It was a cold day in Atlanta, but the four of us packed in our Jeep Cherokee and went anyway. It was January 27, the greatest day of my life. Abbie, Lydia and I were all so excited at the idea that we would be seeing the HOTTEST guys ever live in just a few short hours. Mama, however, was less enthused. She was more worried about finding our way to the hotel in Atlanta that we would be staying in. It was a two and a half hour drive to Atlanta from home. That's not bad compared to what some hard-core BSB fans will do to see them.
We had three tickets. Section 113, Row 33, seats 17, 18, and 19 in the Georgia Dome. These were like magic numbers to us. These numbers and small pieces of paper ensured us a magical and wonderful night of pure bliss. The third ticket was origionally intended for Mama. Abbie and I discussed it, though, and decided that Lydia would be much more fun to take! So, that's what happened, Lydia, Abbie and I shared the most special moment in our lives so far with one another.
The night before had been filled with anticipation and excitement. We had planned on doing huge posters to take to the concert, but we never got around to it because we were having way too much fun playing the Backstreet Boys Board Game. When we got to Atlanta, we immediately found the hotel and checked in.
It was 3:30 by then and we had to be at the Marta station at 5:00 to take the train into "The Dome". We made some wonderful "30 minute posters" that had a variety of ways to be displayed. "We Love Nick", "We Love AJ" and "Happy Birthday Nick" (since his 21st was the next day). They looked great, dispite the time strain.
We took the Marta, finding many other Backstreet lovers taking the train to the dome also. We had no idea where we were going, so we just followed the pack. Finally, we were in the dome and in our seats. It was 6:30. We knew it would be a while before we got to see the boys, so we just sat back and relaxed.
During the opening act, Krystal, we watched her perform. But all the time, we were thinking "I wonder how long it will be before I get to see them?" or "I wonder how AJ will have his hair done?". When Nelly came out on stage for the second opening act, all three of us sang along, because we're pretty big Nelly fans, too. (haha to all you Nelly fans! I saw him LIVE!)
Finally, the big moment came. It was the most amazng thing I've ever seen or felt. If you want details about the actual concert, you'll have to go somewhere else, because this is about the experience surrounding the concert. However, I will say this: I (surprisingly) didn't cry except for one single tear when I saw Nick in a white leather suit singing his solo in "More Than That". It was more touching than I expected. The three of us sang, screamed and enjoyed ourselves for two hours. Then, it was over and all I had to show for the best two hours of my life was a T-shirt and a $5 picture of Nick that Lydia found on the ground that somebody had dropped.
My ears were hurting (thanks, Abbie), my throat was sore, and I was beyond tired. But there was a glow radiating off of everyone's faces I saw. All of those people for just five guys doing what they love. It was a breathtaker.
We finally made our way to the spot we were supposed to meet Mama. She wasn't there. We stayed in the flow of traffic and eventually made our way to the Marta Station. There, we waited a solid hour for sign of Mama, who was supposed to meet us after the concert. Finally, at about 12:30, we asked a police officer for help (thanks, whoever you were). Within seconds, we saw Mama walking towards us with another police officer. We got on the Marta and made our way back to the hotel 30 minutes away from the Georgia Dome. We got there about 3:00 in the morning due to the fact that we had to switch trains twice and wait 20 minutes on each.
We had two hotel rooms with two beds each: one for Mama and Lydia, one for Abbie and Me. Lydia and Mama went to sleep soon after we got back, but me and Abbie? No way! We were tired, but we couldn't sleep because of all of the wonderful and horrible things that had happened to us! We talked in the dark for about an hour, then finally went to sleep.
Sunday morning, we woke up, wondering if the previous night's events were merely a dream, but no....it was real. Our dreams had come true! It was a weekend I will never forget. It was the most wonderful few days and few hours of my life, and I thank the Backstreet Boys for being so wonderful, and giving us someone to admire and love.