AB and AC in MD

Hey hey hey…I apologize for the hiatus again…I don’t know whats wrong with me…I get on a roll and then I fall off again…im so sorry about that…*bows head in shame*…I promise im going to make a greater effort going forward!!...anyway…today I want to talk about the trip I took down to Annapolis in the beginning of march to visit tv girl and the captain…AND go to the alexis babini and aaron carter concet!!!

Friday night (march 8) after a long day at work I hopped in the cadi with little sis, little one and video girl…it was about a 4 hour drive but went by pretty quickly cause we kept busy chatting about all kinds of stuff (read as backstreet boys, big time rush and aaron carter…haha!!) …I guess we got there just after midnight…I don’t really remember the exact time but it was late!...haha!...tv girl was up waiting for us…yay!!!...but the captain was sleeping…boo!!...haha!!...it was the first time I was at their place…it was super cute!...i loved all the pictures they had framed all over…they really are just the cutest couple ever!!!...anyway…after some more chatting (I really do have a talking problem…I don’t know when to stop!!...haha!) we eventually went to sleep…

Saturday morning we all went out to breakfast!...i LOVE breakfast!!...haha!...then we went to cvs to print some pictures…we decided that we wanted to get the pictures we have with alexis babini signed!...i wish we came up with this plan earlier because I already had them printed and hanging on my wall…I just would have brought those with me…but its okay…now I have another copy (its hanging on my refrigerator!)…

printing these pictures took WAY longer than we thought it would…so long that we were almost late to the show!...oh by the way the concert was in the afternoon…I want to say that it started at 1 or something like that…we got there, I purchased an alexis babini “shut up and kiss me” tshirt (best tshirt EVER!!), then I pretty much ran to my seat…I got there just as the set was starting…phew!...that was a close call!...i would have been devastated if I missed babini!!!

i’ve said it before and I will say it again…alexis is just too freaking cute up on the stage with the guitar and the harmonica and the voice of an angel!!...i can never get enough of this guy…he is so charismatic and so talented!!…love love LOVE him!!...this is the first time I saw him live since his new album came out (“The Pioneer Spirit”…go buy it NOW!!) so I was excited to see his new stuff…omg…”shut up and kiss me”…I cant even…I was a fan of the song before but now…WOW!...so good!!...and he sang “hakuna mattata” (did I spell that right? Probably not!)…how amazing is that?!...AND “smoke” which is my personal fav live song of his…the “still be standing!!!” part is the best…we all yelled it out when he was explaining the sing along to everyone…he seemed excited that we knew it…haha!!...he sang a bunch of other songs too…they were all flawless!...and he had his friend down town Kenny brown on stage with him playing that box thing…sorry I don’t know what its called but its like an acoustic drum I guess…I don’t know…it just looks like a box to me…but its still super cool…I want to learn how to play the box!…haha!...but yeah, it was just overall a great set!!...i was smiling and singing along the whole time…I didn’t want it to end!!...but it did…boo!!!...on the plus side he was over by the merch booth for a meet and greet right after…yay!!!

We had some time before aaron was gonna come on so we went to meet alexis…I mean we were almost late because we were printing pictures for this very moment…of course we had to go!!...there was already a line formed when we got there so we waited patiently…when it was finally our turn we showed him our pictures and asked him to sign them…let me tell ya…this guy has some memory…we had pictures from 2 different times and he knew exactly where they where taken…I was impressed!!...it was great chatting with him and taking pics and stuff…hes always so nice!!...and he seemed to remember us but he could have just been saying that to be nice…im not sure…either way it was exciting!!

Next up was time for aaron carter!!...remember last year when I said I was not impressed…well he stepped up his game in a big way…last time i think i was so dissapointed because i knew he could do better...and this tour proves that...this time the show was GREAT!!...he sang a whole bunch of his old songs…they were all soo much fun…he opened with “another earthquake” which is one of my faves!!...he had two dancers who are incredible!!...and aaron himself is quite the talented dancer…I have to say that I was thoroughly entertained!!...nice job mr carter!!...and a highlight of the show was when little one was picked for the serenade!!...yay!!!

after the show it was time for the meet and greet with aaron!!...he was super nice just like the previous times i've met him...when i walked up to him he told me that i looked familiar...so i told him that i was little sis' sister...haha!!...we took a picture and then i was on my way...but on may way off the stage the girls taking the picture said to me that they like my necklace (my choose 180 dog tag)...i said thanks...and then they said "we know!!!"...haha!!...i thought that was great because only rushers know what it is...and that was that for the concert...oh wait!,,,i got a picture with the cute dancers too!!...haha!!

when all of our meet and greet fun was over we went to lunch with the whole gang...that was a lot of fun...i always love hanging out with all my backstreet girls and tv girl and the captain came to meet us too...it was at this point that the captain called me out for neglecting my blog...sorry again!!!...after lunch some of the girls went home and the rest of us walked around Annapolis a bit...it a really nice city...ill have to go back for a visit when the weather is a little nicer!!

i feel like this post is getting a little long so i guess ill stop here...but the whole weekend really was soo much fun!!!   

NYE Adventure (Part 2)

Oh my god! Im back again!!...haha!...i thought that opening was appropriate considering all the backstreet fun times im gonna talk about today!!!...eek!!...those boys always make me soo excited!!! =)

On Sunday morning we weren’t in too much of a rush because we didn’t have to be down to Atlantic City until about 4...so we did what we do best...we put on bsb videos...around the world was the first...haha!!!...over 12 years later and I still cant get over that crowd in brazil…it was INSANE!!...if you don’t know what im talking about you can probably look in up on youtube…im sure its there…

Next up was a viewing of big time summer tour!!...ive done a pretty good job at converting my backstreet girls into cougar rushers…such a good job that they invented the hashtag #BlameAsh anytime we do something crazy that’s big time rush related…haha!...so Kentucky girl is pretty much the last hold out…so we def tried our best all weekend to bring her over to the dark side…I mean…what dark side?!...haha!!...after seeing the concert on dvd I think we convinced her to go to a btr show this summer…yay!! ((AND a few weeks later she decided to start watching the show…I think shes almost done with season 2…and shes picked a fav…so we are getting there…it wont be long now before shes at cougar rusher status with the rest of us!!...haha!!))

After we watched the concert we all got ready and made sure to coordinate our outfits…then we hopped in the car and journeyed down to Atlantic City…when we got there we found the house of blues and got on line for vip…we saw little one…she was way in the front of the line with all of her friends…it looked like she was having fun...the four of us found the cruiser and got in the back of the line…and then there was a lot of waiting…show of hands…who’s surprised?!...no one…yeah, that’s what I thought!!...haha!!

We were finally let in to the soundcheck party…of course there was some more waiting…laura saw howie’s son james standing on the side so she said “guys james is here”…I was like “WHERE?!”…I thought she meant maslow…I was excited because hello, james maslow at a bsb concert? Who wouldn’t be excited?!...It would be like my two worlds colliding!!...haha!!…but then I looked over and saw little james…I felt dumb for my overreaction and a little disappointed that it wasnt maslow…I had to laugh at myself…haha!...but howie’s son (slash my birthday buddy) is so freaking adorable so its even better that it was him the cruiser was talking about =)

the boys finally came out on stage and they were looking good!...it was so exciting seeing them in person again…love it!!...they ended up singing 4 songs at soundcheck which is HUGE for them…they sang panic, pda, Siberia and more than that…so not only did we get 4 songs we got 2 super rare songs and 2 semi rare songs… they usually only do 2…sometimes 3 if youre lucky…they did four because they totally messed up pda (they needed to look up the words on google…haha!) so they felt bad…

It was question time next…I hate to compare bsb and btr but I cant help it…the question portion is one that they do so differently…bsb only answers 4 questions (1 each)…but if you are one of the lucky 4 you are handed a microphone so you can introduce yourself and pretty much say whatever you want…you really have their full attention…and then they usually take their time with the answer…with btr they answer tons of questions…but there is no mic involved…they kinda just point to you and you have to yell out your question…so you can really just ask your question and that’s it…honestly I cant decide which I like more…I wish I could merge the two options together…keep the mic and answer more questions…haha!!...for this particular q&a the best moment was when howie was answering his question…he was asked to describe what its like to be a backstreet boy in 10 words…he said he couldn’t do it and just started talking about it…then all of a sudden nick was like “youre STILL talking?!”…it was soo funny…oh and for nicks question he said that his mom called him a cream puff and thats why he didnt play football…aj talked about his wife and ava…and then brian blamed howie for their loss to the new kids at the mixtape softball game…

Then before we knew it, it was picture time…we were like the second group to go…josh was there to give his little speech about no hugs and stuff ((that’s something that btr def does better…hugs are always allowed…but I feel like I get slightly more time with bsb so it evens out)) I was first in our group to approach the boys…I love that they always look me directly in the eye when I shake their hands and say hello…when I got to howie I told him that I cried a little bit at mixtape when I thought that would be the last time he would ever get to sing kevs parts…he said aww that’s very nice of you to say…im so happy I actually had the courage to say that to him…wow!

After we got our picture taken we met up with video girl and went to get something to eat…just the normal chit chat going on…sharing stories and pictures and commentary and gossip…ya know, girl talk!...haha!!... Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the venue for the concert… on our way back to the venue we stopped at the bathroom…when we were in there I ran into one of my closest friends from high school…it was so good seeing her again…we haven’t hung out since we went to see nkotbsb together in june 2011…its been way too long!!...i was able to catch up with her for a little bit which was great!!...

So onto the concert…it was so so so good!!!...but really, did you expect me to say anything less??...haha!!...they opened with the version of incomplete from the cruise that I love…and they each did a solo…brian sang gone without goodbye and dedicated it to the kids in ct…I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house…the rest of the concert was high energy and the crowd was amazing…we were up on the balcony and there were some points that I thought the whole thing was going to collapse…it was kinda scary…but is it terrible that I thought “well, at least im gonna die at a backstreet boys concert”…haha!!...i just had so much fun…there is nothing better than being at a bsb concert…I was so excited that I was gonna get to go again the next night…

After the concert I drove back home with little sis and the Canadian…the other girls decided to stay and go to the after party…they got pics with howie…soo jealous!...i would have stayed but unfortunately I had to go to work Monday morning and it was already super late…ugh!...little sis fell asleep pretty quickly per usual…haha!...but the ride went quick because the Canadian and I chatted the whole way home…as soon as we got back home I took a quick shower…set the alarm…and went to sleep…I hated that I had to go to work in the morning…ugh!!...i mean I never want to go to work but it was worse because I was only gonna have less than 4 hours of sleep and my friends were all at my house…I didn’t want to leave them!!...boo!!

Well I think here is a good place to stop for now…ill be back soon with all the events of new year’s eve!!...it was an amazing one and I cant wait to tell you all the details!!...yay!!...oh and if you havent read part 1 yet make sure you check it out HERE!!!

BSB Takes New York (part 1)

Continuing on with my boyband theme...just two short weeks after the big bonanza, i attended a backstreet boys only event in nyc!!...

the boys were scheduled to appear on good morning america on friday august 31...so they decided to invite the fans to their rehearsal the night before...for a fee of course...but when it comes to bsb all sense of budget and responsibility goes out the window and i happily shell out what ever they ask me to...is that bad?!...if so, oh well!...haha!

My plan all along was to go to the event thursday night...camp out at central park...go to gma in the morning...call out sick from work...go home and sleep all day...i was so set in my plan that i only brought a tshirt and sweat pants to change into...the problem with my plan was i couldnt control the media...thursday morning about 2 minutes after i walked in my manager came up to me and said youre not gonna be sick tomorrow? Right?....ahhhh! BUSTED!!!...i couldnt even look at him...haha!...i said "ummmm"...so he said "i mean, you could have a doctors appointment in the morning and come in late"...so i said "yeeeaahh, i definitely have one of those!"...later in the day i went to him and said "about tomorrow, im planning on staying in central park tonight and i have no clothes for tomorrow"...he then said "you can just wear what you have on"...of course i replied with "absolutely not!"...haha!...after some more kicking and screaming i agreed to come in...ugh!

I ended up leaving work a little early so i could get to the event on time...id say we ended up in the middle of the line...we check in and go our cool laminates...and in true backstreet fashion it was a hurry up and wait kinda deal...the line finally started moving and we eventually got up to where josh was playing traffic director and letting fans cross the street a little bit at a time...2 comments about this...1) it reminded me of the scene in 101 dalmatians wen they are crossing the street to get into the truck...and 2) has any else noticed how good josh has been looking lately?!...haha!...

I was super duper excited to just get into the building and get the show on the road...eek!...when we got in there is was just a giant room...no stage...half the room had carpet put down and thats where we were sitting...yep, we were sitting on the floor...but thats okay because everyone was able to see this way...like i said, there was no stage...

After a little more waiting the boys finally came out to the floor!!...all 5 of them!!!...it was kinda magical...i think they said a few things...i really cant remember...then they got right to singing...im pretty sure they sang incomplete first...they sounded AMAZING!...it started quiet with just the piano and grew bigger and bigger as the song went on...i love that bsb constantly changes up their songs a little bit...it keeps things fresh!...anyway, kev didnt like the way it went so they sang the song again!!!

I cant remember the order of the rest of the songs but they also sang larger than life, backstreets back (i dont know about you but i consider this their anthem), and of course i want it that way...we all know that i want it that way isnt my fav but watching it at this event was special...kev was so emotional when his part came up that he couldnt sing it at all...it was so touching!...i think most fans were tearing up right along with him...they ended up singing iwitw 2.5 times...each time was better than the last...

After singing they sat on some stools and took some questions...i apologize if im offending anyone who asked a question but the questions were weak!...a lot of questions wasted..."brian, can i have a hug?"...good for you but what about the rest of us? How about asking an actual question..."kev, what made you decide to come back?"...great question cause no one else is going to ask that, def not tomorrow at his first performance back, im so glad you asked him!...*eye roll*..."nick, boxers or briefs?"...really?!..."aj, how many tattoos do you have?"...at this point who cares, its a lot thats all you have to know, he didnt even know the exact number...and sorry little one but this next bad question came from you..."brian, which song do you wish never made an album?"...if you didnt already know that he would say if you want it to be good girl or masquerade then you really have no business being at an event like this one..sorry it might sound harsh but thats how i feel!...

Okay moving on...picture time was next!!!...yay!!!!...we waited on line with our group of 10 and we all knew who we were standing next to...we were much more organized this time compared to the bsbbq pic...haha!...we got up to the front of the line where we were once again greeted by josh...and once again i must say lookin good josh!...haha!...anyway he gave up a run down of the rules..."sorry but due to time restraints hugs are not allowed tonight, only hand shakes, high fives, and the newly introduced fist bump!"...i still cant get over the newly introduced fist bump...that josh is a funny one!...haha!!!...from where we were standing we couldnt see the boys so we asked josh if he could tell us the order...he looked at us like we were crazy...but it was important that we stand in the correct order so we could get in and out with out anyone getting lost and everyone standing next to the right guy...once he realized what we were doing he seemed excited (and thankful) that we were taking the time to be organized....haha!

We finally got in there and got to say hello to all the boys...aj was first then nick...little sis got a nick wink...when i got to howie i almost told him that i cried a little at mixtape when i realized it was the last time he'd be singing kevs parts...but i stopped myself because kev was standing right there and i didnt want to make him feel bad...i got to stand next to howie in the picture!...its one of the perks of being a howie girl...you rarely have to fight over him...its usually more like "okay, ill take one for the team"...haha!...anyway...we snapped the picture, which came out super cute...then on the way out i said hello to kevin then brian...the whole thing went by way to fast but thats okay...ill take 30 seconds over zero seconds any day!

Alright...i think ill wrap it up here and call this part 1...its getting kinda long and there is still so much left to share!!!

battle of the vip: bsb vs btr

ive done vip for both backstreet boys and big time rush...so the time has come to compare the two experiences...so here goes bsb gold vip vs btr vip...(i picked gold because its the most similar to the btr package)...so lets start with the facts...

group: backstreet boys
tour: nkotbsb
vip level: gold (2nd highest out of 4)
price: $312
what you get:
~ sound check (2 or 3 songs)
~ q & a (4 questions)
~ meet and greet
~ individual photo with the boys
~autographed picture of the boys


group: big time rush
tour: better with u tour
vip level: premium (2nd highest of 2)
price: $195
what you get:
~sound check (2 songs)
~meet and greet
~ picture with btr (1 per order)
~ i <3 btr tote bag
~ giant btr poster
~ 4 btr pins
~ 4 btr stickers
~ concert ticket in rows 2-10

lets compare, shall we...

~ cost ~
 the btr vip costs a lot less than bsb...and you get a great seat for the concert with btr included in the cost...for bsb you need to buy your concert ticket separate so you need to add about $100 onto your vip cost for total concert cost...
winner: BTR

~ goodie bag ~
you dont get a goodie bag with bsb vip...btr gives you a tote bag, poster, stickers and pins...all kinds of fun stuff...i was really excited about my btr swag bag and i wished i got a bsb swag bag with their vip...our goodie bags from the bsb cruise we're even as good as this...well, 2011 cruise was close but the plastic bag we got on the 2010 cruise was a joke...
winner: BTR

~ autographs ~
you cant ask for an autograph during either vip...but with gold and platinum bsb vip you get a pre signed photo of the boys...since we are looking at gold, ill say this counts...i really wanted btr autographs and im a little sad i didnt get it...
winner: BSB

~  sound check ~
for the sound check portion of the vip both groups sang 2 songs...bsb asked the audience to pick songs...it works out great because if you go to multiple vips you get to hear them sing different songs every time...they sing with a pre-recorded music track...im pretty sure that btr sings the same songs at every sound check...i cant confirm this because i only went to one...but they didnt poll the audience to see what they wanted to hear so my guess is they are set in the 2 songs they sing...they chose to sing their songs with a live acoustic guitar (maybe 2 i cant remember if kendall played too)...this was great because you got to hear the songs in a different way than they would be singing them later in the concert...also they sounded amazing!!!...so this one is really close call...is it better to be able to pick the songs and have them be different every time...or is it better to get a mini acoustic show...ahhh...i cant decide...okay so im thinking about it and i keep coming to the same conclusion "man i wish i heard acoustic bsb"...so i guess acoustic wins...
winner: BTR

~ q&a ~
for bsb vip there is a q&a segment...there are only 4 questions (1 for each) but ill take 4 questions over zero questions any day!...this part gives you a little bit more time with the boys...and if you are lucky enough to ask a question then that gives you an opportunity to say whatever you want to them without being rushed along...another thing thats great about this is its different every time and fans are starting to get creative with their questioning...people arent asking questions that everyone already knows the answers to...there is no btr q&a...i really wish there was...i think it would be a great way to get to know them a little better...
winner: BSB

~ stage presence ~
when the backstreet boys come out to the stage they kinda stroll out one by one...they take their time...they chit chat with each other...they chit chat with the fans...they make jokes and laugh...and this continues the whole time they're on the stage...they are very comfortable up there and they kinda do whatever they want...they make you feel like youre just hanging out with them, nbd!...when big time rush came out it was like they were all business...they all came out together...they sat down...they said hi...they sang their songs...they said thank you...then it was picture time...it was like wait a second did that just happen...they seemed a little unsure of what to do or how they should act...in their defence im pretty sure it was the very first time they were doing sound check with the vip...im sure their level of comfort will increase with time...i mean bsb has been at this for almost 20 years so of course they will have more stage presence...
winner: BSB

~ meet & greet ~
as far as time with the boys goes it was about the same for both groups...you get about 3 seconds with each boy...the btr meet and greet seemed to be a little more easy going...bsb has a strict no hugs policy...i dont think btr has one of these...i saw lots of girls getting hugs from btr...unfortunately i did not get a hug...thanks to my training with bsb and their no hug policy i automatically stuck my hand out for a hand shake...ugh!!!...but next time i will get my hug!...so for the allowance of hugs i have to give btr the edge...
winner: BTR

~ picture ~
if youve ever been to a bsb vip then you know that they cant possible win this section...but im going to share anyway...haha!...the reason bsb cant win this comes down to one word: BARRICADE...haha...thats right most of the vip pictures were taken with a barricade between the boys and the fans...this tour there was a huge controversy because some citys had the barricade and some didnt...totally not fair cause we all paid the same price...but theres no use in complaining now...anyway...for my gold i was lucky enough to not have a barricade...which was awesome (but i did have one for my platinum)...the problem with the barricade is most of the pictures come out really bad...most of the time its the fan standing there like an idiot infront and the boys spread out in the back...its just all bad (unless you come up with a cute pose like i did...haha!)...for the big time rush picture there was no barricade...they even had a backdrop for the picture with their name and the name of the tour...i thought that was a nice touch...
winner: BTR


bsb gold vip - july 2011

btr premium vip - february 2012

BOTTOM LINE:
we've looked at 8 different points and right now the score stands at BSB 3, BTR 5...raise your hand if youre surprised (*raises hand*...haha!)...but the competitions that bsb won are big deals...so just like cory did when he was comparing topanga and lauren, im gonna take all the jelly beans and put them on the bsb side...sorry big time rush!, you're amazing but you're not my backstreet boys...nothing can compare to meeting bsb...i dont care how much they charge me and how little they give me, i will still always pick bsb...

so the grand prize winner is BACKSTREET BOYS!!!

(now whos surprised? no one? thats what i thought!...haha!!!)