Do Fangirls actually Squee? Sometimes we do, and here’s why

1) The Twittah

Ever gotten a twug or hump from Donnie? How about a chirp from Brian? What about a got from Jordan? Or become one of Howie's lovelies? What about the moment you saw yourself on JK’s Stingy shirt background? (If you don’t know what this means, please stop reading and do some fangirl research). We have experienced it, and we can tell you that it is AMAZING. That acknowledgment from one of the guys can make you smile for days and definitely picks you up when you are having a bad day.

Not only that, it is a fun way to keep up to date on what the guys are up to and how they are doing. That picture of Joey and his daughter on Father’s Day was probably the cutest thing ever-agreed? Nobody makes my timeline go crazy like those guys and when a few of them tweet at the same time, it’s over. Admit it ladies, you have it set to get notifications when one of the guys tweets (don’t worry, we all do it).

By the way: Danny, if you want to cook dinner for us sometime, we wouldn’t complain. Nick, we don’t know anything about Duke Nukem but you can be sure that we will play it with you. Oh, and Jon, we have a couple of ladies that speak Italian-so if you need a translator, just let us know.

2) White Outfits

Really, there is only one word to describe these outfits: LOVE





3) The Classic Songs

These are the songs that we fell in love with, the ones that take us back and remind us of why we became fans in the first place. The crowd explodes with excitement when NKOTB starts singing The Right Stuff and when that infamous dance comes-watch out eardrums. Hearing BSB sing Get Down over the summer was amazing for us fangirls, we could hardly (by which I mean not at all) contain ourselves. The guys know that we love these songs and that is why they want us to sing along. What fangirl doesn’t wait for NKOTB to hold out their mics for each Step or for Nick’s infamous "Don't wanna hear you say" so that we can join in.

4) Mashups

There is not a fangirl around that didn’t go to work the day after the AMAs singing "All you people can’t you see, can’t you see, NKOTBSB". There is just something about combining their songs that drives NKOTBSB fans wild. The combination of Hangin Tough and Everybody might just be the best thing ever (*Swoon* at the beginning with Donnie and AJ). And who can forget the joint singing of Step by Step-I am willing to bet that every fangirl's heart skipped a beat during Step 4. Whoever thought of combining Joey and Nick seriously deserves an award.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, they made a mashup of Single and The One to open their show with. Just thinking about it makes us fangirls smile. "I’ll be the one…I’ll be your boyfriend"-really guys, what are you trying to do to us?

5) Boyband on Boyband Love

Admit it ladies, one of the best parts of the show was the introductions. Just pure boyband on boyband love and you know we all enjoyed it.

And then there is this:


Who doesn’t want to be in the middle of this circle?


Sometimes there is just no other way to describe how something makes you feel than by having a squee moment. The life of a fangirl is full of these moments and we wouldn’t trade one of them for anything…well maybe some things, but that is a post for another day.

At 2 In The Morning, You'll Still Be The One.

If you are a reader of this blog, then you must admit that music defines our lives. Music brings us back to moments shared with friends & family. You know that moment when you hear a song and no matter where you may be, you can smell the scents in the air, feel the chill or warmth of the moment and you are simply transformed back to the time the memory took place.

The Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block have created such memories on several occasions. Take for example, 'I Want It That Way'. I will always remember sitting on the couch, phone in hand (Ashleigh on the other end) watching the video for the very first time, screaming at my TV in pure excitement. Remember, this was back in the day when MTV and Much Music had video premiers on their channels scheduled well in advanced. And how about 'Tonight'. Brings me back to a traffic jam at 11pm at night, heading to Toronto for the NKOTB concert next day and singing (screaming) the lyrics at the top of our lungs while dancing in the car (yes limbs made appearances for other frustrated drivers nearby, out the rolled down windows).

As of this past summer, moments were shared, anthems that defined our trips, were made and songs were simply made 'ours'. It's probably safe to say that Jordan Knight's solo album was our anthem. Yes, the whole album. Although a strong memory with the song 'Let's Go Higher' will forever be tied to rest stop 41. Three cars, ten ladies, one parking lot, one foggy night (post show) and the blasting of one amazing song. After all the laughs (and tears due to the laughter) and even while all of us were slowly loosing energy and in search of a bed, we all busted out singing as loud as we could. Thankfully, it was late, not many witnesses to that.

As all NKOTBSB fans would probably agree, 'Don't Turn Out The Lights' was a staple in all of our lives. But for my girls and I, it has become 'our song'. It's the song we busted out singing on our walk back to the hotel after the final after party in London, Ont. It's the song that made us lose our shit during all the shows we went to, together and apart. It's the song where the pink hearts memory was made and which point tears were shed, knowing that this phase was over, but giving us hope for the next round.

These songs will always hold a special place in our hearts. I am grateful to the Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block for giving us songs to make memories to. But more importantly, I'm thankful to have made these memories with my girls. To the 9 men that we love so much, please do not stop, we need your music for our future memories.

How do you get invited to this dinner?

So many questions:

Who ate what?

Who is the best tipper?

Why does Danny not have any food?

How much boyband on boyband touching was involved? (You know you were all thinking it).



Just enjoy the picture while thinking about where you would put yourself. We all know that there is no bad seat at this table.

When did we become fangirl chaperones?

This past weekend, a few of us fangirls relived our younger days when we took a couple of 17-year-olds to see Joe Jonas. We did this because we know what it is like to be 17 and need somebody to take you to see your favourite band. Not only that, it was a GA show and we knew we would need each other’s support to make it through the night. It was this experience that will forever make us grateful to our own mothers who braved boyband fandom for us all those years ago.

Remember when we used to wait in lines like this to see NKOTB and BSB? (Freezing, in the middle of winter-looking at you Nick).





They gave out “over-19” wristbands. When was the last time you were at a show where the majority of the fans were under 19?
They actually asked us for ID to get these wristbands-I guess we should be flattered. On the other hand, we did sit (on the floor) at the back of the venue in between acts-so maybe those people were questioning the need to ID us.






Imagine our surprise when the first act was about the take the stage and the opening chords to "I’m Shipping up to Boston" started. Based on our reaction, you would have thought that NKOTB was about to hit the stage in those bedazzled Celtics jerseys. Even without a surprise NKOTB appearance, we still had a good time. The most important thing is that the girls had fun and got to experience the show. As for us, we succeeded in our mission to pass on the joy of being a fangirl to the next generation.

We will always think about you in the summertime ♥

As the summer season begins to wind down, it seems appropriate to take some time to reflect upon it. For many of us fangirls, this summer was more amazing than we ever could have hoped for. We knew that the time had arrived (right Jon?) and we felt it in our fangirl hearts.

For many of the girls, our NKOTBSB journey started in Buffalo. Yes, we were there for "Buff in Buffalo" and yes, it was HOT. Unfortunately, this was one of the shows that Jon missed-but our resident Jon girl was super excited when he showed up during Step By Step. Even limping and with his leg in a brace, that man can make a fangirl’s heart stop. But this was only the start of what was to come later in the summer.

As mentioned in the last post, for us, our hometown show is Toronto-we NEVER miss shows there. So imagine our joy when we found out that we were getting two shows on back-to-back nights. This is the stuff that fangirl dreams are made of-we shook our heads at the people who said they were only going to one show. To us the equation was simple: 2 nights+ those 9 men=us rocking the ACC. During one of the BSB soundcheck parties, Brian asked the fans if they would come to the show seven nights in a row. I think I can answer for all of us when I say "Only seven?"

After those two incredible nights, our fangirls split up for a couple shows. Two of our very own were at the history making show at Fenway Pahk (*swoon* at those accents). Some of the girls experienced the amazingness of back-to-back shows again in Vancouver. Others, after dealing with a shocked border guard (“For a concert? Are you crazy?”), made their way down to Cleveland. Ottawa and Montreal, which fit into our previously mentioned ten hour driving time, were also a must.

Then, *insert tears here*, the last two shows of the tour arrived. There was no way that any of us were going to miss these shows and after what seemed like an eternity in fangirl time, all of us were finally together again. The show in Hamilton was amazing but it was what happened after that made the night truly unforgettable. We had three cars full of fangirls making the drive from Hamilton to London after the show and we decided to take a break at a little rest stop off the highway. Rest Stop 41 would quickly become part of our fangirl vocabulary and give us much to talk about in the weeks to come. The girls of this blog spent hours at the rest stop talking; then continued the conversation over BBM as we drove to the hotel in London. We have no idea what time we finally went to bed but I can tell you that Starbucks was a necessity the next day (Remember: tour time requires the breakfast of champions).

It was a pretty emotional day for us, mixed feelings of excitement and sadness. This was the last show of the tour-who knew when we were going to see our favourite nine men or each other again? The day went by in a flash- a combination of NKOTB meet and greets, BSB soundchecks, and after parties. Words cannot describe how amazing the last show was-the pranks (well done AJ and Joey), the songs, the thank-yous on both sides-and how happy we were to be able to experience it. It was an emotional night all around, for both the fans and the guys, and it is something that we fangirls will always remember.

Thank you to my fellow fangirls for being there this summer so that we could experience it all together. Thank you Joey, AJ, Jordan, Howie, Jon, Donnie, Brian, Danny, and Nick for the hugs, the pictures, the songs and for putting yourselves out there for us. Thank you NKOTBSB for a summer that we will never forget; one that was filled with fun, love, friendship, sisterhood, and memories. A time that will forever be remembered as the summer of NKOTBSB…baby!