Katie Incantalupo, far right, and her friends pose with the New Kids at the ACC Center in Toronto in September.
Editor's note: Earlier this month Seattle Times reporter Marian Liu confessed to the world that she was a New Kids on the Block fan ... and proud if it. Her story about 1980s and '90s boy-band love generated response from fellow NKOTB fans, from then and today. Read on:
I am also a PROUD fan of the New Kids on the Block! I have been since I was 11 years old. I followed them religiously until they broke up and then continued with each of their solo careers. ... I was more than thrilled to hear of their reunion. I couldn't wait until November and decided to make a trek down to Dallas, Texas, in October to not only witness my favorite group of all time take the stage and perform live, but to actually meet them.... Jordan, Joey, Danny, Donnie and Jon are THE NICEST GUYS EVER!!! I got to give my favorite, Jordan, a hug that has been reserved for him for 20 years and it was worth the wait (he asked me to make sure it was). They sweetly listened to my ramblings, each gave me a hug (and not the pat on your back, done out of obligation hugs, but really good hugs) and they even signed my shirt I designed myself when autographs were NOT ALLOWED (I can thank Jon for this favor). It was a quick visit, but an incredible moment I will never forget.
— "imnangl," Bellevue
I was so in love with NKOTB that I thought my world may end when I wasn't allowed to attend their concert at age 12. To get the opportunity to see them as I approach my 30th birthday is a dream come true, and I look forward to wearing my '80s-style leggings and hair scrunchy to the concert. I am sure it will be a night to remember!
— Natalie Surowiecki, Kent
I really enjoyed reading your recent story about NKOTB at the Tacoma Dome this month. I can absolutely relate! In fact, I will be flying to Washington from Minnesota with three friends just to see the show and celebrate as the band winds down this first leg of the reunion tour. Cannot wait! Oh, the crazy things we do as dedicated and loyal fans of the New Kids. I'm 34 and I feel like I'm 15 again. It's brilliant!
— Katie Incantalupo, Saint Paul, Minn.
I was also a Joey fan back in the day. I fell in love with him after seeing the "Please Don't Go Girl" video on TV. I remember when I was 13 ... my cousin and my aunt were going to see them in concert and my aunt bought a third ticket for me to go with them!! I was so excited! Sadly, even though my aunt pleaded with my mom to let me go, she said no. I was too young. That was the only chance I ever got to go back then. I'll never forget how depressed I was.
Fast forward to 2008, I first heard the rumor about their reunion in late January and the dormant NKOTB fan in me woke up!! In February, I went on eBay and was able to buy everything I've always wanted related to NKOTB. ... In May, I went to see them at "The Today Show" in New York and camped out two days before the show. That's where I got to meet Jon Knight because he came out at 2:45 a.m. to see that we weren't rained on....
What NKOTB meant to me was so much more than just a band. Their music had an intensive effect on me in a way that I will never forget. I can explain it over and over again to a non-fan but they will never "get it" ...
— "miss_ava," San Francisco
I've been a New Kids fan since 1989. I used to bring their tapes with me to school and listen to them on my Walkman at recess!
I went to my first concert in February 1991 in Reno, Nevada, with a bunch of my friends. My mom told me I could only go to the concert if we went with an adult (I was 12 at the time). I told her that we were, and she didn't ask any more questions. The reality was that my friend's 16-year-old brother was going to drop us off and pick us up! We dressed up completely in New Kids' gear — T-shirt, shorts and leggings.
I've stayed in touch with those friends from junior high who went to that first concert with me. Only one is still a New Kids fan. Unlike me, she followed all of their solo careers and never gave up hope that they would reunite.
I'm so excited to finally meet the guys at the end of this month!
— "emalea," Lakebay
I have been an avid fan since I was 9 years old. I still remember the first time that I heard "Please Don't Go Girl," and from that moment I was hooked.... All throughout my life I have remained a true fan, listening to their greatest hits CD from time to time. But even I didn't realize just how crazy about these men I truly am until one January evening, when my husband, who was on his way to a Garth Brooks concert in L.A., asked me who was my all-time favorite band. Of course my answer was the New Kids. His response to me was, "Imagine that you just heard that the New Kids were reuniting and that they would be performing one last time. Wouldn't you want to be there? If that was to happen I would do for you what you are doing for me now." Never in either of our minds did we think that NKOTB would be getting back together, let alone releasing another album!! I was so excited that I cried and haven't stopped smiling yet. My husband lived up to his word and purchased VIP tickets for the Tacoma show. Since then I have just been counting down the days until Nov. 22; I am still on my "Block" high!!
What I love most about all of this is how young I feel again, corny sounding I know, but so true. The New Kids played a very important part of my childhood. Listening to them now always brings me back to those days when life was so carefree; memories of my first crush (Jordan!) and learning all the dance moves to their songs was a must. I am a mom of three little girls now and they love seeing mom act like a total goof and have even become dedicated fans themselves! So thank you Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Jonathan and Joe for bringing back to life a part of me that I had forgotten was there!!
— "mkolbas," Silverdale
I am looking forward to the concert coming up in Tacoma. The article really made me feel like a kid again, back in the '90s. I was that girl with New Kids everything ... from blankets to posters, shirts, pins buttons ... everything you can think of. I even still have a few tapes left.
I know I will have a blast in my neon tights, oversized shirt tied in a knot, and my hair in a ponytail slightly off to the side!
— Sylvia Hansen, Shoreline
Yes, I have loved and fought over both Joey and Jordan — seeing them first in concert at the Puyallup Fair many years ago! My fondest memory is seeing them from the third row at the Kingdome for the sold-out Magic Summer Tour. My mom tried to corner Jordan in a bookstore for a photo — how embarrassing but cool! I still have a tour jacket, dolls, baseball cards, buttons, lots of magazine pics, and all of my concert ticket stubs. ... Of course I got tickets to this show in Tacoma — wouldn't miss it for the world!
— "melp," Auburn
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