How our parents let us do this, I'll never know. We were all 15 and 16 years old when we piled into one car and danced our way to the Ohio State Fair to see the New Kids on the Block. I have a 15 year old now and could never imagine letting him do this, but as they say, it was a different time.
Over an hour on the roads to Columbus, Ohio with no cell phones, no GPS, just a group of girls singing with anticipation for an actual glimpse of our future husbands. Most of my friends loved Joey, I was a Donnie girl myself, but no matter. We were young without a care in the world and we were about to see our first concert ever.
We had a plan. We'd get there when the gates to the fair opened, find the best seats possible and wait it out until that evening, taking turns throughout the day to find food for each other and use the restroom.
We'd heard the singer, Tiffany would be opening for NKOTB and could hardly believe our luck. Could life get any better?
Evidently, it could. Little did we know how long an actual entire summer day in an open arena could be. The initial excitement settled as the muggy heat began to rise. Our faces flushed with pink, then red, only to be relieved by unexpected clouds and thunderstorms that followed.
Determined, we stuck it out in the lightning and pouring rain, just knowing if we survived, it would be worth it in the end - and worth it, it was.
Tiffany appeared after a lifetime of waiting. We were sunburned, soaked then dried with crazy hair, but we didn't care. She was amazing, making it almost impossible to believe it was all really happening. Belting the words to, "I Saw Him Standing There," had us in awe that she was actually in front of us.
It was surreal and we couldn't imagine what it would be like when they appeared.
The first note of their song filled the air and the crowd went wild. Images of old TV shows from "Elvis" concerts or the "Beatles" came to mind as hundreds of girls around us began screaming and literally crying tears of anticipation. In front of us was a chain linked fence and everyone from behind began to push forward, forcing us against the metal and taking our breath. Quickly scanning for my friends, we instinctively began to push back to force them off.
Just then, Jonathan, Jordan, Danny, Joey...and yes (give me a minute) Donnie appeared like magic. Arms waving to musical explosions through seas of screams and tears. It would've been pandemonium if it weren't so perfect. Crowds of girls knew every word and began backing off as they took in the performance.
Song after song, the night was like a dream. It couldn't have been better and I smiled knowing we would remember it for the rest of our lives.
Driving home, we were blissfully exhausted. It was a day we'd never forget and I drifted into a nap knowing these would be my best friends for life. I've never known a time without them since our days of elementary school and nothing would break that bond.
Nearly thirty years later - we're still together.
As fate often smiles, New Kids on the Block are back on tour and as luck would have it, Tiffany is with them, too. This weekend we girls are gathering together again from Texas, Carolina and Ohio to relive the fun.
We're all married now and will have to wave to Joey and Donnie from afar, but it's okay. To be able to spend a night with best friends, our sisterhood, will be the greatest gift on earth.
And better yet? This time rain or shine, the concert will be inside and we even have tickets and actual seats.
Something tells me though, when that first song hits, we won't be using them much.
Over an hour on the roads to Columbus, Ohio with no cell phones, no GPS, just a group of girls singing with anticipation for an actual glimpse of our future husbands. Most of my friends loved Joey, I was a Donnie girl myself, but no matter. We were young without a care in the world and we were about to see our first concert ever.
We had a plan. We'd get there when the gates to the fair opened, find the best seats possible and wait it out until that evening, taking turns throughout the day to find food for each other and use the restroom.
We'd heard the singer, Tiffany would be opening for NKOTB and could hardly believe our luck. Could life get any better?
Evidently, it could. Little did we know how long an actual entire summer day in an open arena could be. The initial excitement settled as the muggy heat began to rise. Our faces flushed with pink, then red, only to be relieved by unexpected clouds and thunderstorms that followed.
Determined, we stuck it out in the lightning and pouring rain, just knowing if we survived, it would be worth it in the end - and worth it, it was.
Tiffany appeared after a lifetime of waiting. We were sunburned, soaked then dried with crazy hair, but we didn't care. She was amazing, making it almost impossible to believe it was all really happening. Belting the words to, "I Saw Him Standing There," had us in awe that she was actually in front of us.
It was surreal and we couldn't imagine what it would be like when they appeared.
The first note of their song filled the air and the crowd went wild. Images of old TV shows from "Elvis" concerts or the "Beatles" came to mind as hundreds of girls around us began screaming and literally crying tears of anticipation. In front of us was a chain linked fence and everyone from behind began to push forward, forcing us against the metal and taking our breath. Quickly scanning for my friends, we instinctively began to push back to force them off.
Just then, Jonathan, Jordan, Danny, Joey...and yes (give me a minute) Donnie appeared like magic. Arms waving to musical explosions through seas of screams and tears. It would've been pandemonium if it weren't so perfect. Crowds of girls knew every word and began backing off as they took in the performance.
Song after song, the night was like a dream. It couldn't have been better and I smiled knowing we would remember it for the rest of our lives.
Driving home, we were blissfully exhausted. It was a day we'd never forget and I drifted into a nap knowing these would be my best friends for life. I've never known a time without them since our days of elementary school and nothing would break that bond.
Nearly thirty years later - we're still together.
As fate often smiles, New Kids on the Block are back on tour and as luck would have it, Tiffany is with them, too. This weekend we girls are gathering together again from Texas, Carolina and Ohio to relive the fun.
We're all married now and will have to wave to Joey and Donnie from afar, but it's okay. To be able to spend a night with best friends, our sisterhood, will be the greatest gift on earth.
And better yet? This time rain or shine, the concert will be inside and we even have tickets and actual seats.
Something tells me though, when that first song hits, we won't be using them much.
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