The Concert.

I still haven't completely recovered. With the help of Diet Coke, I managed to get WCK to Open Gym yesterday morning, but then I spent her naptime in bed and the rest of the afternoon lying motionless on the couch while she watched every episode of Word World in our TiVo. I'm still not feeling well. I think I'll have a migraine for about a week. The Concert was that good.

On Tuesday I made two trips to Target to get my outfit together. The centerpiece of my outfit, of course, was my t-shirt from the NKOTB concert in 1990. I held on to it all these years, and it still fits. Even when I went through my "I'm too cool for the New Kids" phase, I held on to that t-shirt. I must have known, deep down, that I was going to need it again.

While I was at Target, I picked up a long-sleeved, neon pink shirt to wear under the t-shirt, neon pink shoes and socks, neon pink hoop earrings, and a big sparkly pink headband. I topped off the outfit with a denim jacket covered in enormous NKOTB buttons. Remember those buttons from the '80s that were about six inches across? I wore three of them on my jacket: Donnie, Jordan, and Jon. I had to send the jacket through Sprint Center security separately and get wanded by a second security guy, because the buttons were setting off the metal detectors.

When the concert was over, I realized my Jordan Knight button had been lost somewhere in the chaos. I just thank God it wasn't the Donnie button. I think some good is going to come out of the lost Jordan button, though: I read in the paper the next day that some big business seminar was going on at the Sprint Center; I hope some stuffy businesswoman finds my Jordan Knight button under her chair and decides to stop being stuffy. Maybe it will give her an instant flashback to her youth, she'll decide to quit her demanding job and, say, pursue her childhood dream of starting a cookie company or a boutique for pets.

Anyway. I knew my outfit was a success: When my friend Abigail came to the door to pick me up, she laughed harder than I've ever heard her laugh before. I thought she was going to have a stroke.

Friend nearly has a stroke = outfit is good

After adjusting Abigail's legwarmers, we headed downtown. We had dinner at a place called Chefburger: Lots of burgers and fries and "spiked milkshakes". I had an enormous milkshake filled with Kahlua. It was the best milkshake I've ever had, although it might be the reason I still don't feel well. Worth it, though.

When we got to the Sprint Center, we took an escalator that seemed to go up into outer space. Our seats were supposed to be at the very top of the arena. When we got there, a Sprint Center employee said that they were closing off the top section because the concert didn't sell out, and that we could have seats closer to the stage. Score!

The concert itself was amazing. They did all of their old hits, plus several songs from their new CD. I thought I hated the new CD, but -- and maybe this was an effect of the giant Kahlua milkshake -- in concert, these songs were dang good. Probably one of the best songs in concert was one I always thought was one of the worst on the CD, "Dirty Dancing." (Actual lyrics: "Ooooh, it's so crazy! She's like Baby! I'm like Swayze!") When I hear this song in the car, I laugh. In concert, it totally rocked!

Here are some photos mostly taken in direct violation of the Sprint Center's "no flash photography" rule:

This photo was legal:



Here they come!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!



Here you can see Joe, Jordan, and Jon. I'm a little bit worried about Jon. I don't think he really wanted to be involved in this. He's being a good sport, I guess:

A view of the stage and the crowd:

They were singing "Single" from their new CD:

A rare photo: They let Danny get in front!

Donnie! I LOVE YOU, DONNIE!!!!!

There was a second, smaller stage in the back of the arena:

A strategically placed wind machine blew off Jordan's shirt. Aw, yeah. Jordan works out, ladies.

Say what you will about the silliness of The New Kids on the Block or my silly obsession with them. I saw them in concert when I was 14 years old, back when I was seriously in love with all of them, and I still remember that concert being one of the happiest, most exciting, most joyful experiences of my whole, entire life. My friend and I were delirious with happiness for weeks, just because we thought Jon Knight waved at us. That's the beauty of being 14. Those of you who are well over 14: When was the last time anything made you delirious with happiness for a few minutes, let alone for a few weeks?

On Tuesday night, I got the chance to be 14 years old all over again for just one night. I'm sure the thousands of 30-something women all around me were feeling the same thing. How many times does that get to happen? Apparently, only once every 20 years. You'd better believe that when they come back in another 20 years, when they have to sing "Hangin' Tough" while leaning on their walkers and when their teeth start falling out in the middle of "Step by Step", I am going to be there. Front row. Maybe I can catch the fallen teeth.