#BestNightEver

Sorry for the long absence again - that's so typical of me. Haha. For a change I am not writing about food, recipes or family stuff but rather about something that is close to my heart. This is something that happened back in February,  but I was not able to finish writing this. To be honest, I only put the title/heading and tags then saved it as a draft. 

I know it was years ago when I posted something similar, which was the final Harry Potter movie premiere in London where I "almost" went to but didn't happen.  I was literally just outside the barriers. Remember that? The old post must be buried in here somewhere. 

This post is dedicated to Nickolas Gene Carter, Brian Thomas Litrell, Alexander James McLean, Kevin Scott Richardson and Howard Dwayne Dorough - or five guys collectively known as the Backstreet Boys. Yes, I have been a fan of the Backstreet Boys since I was 16 years old and although I have to admit that they are not as popular as they used to before in this now 1D dominated music world (among other new artists), they still hold a huge and active fanbase who grew up with them. 

The last (and only) concert of BSB that I went to was the Never Gone Tour back in 2006 in Manila. Yes that was long ago and my write-up about that was forever lost in the abyss of the now defunct Friendster and Multiply sites. So stupid of me to not even save it somewhere...oh well. Back then I was broke, just resigned from my previous job (after various attempts of leaving the exhausting world of  call centres) and such a timing that my contract signing (not sure if it was also the final interview) for my new job (yep, still a call centre at that time but a morning shift) was also the same day as the concert. So after that, I had to rush to Araneta Coliseum for fear of missing the start of the concert. I made it in time and I was actually early but since I'm broke as I mentioned, I did not have any digital camera. Although it's so embarrasing to admit it,  I had the trusty old camera with 24 shots of film (or was it 36?) for the concert. It was funny as I remember it because the shots were all used up during the first song. Yes, I was that excited. It was my first time to see BSB in the flesh and I was so close to the stage, I cannot believe it. I also went to the concert alone which is fine with me as my friend, who is not a big fan as I am, would not pay that much. Later on, I became good friends with the girl sat beside me who like me was on her own (although technically she had some friends but they were seated on general admission and other areas). At that time,  I thought it was the best night or maybe because I was thinking that it would not happen again or they'd break up. 

FYI, prior to Never Gone , BSB never went to Manila except when they just started in 1996 for their promotional tour which is not even a concert. Back then, there were also not that many concerts from foreign artists. 

Now fast forward to 2015...wait, happened in between though? Some people have asked me why I was not able to go to their other concerts especially when I moved to the UK where there are more chances to see them perform. Please give me a chance to explain as these were things beyond my control. For the next tour (Unbreakable), they did not have it in Manila which is where I was at that time. Then when This Is Us came, this is when the limbo happened. This is when I was about to move to the UK. When they had their UK concert, I was still in Manila and by the time I arrived in the UK, they started the Asian leg tour therefore I would have missed either concert. After that, they toured with NKOTB and I thought this is my chance. I got the tickets well in advance and was so ready. Until I discovered I was pregnant which means counting down to the concert, I will be almost 7 months pregnant by then which wouldn't seem safe for me. Giving birth in a concert is not a good idea at all. The only good thing is, the concert was streamed live either from home or in cinemas so I was able to enjoy it anyway. Now the last and most recent concert was the IAWLT (In A World Like This) tour was due to the struggle of being parents here with no family around. My husband was not able to take leave and therefore, no one will be looking after our daughter.

So finally I had this chance last February 2015, although not a concert, I can still say that this is a very rare event to be a part of. Firstly, it is the premiere of their documentary movie in Europe which means that this will be simultaneously shown all over Europe (it was shown a month earlier in the US via Itunes and some other movie membership/subscriptions) and of course, the boys are there the whole time. After that, there is an exclusive acoustic performance from the boys. Although not as long as the concert, it is in a intimate venue (Dominion Theater) and the acoustics is so good in this place. And hopefully when this performance will be released on DVD (hopefully), it is an honor for a fan like me to be in it (same with their Unplugged performance years ago). The performance was also shown simultaneously in Europe and will be shown exclusively in cinemas for other countries.

I was so happy that I decided to go to this event. Again, I was on my own as hubby had to look after Isla. I also tried to ask some friends, who also liked BSB, if they can come but they were not able to make it. So it's like a flashback of 2006 all over again. And mind you, I also encountered the same "challenges" on the way to the theatre. I made it again on time but I was so worried because they are really strict here in theatres which means you have to arrive on time, otherwise, they will let you in on the next interval and you've already missed a part of the show. The delay was due to some lines on the tube (London Underground) which were closed and this is the main station close to the venue. It was also due to lack of research on my part which I should've done because I thought it would just be easy as the tube station is just in front of the theatre. I did not know that construction is being done on the area and this messed up the directions. I had to go in circles around the area and also tried alternate routes, which did not really work as I ended up walking. Even if I had the extra time, it was all used in losing my way around the area and I was not able to eat as planned. I was so hungry but I had to ignore that or else, I would miss the start of the show. I only had tea as the queue for the food was really long and the ushers selling the food inside only accept cash which I do not have. Such luck.

The documentary movie, Show 'Em What You're Made Of (which is also a title of one of their songs in their latest album) is a must for every BSB fan as it would take you back in time from when they started  and as for me, I'd realised that I can still sing to all their old songs. It came out automically and it brings memories of the nineties to the noughties when they were at their peak. This experience was also different because for a change, they are not performing (as the first part was watching the movie) but just sitting there on the side watching themselves on the big screen. And as a fan, it is so hard to concentrate on the movie as you can't help but stare in their direction (yes, a bit creepy maybe for some but that's why I'm a fan). The funny part as well is once they started performing, everyone took out their smart phones and cameras to start recording and security was not able to control us anymore, given that they were so strict from the beginning (movie was playing) and telling everyone off, giving warnings to those who took photos not really of the movie but the boys on the side. 

Who would have thought that the boys are now on their 22nd year and at this time in my life, I am still enjoying being a fan which might only be a fantasy for a 16 year old me when I was just gazing at their posters in my room back home. 

This was such an unforgettable night and I will definitely treasure this experience. It was also an advanced birthday gift for myself as I was to celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks at that time. And someday, when I see this performance being played in the future, this is a story worth telling the grandkids about. KTBSPA!