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I’m so excited right now, I had to blog about it! Through the Backstreet Boys fan club, I received the picture that was taken of me with the Backstreet Boys 2 weeks ago, when I met them in Sudbury, Ontario. Here’s the picture:

I’m ecstatic about the way it turned out! The whole experience was soooo amazing.

The VIP party lasted about an hour and a half, which is a good chunk of time, considering how busy these guys are. There were about 40 of us in attendance, so it wasn’t a huge crowd, which was nice. We were taken into the arena, where the concert was to be later that night, and told to take seats at the front. I was lucky enough to be in the front row, right in front of Brian. We were so close, I couldn’t believe it.

After a few minutes, the band came out and started tuning up the instruments, playing random bits and pieces of non-Backstreet Boys songs, just having a good time. AJ was the first Backstreet Boy out on stage, and he came right out to the front of the stage and waved at all of us, then went and started messing around with the band. Howie came out next, but he stayed near the back at first. Nick and Brian were the last to come out, and they both made a point of greeting us. As soon as I saw them, I started to shake, I couldn’t help it. My face hurt because I was grinning so hard.

The Boys played around for a little while, Nick sang some Beastie Boys and AC/DC songs, AJ talked to the girls over on his side of the stage, Brian clowned around and made everyone laugh, and Howie adjusted his microphone. Then they asked for song requests from us. A few of the girls to my left started yelling out obscure songs that were unreleased b-sides from the Boys’ first album, which resulted in some strange looks and an admission from Brian that he didn’t even remember those songs. The look on his face was priceless! Then someone requested ‘Something That I Already Know’ from the latest album (which wasn’t part of the concert set list, so it was a special treat), and the guys all lit up. It was like a switch had been flipped, and they went from just regular guys with microphones in their hands to The Backstreet Boys. The charisma when they perform, even in an impromptu setting like this was, is amazing. Their voices are so pure, so strong, it gave me chills.

One of the things I love most about the BSB is that they don’t use backing tracks in their performances. Everything they do is 100% live. Listening to them warm up like we did at the sound check just cemented what I’ve known since I was 12: These boys are loaded with talent. They just keep getting better!

Anyway, after the song was done, they asked for more requests. They ended up doing ‘Helpless When She Smiles’ and ‘Unmistakable’ from their Unbreakable album, both of which were part of the concert later that night. I love both songs, and seeing them do them in such an informal way made me love them even more. I had perma-goose bumps the whole time they were singing.

Before they did ‘Unmistakable,’ though, they did another request. And the neat part is, it was mine! I wanted to hear ‘Siberia’ from their Never Gone album (2nd last one, before Unbreakable, the current one), so I called it out. Brian grinned down at me and said, “That’s a good one!” He asked the band if they knew it, and luckily they did, so my request was filled. During that song, Brian waved and me, winked at me, and grinned a bunch of times. Nick also waved at one point. I was soooo in awe that all I could do was smile! I’m actually amazed I got any pictures of the sound check, because I was beyond star struck!

Once the requests were done, there was a question-and-answer period. We got to ask each Boy one question, but I couldn’t think of anything original, so I didn’t try to get the microphone. Brian’s question was about a t-shirt that a fan gave him in 2006, which he didn’t remember, but openly admitted that he does keep all of that stuff, he just hasn’t had time to go through it all recently. He said he’s building a studio in his home, and when it’s done, all of the fan gifts from over the years are going to be put in there so he’ll always have them. He handled the question really well, I thought, considering the girl kind of expected him to remember the shirt.

Nick’s question wasn’t one I would have dared to ask, but he answered it really professionally anyway. Someone asked what the group hopes to accomplish now that they’ve got 4 members instead of 5. For those who don’t know, Kevin left the group after Never Gone was released, so he hasn’t been part of the group for about 2 years now. There was some bitterness from Nick at the time, in interviews, so I was surprised someone would bring it up now. He took it all in stride, though. He said that Kevin just didn’t feel like he was contributing enough to the group, and wanted to explore his own interests for awhile, so he decided to leave. Nick admitted there was a bit of hurt surrounding it at first, but that, in hindsight, it was probably a good idea. If Kevin wasn’t 100% committed, it wouldn’t be fair to stay. To his credit, Nick said that Kevin was welcome to come back any time, and he was really sincere when he said it. He clearly cares about Kevin, and he didn’t want to say anything bad about him, which I thought was really sweet.

I don’t really remember what Howie’s question was because Nick and Brian started goofing around right in front of me, so I got a bit distracted. But AJ’s question was another one that I wouldn’t have the guts to ask. Not too long ago, AJ wrote a song about his father, who’s been pretty much absent throughout his life, and at a recent concert AJ got to perform the song in front of him. The question was what he thought of that experience, and what the relationship with his dad is like now. My stomach dropped when the girl asked this question, because it’s just too personal to ask someone you don’t even know.

AJ was a trooper, though, and gave a very real, very sincere answer. He said that he was shaking the whole time he was singing the song, and that his dad spoke with him afterwards, but AJ’s not ready for a real relationship with him yet. It’s too soon. He said that if his dad ever needed anything, he’d be there, but he’s not going to go out of his way to form a relationship with a man who wasn’t there for him his whole life. It was a very honest answer, but there was no malice or animosity when he said it, he just told us how he really feels. I respect him for not getting visibly irritated with the question (I don’t know how he really felt about it, obviously, but we didn’t get any outward signs that he was annoyed). He was able to laugh it off pretty quickly and bring back the party atmosphere, which everyone appreciated.

Once the Q&A’s were done, we were told to line up to meet the Boys. This is when I really started to shake. They were lined up along one side of the seats, against the boards (it was a hockey arena we were in), and we got to file up to them. The security guys wouldn’t let us use our own cameras when we met them, as there was a professional photographer waiting to take the pictures for us.

When my turn came, I handed AJ the program I’d brought for them to sign. He looked me right in the eyes, smiled, and asked my name. I told him, he said it was pretty, then he asked how I was doing. I said I was great, and asked how he was. He said he couldn’t complain, and gave me another really cute grin. Then he put one arm around me as he shook my hand, and I moved down the line.

Nick was next. I’ll admit, I’ve never been much of a Nick fan. I didn’t dislike him, I just didn’t form any particular opinion about him, if that makes any sense. But that changed when I was standing in front of him. His cologne was amazing, I’m not sure what it was, but he smelled sooooo good! He gave me a big smile, and my knees buckled. I blurted out, without censoring it first, ‘You’re so cute!’ to which he gave me an even bigger smile and said, “Well, you’re gorgeous.” I just about died! I was hard-pressed not to tremble visibly. He shook my hand, and it was like electricity shot up my arm. His eyes are sooo bright, and his smile was so genuine, I wanted to stand there, just looking at him, forever. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.

Because I’d come to the middle of the group, it was time to get my picture done. Howie put his arm around my back and I felt his hand resting just above the small of my back. It was nice. I tried not to grin like an idiot, but I couldn’t help it. I’m just glad I didn’t blink.

Once the picture was done, I managed to tell them what the program they were signing meant to me. There’s a story behind it, and I wanted them to know. When I purchased that program, it was during the Never Gone tour in 2005. I had to go in my wheelchair because I wasn’t walking very well at the time. I couldn’t even purchase the program myself because I couldn’t get near the stand in my chair, so my friend had to do it for me. I was beyond frustrated, upset that I couldn’t even do such a simple thing for myself. When she handed it to me, I told her, right then and there, that the next time I saw the BSB, I would not be in my stupid chair, that I’d be walking and able to enjoy the concert like normal people. I wanted it so much that I began to cry at the time. I got a little emotional even telling the BSB about it.

They were sooo sweet about it! Nick patted my arm, Howie squeezed my hand, and when I got to Brian, finally, he gave me a big hug and called me ‘honey!’ They weren’t supposed to give hugs because security was shoving us through pretty quickly, so he whispered in my ear, “You’re going to get me in trouble for this, but it’s worth it.” I really had to fight back tears when I realized that I was hugging the man who’d been plastered all over my bedroom when I was younger, the man who’s voice had gotten me through some absolutely horrible times during my youth (BSB was on non-stop when my grandfather died 10 years ago, and a bunch of other times when I thought my world was ending). His smile was so amazing, and he smelled so fresh and clean, like baby powder. And he gives real hugs, not the light ones that barely feel like a hug. I was hard-pressed not to just keep hanging on. lol!

After Brian thanked me for coming to see them, security pretty much pushed me out the door (they were doing this with everyone, as some of the girls who’d gone through first had tried to linger, so they had to get a little more strict about it). I was floating as I walked back outside to meet my friend, Paula, who was waiting for me. My program in hand, a grin on my face, I can honestly say, it was the best experience ever.

Here are some pictures from the sound check.

Here are some pictures from the concert later that night (which was absolutely amazing, by the way!)

And, just for fun, here are the pictures from the Toronto show I saw earlier in the month.