The thing with enjoying my time by myself is that it can only go so far. Sure, I’m having a lot of fun going to places on my own, doing things by myself and even watching movies by my lonesome (it’s not as sad as it sounds), but there are certain things that I just can’t do alone without looking and feeling like a total loser.
Like watching concerts, for example.
I know I said I was determined to watch Backstreet Boys in concert this year, but I kept on putting off buying tickets because my original companions weren’t so sure if they want to watch either. It came to a point that I finally decided not to watch, partly because of my dwindling funds (the Upper A to Patron tickets are kind of too expensive — leveling up to the price of treatment for hemorrhoids, I think), and partly because I have no one to watch it yet. I could watch it alone…but it’s just not fun belting out songs you know since you’re 10/11 years old alone.
So I was set to just skip the concert and instead, spend time with great friends by watching the newest John Lloyd movie and good conversations. It’s okay, the boys may still come back.
Then one of my officemates tweeted last Thursday that she’ll be watching the Backstreet boys concert with another colleague. A couple of tweets later, and an update of schedule, I decided: I’m watching the Backstreet boys concert.
Once I decided, I felt the familiar thrill that I get whenever I’m excited for something. I told myself not to be too excited because I don’t have the ticket in my hands yet — but still! The fact of hearing them live and seeing them (even if they’re really small and faraway) in person gave me flutters in my stomach. They were the first band I ever really liked, and I did have the most humongous crush on Nick Carter back then.
Funny thing was, I almost didn’t get to watch the concert! I meant to get my ticket on Friday at Eastwood Mall, but their Ticketnet station seemed to be from the 90’s — it runs on Windows 98 and is connected through dial-up that disconnected on us thrice and then finally crashed on us before I could see how many tickets are still there for Upper B. I didn’t panic yet — I figured that Upper B tickets couldn’t possibly be sold out yet. Are they still that popular?
Well apparently, they were. I got to Podium the next day to get my ticket, but behold — no more Upper B tickets! :( Oh no!
However, having organized concerts before, I know that tickets aren’t always out until they’re really out. Okay, that may not make sense, but I know that Ticketnet may release Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets before the show starts. I called, but they told me there’s no guarantee that they would release SRO tickets…but I can hope, right?
If not, I wondered if I can sneak into Upper B by having General Admission tickets. (I thought it was possible, turns out it was harder than I thought — GenAd tickets enter from a separate gate).
So I watched Miss You Like Crazy with some friends, and after the movie, I called Ticketnet again. And praise God, there were SRO tickets! I flew to Cubao — ignoring the MRT because there were so many people there, and instead getting a cab to bring me to Araneta. I must get a ticket — I can’t miss this show, I just can’t!
And then…tadaaaaa:
YES, I MADE IT. When Anj and Catz arrived, we went in, found seats and told tales of our teenybopper days (ranging from our Backstreet love, to other boybands, to writing fanfiction, to Sweet Valley!) while we waited for the show to start. Because once the show started, so did our screaming.
And how was the concert? It was awesome. I can’t describe each and every bit of it, but my heart was pumping at every song, and we can’t stop screaming! How long have I waited to catch them in concert? How many times have I played their tapes (yes, tapes!) over and over again? How many hours did I spend trying to catch their music videos on MTV? How many stories did I write with them in it? The boys were a HUGE part of my teen years, and watching them live is like, the fulfillment of ALL my eleven-year-old, teenybopper dreams. ♥
I kind of wished there were widescreens in the concert, like the ones in Lifehouse, so we could’ve seen the boys “closer”, even if it’s just on the screen. But it’s okay. The boys still looked hot even if I was all the way up in Upper B. :P It’s amazing to see all the fans there too — most, if not all are from my generation. Go 90’s!
I took a lot of videos that night, but this one is the clearest one I can get — well, at least before I uploaded it. Plus it’s also my favorite performance of all, because of Nick and Brian’s antics (classic Frick and Frack :p). Oh, and excuse the background singing.
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It’s too small, I know, but for your reference: Nick and Brian are the ones in black sando. OMG NICK CARTER IS IN A SANDO. *faints* I don’t care if you’re thirty already, you’re still hot!
It was an awesome night, and you can bet I’ll be listening to all their albums for the next week. I dug up my old 1997 concert VCD and played it earlier just to relive a concert experience somehow — but the real thing is still better. It was super worth it, even if Kevin wasn’t there anymore.
I’m really, really glad I went, and I’m glad to have awesome friends who loved the boys as much as I do. Wohoo. The Backstreet pride is alive, alright. :P
Up next: Paramore! Time for my adult music dreams (one of them, anyway) to come true. :D