The Package Tour Hits Cleveland

My pegged jeans for the show. I wish this would come back.

I was never a New Kids on the Block fanatic. I was in college when they were at their peak, and more a fan of Boyz II Men, so I never had the posters, lunchboxes, dolls or fanny packs...ahem.

But when a friend asked if I wanted to go, I agreed, hopeful for a fun night out and maybe to relive a little of my youth. That, dear readers, was what I got.

The crowd was predominantly female, with few, and by few I think 12, men in the audience. The fans either tried to replicated the 90s styles, like me and my pegged jeans (I would have killed for some Z. Cacariccis),  or they tried to show the bands how grown up they are. Lots of wobbly legs in high heels.

The show started off with Boyz II Men.

Boyz II Men thrilling the ladies.

These guys can still kill it. Great songs, lots of confetti and fog machines, but it was cool. This was when the screaming started. The stage went from one end of the Q, down a walkway through the crowd to a stage in the round. It was pretty cool, but oh my goodness the ladies were losing their minds.

I suspected this might be a pattern.

98 Degrees. I was only looking for Nick Lachey.

The show ran pretty tight. Once Boyz II Men was off it was only a short time later that 98 degrees popped up. I give the acts and their crews credit. I remember the old days of an hour between an opening act and the main group. They must have kept their core demographic in mind, realizing we all had families, kids and work to get back to.

I'm not going to front here. I was never a 98 Degrees fan, and I only realized the wonder of Nick Lachey when he was married to Jessica Simpson. The man was gorgeous and watching him sing, I had no urge to mock or argue that he is a Bengals fan. No sir.

Whew.

The Main Deal

I admit it. The New Kids on the Block had the right stuff (see what I did there? I know...). The band is grown up, and I like them better this way. When I heard they were playing for 2 hours, I was worried it was going to be full of b sides sending me to the bar to wait it out. Thankfully, they did medleys and covers of songs that they enjoyed.

Highlights of the show included Marky Mark's big brother Donnie full on making out with a super fan and then, I swear to all that is good and true in the world, he took off his tank top and threw it into the crowd. This resulted in a full on Black Friday type of beat down between two women - slapping each other silly to get that sweaty shirt.

There was a tribute to Boston that I wish I could have shared with you. It was about this time that my camera battery completely croaked and I only blame Verizon and HTC. It was fully loaded when I entered the building.

If there was one thing that I noticed, it was that the guys on stage and the ladies in the audience were there to have fun. No worrying about the mortgage or babysitter, it was just fun. I think Donnie over all the guys had the best time. Every time the camera panned over to him, he had a grin on his face that showed you he was having the time of his life.

It was a great night of just plain ol' fun. No pained political messages or socioeconomic tirades. Just a fantastic night of music and dance and smoke machines and a little bit of lasery.

Did you go to the show? Leave me a comment about it!