience.
Q: The fans then tells him what she thinks he would be. Peanut butter so you can take it out of the jar and lick it. White chocolate. Nuts because he's crazy. And mint chocolate chip (which he says is actually one of his favorite ice creams).
So I found out that one thing Nick and I have in common....we both hate chocolate ice cream!
Me, Amanda, Susan, and Samantha (bottom going clockwise)
waiting for our photo op with Nick
Next, it was time for our VIP photos! I had been thinking about what I wanted my pose to be since I bought the VIP. This was going to be my first solo photo with Nick. I kind of wanted to do something fun but then I decided to go with the standard "Huggie Pose." I figured that maybe eventually I can get one of these poses with every single Backstreet Boy. I already have several with Brian so why not get one with Nick? I walked up to him and he said, "Hey Kentucky." I just happened to be wearing my Kentucky Anthony Davis jersey. UK was playing that night and Davis is from Chicago. I thought that I wanted to dress warm and comfortable since I didn't know if we would be standing outside and I knew we would be standing for several hours during the show. I gave Nick a hug and he gave a nice tight hug back. I asked him for a hug in my photo and he said "of course." After the photo he kind of held onto my hand for awhile and then thanked me for coming. I have to say that is the nicest that I think I have ever seen Nick. When I would see him on the cruises he would just seem to be a bit rude and not interact with the fans much. And I think when I have met him at the group VIPs, I am always so focused on getting to Brian that I don't notice him. But he was amazingly sincere during this meet and greet and I have a whole new respect for him after this show.
Me and Nick Carter - VIP
After all the photos were done, we got ushered back down to the lobby while they set up the stage for the actual show. Luckily, we did not have to go outside and VIPs were put ahead of everyone else. After waiting for some time, they let us back upstairs into the venue, where I was able to get about 5th/6th row back. Susan, Amanda, and Samantha decided that they were going to try to get a table to sit at so that they did not have to stand. This made it perfect so that I did not have to hold my sweatshirt and coat while the concert was going on. I stood next to a few nice girls, one of which happened to have sung with the Boys (10,000 Promises) during karaoke in 2010 on the cruise. She had flown in from Las Vegas to visit some of her friends and see Nick.
The concert started with an opening act named Gwenevere. She wasn't horrible but her songs were a bit angry and I could have done without all of the flipping off she did. I've seen worse but sometimes I don't get the idea behind some of the opening acts that the Boys have had.
It was finally time for Nick to come on! I had done a good job of not looking at the set list before the show, because I like to be surprised. It made recording videos a little harder but I managed. Nick slowly walked out in his space suit and opened with "I'm Taking Off," which happens to be my second favorite song on his new album.
"I'm Taking Off"
He then went right into "Blow Your Mind," from his debut solo album. One of the things that I very much liked about Nick's show was that he did several medley's with other artists songs. The third song he performed was a medley of "Not The Other Guy" and The Killers "Somebody Told Me." These medleys made the show interesting and showed how music influences other's music. Another of Nick's songs from his first album, "I Got You" followed the medley. Next, Nick pulled up a lucky fan to sing the beginning of "Special." She seemed so nervous at first and had the same reactions I probably would have had. She did seem to loosen up as the song went on though. As always, I was super jealous it wasn't me but happy for her.
"Special"
"Nothing Left To Lose" was next on the setlist....and then it got really good. Even though this was just Nick touring as himself, you can't have a Backstreet Boy give a concert without singing Backstreet Boys! "Incomplete" was Nick's first Backstreet song of choice in his setlist. This song was amazing as always, but I do prefer it with the voices of the other Boys.
"Incomplete"
The first song that Nick wrote for I'm Taking Off was a song called "The Great Divide." This song was next in line and put into a medley with "With Or Without You" by U2. Again, it was great combination. Not only did Nick sing his own songs put with songs from other artists, but he also rearranged some of his own songs. His ballad "Do I Have To Cry For You" was given a new twist.
"Do I Have To Cry For You"
"So Far Away" was next, followed by another Backstreet Boys classic, "Larger Than Life." This got the audience pumped and the entire floor was shaking, hence the not so great camera work. This song was also mixed with another song and done as a medley. Nick's mix choice: "Fresh" by Kool and the Gang.
"Larger Than Life"
"Just One Kiss," Nick's first single from his second album was performed next. However, it was the song that followed this that I was looking forward to seeing performed. During his NY show, it was "Falling Down" in which he broke down and had to leave the stage. I knew that by our show he would be stronger and be able to perform the song, but I knew it would still be emotional. Nick came out with just his guitar, dedicated the song to "all the loved ones we've lost," and sang a beautiful acoustic version of "Falling Down." Fans had discussed bringing glow sticks to hold up during the song in honor of Leslie and many of them did have one. I knew I was going to be too busy recording to also hold something up in the air.
"Falling Down"
Nick revealed after this song that he was supposed to go off the stage but forgot. So he just stayed out and continued playing and said he was going to add a song. I'm not sure if this was the case or if the song has always been in the set list and he was just saying that. All of the set lists that I have looked at online do not include this song. And while this was one of his soundcheck songs, "Free Falling" is a great song and I loved hearing it again.
"Free Falling"
And what is a concert with a Backstreet Boy without "I Want It That Way?" Not a very good one in my opinion since the song is so well known. Yes, I know people get sick of it...I don't!
"I Want It That Way"
It was finally time to end the night with Nick's best song. The high energy that "Burning Up" feeds into the room is amazing. The entire floor was shaking as girls jumped up and down and danced. Nick showed us some of his moves, which many fans compare to a muppet. At one point, Nick pours water over his head and shakes it, spraying water all over the place, including right on me. It was such a perfect ending to a great show.
"Burning Up"
On my way back to Michigan City, I seriously contemplated just making the five hour trip to Columbus, OH for the next and final stop of his tour. However, I didn't know if tickets were available and knew that the show just would not be the same without a VIP. So I got off on my Michigan City exit instead of continuing. I blasted my I'm Taking Off CD and sang at the top of my lungs the whole way home.
The road trip itself was pretty uneventful compared to some of the road trips I have had to see the Boys but the concert was amazing. If he does another leg of the tour, you can count me in on going to at least one of those shows.
I left the Beach Party somewhat unwillingly. I knew the Boys were no longer on the beach but I loved being there. I loved the warmth and the scenery and the fact that I was in the Bahamas. However, I also knew that we still had the BSB Concert and Prom Night Deck Party to go to. We were totally being spoiled on this trip. While we were waiting in line for the shuttle, I discovered that all but two people in my group caught beads from the Backstreet Boys (more specifically Brian and AJ). There were those of us who were even nice enough to share when multiple beads were caught by the same person. We're all just so nice and friendly...
As we were getting back onto the ship, we took a look at some more door decorations. We found a rather neat one that had some giveaways and a life size cutout of the group. I had to have my photo op next to it of course and planted myself right next to Brian. Laura has joked now that I always have to be next to Brian....even fake cardboard cutouts of him. What can I say?...I can't help it. Something about him just makes me gravitate toward him...and this was an exceptionally good photo of him. I just love me some Brian Littrell.
After having spent the day on the beach, showers were much needed before we went to dinner. Cory and I had actually made appointments to get our hair done for Prom Night but decided at the last minute that it wasn't really worth it. I DO NOT recommend doing this, as we were still charged half of the fee because we had not given 24 hours notice. Oh well, lesson learned. Many of us debated whether or not we were going to get into our Prom dresses for dinner and the concert. Some of us did and others did not....I did not. We had a pretty uneventful dinner and then decided to go to the Lounge when the doors opened. We weren't sure if Rose Tours was going to need volunteers for anything for the concert but we thought we would try to see. They did not.
The concert was beyond amazing. A few months before the cruise, a fan poll was released for the songs that we would like to hear during their Cruise Concert. There were several songs already given to us on the poll but there was also a write in option. I know within our group, unreleased songs were quickly decided on and we made sure to include each others votes on a daily basis. I was interested to see what the set list for this concert was going to be like. Although there were no unreleased songs as part of the set list, the unplugged nature of the show was amazing. This was not a "rehearsed" concert, as many times the Boys forgot words, decided at the last minute to do some old routines, had some wardrobe malfunctions, showed some pretty unrehearsed emotions, and had special guest appearances. I think the group needs to do a whole tour like this, changing the set list for all of the shows. That would be the tour that I would have to go to every show.
I've debated for some time now how I was going to review this concert. I didn't know whether or not I should just hit the highlights or review every song with video, much like I did for my NKOTBSB Tour Review? I realized that my NKOTBSB Tour Review is my most read post. This show was also completely new. But it was recommended to me that I do the overview first and then do a more specific review later, like i did for NKOTBSB. Then I would be afraid that I would just repeat myself because there were so many "memorable" and "favorite" moments in the concert. So, I'm going for the full review right here baby...
"Incomplete" was the first song up...but it wasn't the song as we normally hear it. The Backstreet Boys performed a remixed version of their first single (April 1,2005) after their three year hiatus (notice I did not say break-up for all of you non-Backstreet fans that ask me "When did they get back together?"). The song became one of their most successful singles when it peaked at #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top 10 in 13 countries. However, it could also be considered their last successful single of the 2000s.
"Incomplete" Remix
Next, we were in store for another great remixed classic. "Larger Than Life" mixed with a little "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. This song served as a tribute to BSB's fans and was originally written and composed by non other than Brian Littrell (alterations and additions were late made by Max Martin and Kristian Lundin which then earned Brian the title of co-writer).
"Larger Than Life" Remix
Soon after the poll appeared to vote for the Cruise Concert set list, fans started to campaign to get the Boys to sing "If You Want It To Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)" (Nick is right, the name is way too long). It was revealed to us during the Pre-Cruise Party at Cameo that this would be one of the songs on the concert set list but they just couldn't understand why it was so voted for. What can we say, we like Bad Boys! "Bad Boy" was put into a medley with "Get Down" and our first surprise of the night was about to occur. First, the Backstreet Boys did NOT know all the correct words to this song. You would think that if they knew they were going to be singing it, they would have maybe practiced their parts a few times. Second, Nick began to tease us at the end of "Bad Boy." Finally, Laura, Cory, and I got a surprise visitor in the row in front of us during "Get Down." Nick was right there within touching distance and it made us all very happy.
"Bad Boy/Get Down" Medley
"Inconsolable," the first single from Unbreakable was next on the set list. The Backstreet Boys had begun their NKOTBSB tour with this song in that set list, but it was taken out within the first three shows. Therefore, this was the first time some girls have heard this song live since the Unbreakable tour. I was one of the lucky ones to get the song during my first NKOTBSB show but I like this song and it was nice to hear it live again.
"Inconsolable"
Much like their Unbreakable tour, the Backstreet Boys treated us with some solo performances. First up was AJ with the fan favorite, "London," which was never released as a single from his first solo album Have It All. After the song was performed, the rest of the Backstreet Boys came on stage and discussed how they begged AJ to let them as a group have the song, as it appears to be a Backstreet Boys favorite as well. I think it would be amazing if the Backstreet Boys as a group re-recorded this song.
"London"
Our next treat was a short acoustic set of two songs. To our surprise the Backstreet Boys headed out into the audience to pick some girls to sing with. When we had arrived early to the concert and asked Rose Tours if they would be needing volunteers, they had told us no but that the Backstreet Boys themselves would be doing something. This was it. AJ and Nick picked girls that were already in their prom dresses. Howie picked the wife of "Billy from Philly" (I'm guessing Hal Roseman's mom since Bill From Philly was his dad) and Brian picked a fan in a wheelchair (also in her prom wear). Maybe I should have gotten into my prom wear before the concert? The group then began singing "Helpless When She Smiles," the second single from Unbreakable. And while this song was a single, it was not part of the North or South American setlists for the Unbreakable tour. Therefore, this was the first chance for many of the fans in that lounge to see this song live.
"Helpless When She Smiles"
"Siberia" is not only a fan favorite, but a favorite of many of the Backstreet Boys, as well. It is often requested during soundchecks and the Boys have said over and over again that they wished it would have been a single from Never Gone. I never get tired of hearing this song and seeing it live is even better. Getting an acoustic version is the best. Unfortunetely, their placement on the stage isn't the best and it took me awhile to find AJ in the view of my camera.
"Siberia"
Do you want to know the best thing about non-rehearsed concerts? The fact that sometimes things don't always go as planned, as demonstrated by Nick's "wardrobe malfuntion." No girls, it's not what you think but it was a little funny part of the concert.
Nick's "wardrobe malfunction"
I don't think that many people can dispute that Brian's solo performance was absolutely riveting and one of the best solos of the evening....and I'm not just saying that because I am a Brian fan. Brian's version of "Mary Did You Know," was recently released by Brian as part of a Christmas collection called Christmas With the Littrell's on iTunes. Laura, who is Jewish and does not celebrate Christmas, has even commented about what a great performance it was. The entire audience was quiet throughout the performance and Brian got so emotional during the song. I'm not going to lie...even though this is a Christmas song, I will be listening to it all year round. I also believe that if Brian would not have influenced me to become a Christian at the fateful Naperville Christmas Concert, it would have happened at this point. After you have seen the video, you will no doubt wonder why I put it into my Top 10 Moments on Laura's blog....it still gives me chills every time I watch it.
"Mary Did You Know"
It was going to be hard to beat what I thought was the absolutely best moment of that concert. But, once again, the Boys far exceeded my expectations as the concert continued. It was back to the hits for the Boys, as they continued their set list with "Bigger," their second single from This Is Us. After Brian's very serious, very emotional performance, the Boys lightened things about by acting a little goofy during this song.
"Bigger"
I don't think there can be a Backstreet Boys concert without "As Long As You Love Me" or "All I Have to Give." We will always remember these hits that helped BSB achieve the success they have today. What better way to celebrate them than by putting them in a medley together? During "As Long As You Love Me" Nick decides he wants to do the dance but quickly aborts this idea.
"As Long As You Love Me"
The Boys go out into the audience and then decide they want to go to the top for "All I Have to Give." Unfortunetely, none of my friends have a good video for this, nor can I find a decent one from Group B on YouTube. If anyone reading this has a decent version, please e-mail me if I have permission to use the video. This does make me somewhat sad because as Brian was coming back from the balcony area he went right into the row in front of us, and like Nick had been earlier, was within touching distance. I very much enjoyed where our seats were! Even though I didn't get video or this, or a decent photo, I was able to snag a video of the most awesome part of the song....AJ and Brian doing the infamous hat dance! Anyone else think that this should always be in every live show that they do? I do. They obviously hadn't done the choreography to this in a while because both Boys forgot towards the end what they were supposed to do.
Hat Dance from "All I Have to Give"
Now, I know several fans always make a comment about how "I Want It That Way" can be one of their least favorite songs in a live show and in soundchecks because it is so overplayed. I agree that it is played a lot but I always love to hear it! To me it represents the biggest time in their career. I find that even if someone is not a Backstreet fan, they know this song....and most of the time like it. It is the song that holds records, that appears on lists of top songs and videos, etc. The thing that I totally disagree with....the fact that they did not win a Grammy with this song and album. Millennium is still my all time favorite BSB album and I think they will have to do something spectacular to beat it. Unlike the hat dance, the Boys did some older choreography from the Unbreakable tour that they actually remembered.
"I Want It That Way"
It was then time for Howie's time to shine in the spotlight. I wasn't sure which song he was going to sing from his new album Back to Me since he has only released two singles from it. "Lie to Me," Howie's current single was his song of choice. Howie was finally the last Backstreet Boy (excluding Kevin) to release a solo project. While he has toured in Japan, opened for Britney Spears in South America, and done some Canadian performances, he has yet to do anything in the United States for his album. He better be doing that...eventually.
"Lie to Me"
I think all fans remember the events that transpired that eventually led to the release of "The One" as their fourth single from Millennium. In 2000, a fan poll was held to vote for the fourth single from the album. The song that had been leading on the poll at the very beginning was "Don't Want You Back," which was also wanted by four of the five guys. This all changed when Nick Carter called into Total Request Live and stated that he wanted "The One" to be the next single from Millennium. It did not take long for fans to follow suit and begin voting for "The One." However, during this concert, the group decided to sing the song that SHOULD have been their fourth single from Millennium. I don't know about you all, but I think they should have brought back those pole/ladder props from the Millennium tour for this part of the performance.
"Don't Want You Back"
Up to this point, only one song from This Is Us had been performed, but it was time for more. "If I Knew Then" is the fifth track on This Is Us but was never released as a single. We got a nice little surprise during this song on the cruise....Nick forgot his lyrics and he made it very clear to us. Then it was Brian to the rescue! Even though Nick forgot the lyrics to this song and messed up lyrics in other songs, this show was still amazing. Those mistakes made it unique...it made it more real because it was just them being them up there. It was spontaneous, which I always like from the Backstreet Boys. It also got me thinking that it may be why they only sang two songs from their most recent album. All others songs they have been singing for years so they know them incredibly well.
"If I Knew Then"
Nick then got a chance to redeem himself when it was time for his solo. "Burning Up," Nick's second single from his second solo album I'm Taking Off, got the crowd going and ready for much more to come. Nick came to visit us in the crowd once again, although this time he was two rows in front of us. Once again, I was so happy for our seating placement. Who needed to spend extra money for anything other than an interior cabin? Not us. Because of Nick's little dancing spurts, he is now being referred to as a Muppet among many fans, comparing him to how The Muppets dance. I totally see it, others do not. Anyway, after this song I was pumped and ready for more!
"Burning Up"
It would not be a Backstreet Boys concert if they did not include "Shape of My Heart," their first single from Black and Blue. And much like "I Want It That Way," it did not win the Grammy that it was nominated for. I learned something very interesting today. Many people believe that this song contains a non-existent word...tragical. Tragical is actually an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characteristic of tragedy" (dictioary.com). Who knew? I did know, however, that the concert must be coming to a close because they usually put this song towards the end of their shows. I didn't want it to end.
"Shape of My Heart"
My favorite up tempo song to see live is "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)." Me and four of my friends did a dance to the song during our freshman year in our high school Talent Show (see it here). I still do the dance to this day at weddings (my own included), Holiday Parties, friend get togethers, basically anywhere there is a DJ that has the song. I love seeing it live because I love to see how the choreography changes with each tour. Plus, I love hearing those words "Backstreet's back, ALRIGHT!" During this particular performance we got some old school choreography, Nick answering his own question as to if he is sexual, and a slight Backstreet dance off.
"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
The Boys then left the stage, which meant we only had one song left to hear. My friends and I had actually questioned whether or not we thought Kevin would be joining the Boys on stage for at least one song. We thought that wouldn't be fair to group A, who would have their concert while out at sea the next day so we figured it was not going to happen. As soon as the Boys came back out on stage with Kevin we were proven wrong! We were going to get to hear Kevin sing!!!!! I had never been a fan of Kevin's voice as a single person singing, although I appreciate it much more now than when I did when I was a teenager. I do have to say that the group as a whole sounds much better with Kevin in the mix. This was my second favorite time of the concert cruise (after "Mary Did You Know"). I was also now sold on the idea of Kevin coming back into the group if it does, indeed, happen. I felt bad that my friend Tammy was not able to go on this year's cruise because Kevin and the song "Drowning" are her favorites. I know she would have loved to have seen this...so I had to make sure I got it on video for her.
"Drowning"
The set list compliments of the Door Decoration
winners.
Do you know what part I hate the most about any Backstreet Boys concert I've ever been too? The part where the Boys take their final bow. If I could have it my way, the Boys would have a marathon of a concert where they just sing every song they have ever recorded. This concert was just so special because we had all had a say in what we wanted to hear. I believe that the only songs that made it that me or one of my friends voted for was "Siberia" and "Bad Boy." I am not surprised considering almost all of our choices were unreleased songs, which they did not do. Maybe that is an idea for next cruise. A concert of just unreleased material, voted on by the fans of course.
After the Boys took their final bow, each one hugged Kevin. I know they miss him and I hope that Kevin now realizes how much he means to the group and to the fans. I think most of us would want nothing more than to see him return to the Backstreet Boys after what we experienced on this cruise.
We knew that we still had one more Kevin opportunity after the concert during the Prom Night deck party. I'll have to review that in a separate post because I believe that this post is long enough right now. Stay tuned!
Special thanks to Anne Marie and Laura for sharing your videos.
