Tag Archives: concerts

3 months of NKOTB & Casinos

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I saw the first two shows of the NKOTB casiNO tour in Las Vegas in 2010. It is three years later and NKOTB is touring again, but this time it is not called the casino tour – although for me it should be. I am going to five NKOTB shows in three months and four of them are in casinos, because I love the slots! This summer the NKOTB tour is called the Package Tour and also features Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees. This is the story of my planning and ticket buying odyssey for the NKOTB Package tour.

NKOTBThe Package Tour

NKOTB
The Package Tour

When the dates for the NKOTB Package Tour were first announced, I noticed they were opening the tour at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut on May 31st. This was perfect because I wanted to go to the first show of the tour and bonus that it was on a Friday night at a casino that was a driveable six hours away. I also saw that NKOTB was playing in DC on Friday June 15 and in Philly Saturday June 16. Again perfect because I am only a half hour from DC and less than two hours from Philly, plus it was a weekend. Unfortunately, tickets for all these shows went on sale at the same exact time. So I prioritized by proximity and got my DC ticket first, then Philly, then Mohegan Sun. But by the time I was able to purchase my Mohegan Sun ticket, they were sold out of floor seats. So what’s a girl to do? Buy a VIP ticket of course. I bought the cheapest VIP ticket I could that would get me a seat on the floor and a meet and greet with NKOTB, among other goodies. I booked a room for two nights at Foxwoods Casino fifteen minutes away from Mohegan Sun Casino because it was half the price. This worked out perfectly. I was seeing three shows, including the tour opener, while only really traveling to one.

NKOTBMemphis 2009

NKOTB
Memphis 2009

Be aware of perfection. About a week later NKOTB added more shows to their tour including a second show at Mohegan Sun casino. This would not have been a problem except it was added two days before the original one. Now I had a ticket (a VIP ticket) to the second show of the tour, not the first. I had no other choice but to buy a ticket to this added show, so I could be at the first show of the Package Tour on May 29th at Mohegan Sun Casino. I bought my floor seat and added another night to my hotel reservation at Foxwoods. Since I had added another show, I decided I did not need to go to the Philly show and sold my ticket to my friend who couldn’t get one. This second show at Mohegan Sun actually worked out better because now I could spend more time at the casinos in Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.

NKOTBVegas 2010

NKOTB
Vegas 2010

Be careful what you wish for. A couple weeks later NKOTB added many more shows to their tour including a third show at Mohegan Sun and a show in Atlantic City. Again, they added a show before the other two I already had tickets to. I couldn’t very well go all the way up to Connecticut to attend the second and third shows of the tour and not go to the first. So I bought a ticket to the first show of the NKOTB Package Tour on May 28th at Mohegan Sun and added yet another night to my hotel reservation. Then I decided to buy a ticket to the Atlantic City show because I have never been to the East Coast Vegas. Also, concerts on July 26th have been very lucky for me, like when Larry hugged me on his way to the stage in Pittsburgh at the last U2 360 show in the US.

 

For those of you keeping score at home, I am going to five NKOTB shows in three months. In May, I am going to the first three shows of the Package Tour on May 28th, 29th and 31st at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut – staying four nights at Foxwoods Casino. In June, I am going to the DC show at the Verizon Center on June 14th – just a drive and metro ride from my house. In July, I am going to the Atlantic City show at the Taj Mahal on July 26th – staying two nights at the Showboat casino next door. So it isn’t Vegas, but it is a lot of NKOTB and a lot of casinos.

NKOTB 10

NKOTB 10

By the way if you’re asking yourself why I need to see more than one show of the same group on the same tour, you obviously don’t know me very well and have not read my On the Road with U2 blog.

More Concerts this Fall

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I thought my concert season would end this summer with my 6 concerts in 3 months, but luckily it will not end there. My concerts will continue on into the Fall, past my 40th birthday celebration in Las Vegas. In June, I saw Lisa Marie Presley and Lucero. In July, I will see Def Leppard / Poison and Toad the Wet Sprocket. In August, I will see NKOTB twice at a 2-day festival. Now I have added another festival in September and a concert in October.

On September 15th, I am going to the Charm City Music Festival at Harbor East Waterfront in downtown Baltimore. There is going to be over 12 bands on 2 stages including Weezer, Flogging Molly, Southern Culture on the Skids, Stephen Marley, Eve 6, All Mighty Senators, Ballyhoo, Jah Works, and Loving the Lie. For the first time I can remember, Baltimore is hosting a great music festival. I did not want to miss this one. Tickets are $50.

 

A month later, I am finally going to see Ryan Bingham at Rams Head Live in Baltimore on October 14th. I have wanted to see Ryan Bingham perform ever since I saw Crazy Heart – his song The Weary Kind won an oscar. I kept missing Ryan on tour because I was always doing something else – not this time. This is a general admission show and tickets are $25.

Lucero plays Baltimore 6.22.12

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11 years on June 22nd I was in New Jersey at the last concert of the first leg of U2‘s Elevation tour. 1 year ago on June 22nd I was in Baltimore for U2′s loudest show on the 360 tour. This year on June 22 I was again in Baltimore, but this time to see Lucero – finally! Lucero is this great band from Memphis that I never saw while I lived there for 3 years – I kept missing them even though they played just a few minutes from my house. Lucero was definitely worth the wait. It was a great show!

Lucero 6.22.12 Baltimore

I arrived at Rams Head Live in Baltimore just as the doors opened on June 22nd for Lucero. To my surprise, there was no one waiting in line to get it and the place was empty. I bought a Lucero hat and just hung out near the bar as the place filled up. Then Ben Nichols, Lucero’s lead singer, just starts walking through Rams Head, but no one really noticed him. He hung out at the merchandise window for a while and then walked all around. At 9pm Bosley took the stage. I always dread opening bands, but these guys surprised me – they were great. It was as if they just stepped out of the 1960s soul scene. So much energy and so entertaining! I will definitely be seeing them again, which will be easy because they’re from Baltimore.

Bosley

While the techs were setting up the stage for Lucero, one of them noticed my ’38104′ tee shirt and gave me a fist bump telling me “cool shirt!” 38104 is the zip code for Midtown Memphis, where I used to live. Lucero took the stage around 10:15pm. I was right in front of Ben Nichols. My neck hurt from looking up. About 45 minutes into the set, these two annoying drunks girls came up behind me and were dancing and falling into me, so I decided to move back and to the side. This actually worked out for the best because I could take video – plus it was much more comfy and cooler.

Ben Nichols

Lucero

Lucero played a great show. I am really happy I finally got to see them. Looking forward to the next time they play Baltimore.

6 Concerts in 3 months in the Summer of 2012

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I am seeing 6 concerts in 3 months in the Summer of 2012. It is a little different than 16 concerts in 3 months like I saw last summer, but U2 is not touring this summer. This summer I am seeing Lisa Marie Presley and Lucero in June, Def Leppard (with Poison) and Toad the Wet Sprocket in July, and New Kids on the Block twice in August.

My first concert of the summer is Lisa Marie Presley! And I am SO excited! I am seeing Lisa Marie Presley at Baltimore Soundstage on June 15th! This is a seated event and general admission seats are $25 or a show package table for two is $75 – guess which one I got? I have to skip seeing the Beach Boys at Merriweather the same night, but I would never miss Lisa Marie, especially in Baltimore. I have seen her every time she’s played Baltimore – this will be the third time. I have seen Lisa Marie Presley several times in concert since 2003 when she started. For more on me and Lisa Marie, please read my next blog post.

My second show of the summer is a week later. I am seeing Lucero at Rams Head Live in Baltimore on Friday June 22nd. It is a general admission show and tickets are $25. Lucero is this great rock band from Memphis. The lead singer has a very unique, raspy voice that I love. I lived in Memphis for three years and never got to see Lucero – something always got in the way. And now that I am back in Maryland, I’m seeing Lucero – ironic.

My third concert of the summer is Def Leppard and Poison at Merriweather on Tuesday July 10th. This is going to be quite the 80s scene. I am pretty excited about this one. I have always wanted to see Def Leppard, as I was a big fan in high school. And recently Bret Michaels of Poison has peaked my interest. Plus 80s rock queen Lita Ford is opening. This show should provide for some great crowd watching. I bought a lawn ticket for $50.

My fourth concert of the summer is Toad the Wet Sprocket at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis on Monday July 30. I love Toad the Wet Sprocket and have seen them several times in concert. They are definitely one of my favorite bands. They were the soundtrack of the 1990s for me – along with U2 and The Cranberries. This show will be my only seated show of the year, so it will be quite a different atmosphere. Tickets are $50.

My fifth and sixth (and final) concerts of the summer are a two-day festival. I am seeing the New Kids on the Block at the MixTape Festival at Hershey Stadium in Hershey, PA on August 17-18. New Kids on the Block are playing both days of the festival. The first day by themselves and the second day with Back Street Boys. I have seen New Kids on the Block four times. In fact, New Kids on the Block were my very first concert. It was 1990, I had just graduated high school, and my mom deemed me finally old enough to go to a concert. I was way up top in the back of the Baltimore Arena, but it was a great show – lots of screaming girls. I saw New Kids on the Block again in 2009 in Memphis almost 20 years later. Those same girls were now women screaming for New Kids on the Block, now referred to as NKOTB, And then I saw NKOTB a year later in Las Vegas for the first two shows of their tour, and even went to the after party. Also playing the MixTape festival are LL Cool J, The Fray, The Wanted, Kelly Clarkson, DJ Pauly D, and others. Tickets are crazy expensive (almost $200.), but I get to see NKOTB twice! Plus, since I’m skipping the Beale Street Music Festival for the first time in 10 years, I really wanted to go to a music festival – even if it is a pop music festival.

So I’m starting and ending the summer with some of my favorite performers. If I can’t see U2 this summer, I am glad I’m seeing Lisa Marie Presley and NKOTB!

Jordan Knight has The Right Stuff at The Fillmore – 3.25.12

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Last night I saw Jordan Knight at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD, the first of my four concerts in four months. I had a great time, even though I only knew one song! My first concert of my life was New Kids on the Block in 1990 – I was almost 18. Twenty-two years later I still love the New Kids on the Block, which is why I went to see Jordan Knight. I don’t have any of his solo albums, but I just like Jordan. He’s gorgeous and nice and very down to earth and extremely entertaining.

I left my house at 6:30pm and was back home at 11pm, a world of difference from the last concert I went to on July 26, 2011 – the last U2 360 show in the US (when Larry hugged me on his way to the stage in Pittsburgh). I wore my Jordan boyfriend tee shirt and listened to Single repeatedly on my half hour drive to The Fillmore. I arrived just after the doors opened at 7pm. I got a spot on the front rail all the way on the end, but it was a great view. The first thing I saw were orange drums! My ticket said doors opened at 7pm and the Fillmore website said the show started at 8pm, but Jordan Knight didn’t take the stage until 9:05pm – and only played until 10:23pm. So basically I waited for Jordan longer than I saw him perform. But it was well worth the wait because Jordan Knight put on a great show, very intimate and entertaining! He talked and interacted a lot with the audience, including bringing three fans on stage to dance during Rockstar. Jordan performed songs in typical NKOTB style as well as sang ballads while playing the keyboards. The highlight of the show for me was Jordan’s performance of NKOTB’s The Right Stuff.

The Fillmore is a great venue and easy to get to right on Route 29 in Silver Spring, MD – and free parking on weekends and week nights. It has a nice bar and a balcony around the perimeter. Capacity is 1100 people, but it wasn’t sold out last night. The floor was pretty much filled without being jam packed scary disgusting. The audience was about 99% women who were in their 30s and 40s and squealed every time Jordan rotated his pelvis. Jordan Knight definitely had the right stuff last night!

Can 2012 top 2011?

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2011 was a fantastic year. (read my previous post) I don’t know how 2012 will top it. If the Denver Broncos win the Superbowl, that would help. If I get a job I love, that would help. But more than anything, just living back home in Maryland with my family and friends is sure to make 2012 a great year.

2012 will be the year I publish my book, On the Road with U2, about my travels to the 75 U2 concerts I have been to the past 20 years. I would love the publishing of my book to lead to a job in writing, but it will be great just to have it published and read by fellow U2 fans.

2012 is the year I turn 40. To celebrate this milestone, I am planning a trip to Las Vegas in October with my best friend and our familes. The other trip I have planned for 2012 is to Memphis for the Beale Street Music Festival the first weekend in May, an ongoing tradition of 10 years. I’m very excited I have trips planned to my two favorite cities.

In 2012, I will go to lots of Orioles games, especially on Saturdays when they are wearing their orange jerseys – and whenever Brady Anderson is there. In 2012, I will go to many concerts. It won’t be U2, but hopefully some cool groups will play Baltimore. And at the very least, I can see some great local bands. My two favorite things to do when I’m not home is to go to baseball games and concerts.

In 2012, I will go back to being a vegetarian. I started eating meat again while on the road this summer and just let it continue through the holidays – I love turkey sandwiches. It’s not a health thing. I just feel bad for the animals – guilty for eating them. In 2012, I am going to walk more. Elvis, Cilla and I really need to get back to walking. It won’t be along the Mississippi like in Memphis, but Centennial Lake is nice too. Hopefully eliminating meat again and walking more will get me into a little better shape.

In 2012, I will read more and watch less. I have vowed not to buy any more books until I read all the ones I have – and I have a lot. I tend to stock pile books, buying every memoir written by celebrities and politicians – and now I’m buying the classics. I do the same thing with DVDs – tv show and movies. I guess I’m making sure I have lots to do when I’m alone in my basement, which I love.

If all of this happens, 2012 is sure to be a fantastic year!